The Alabama Legislature returned to the State House this week to complete days 9 and 10 of the Legislative Calendar, and will reconvene next week for a two-day work week. On Monday, education agencies presented their budget requests to lawmakers. Governor Kay Ivey’s proposed Fiscal Year 2027 budget includes a $570 million increase to the Education Trust Fund, with the majority of new funding directed toward teacher pay raises and rising education-related health insurance costs.
Both the House and the Senate have passed HB181, sponsored by Representative Rhett Marques and Senator Chris Elliott, which prohibits the disposal of dredged materials in Mobile Bay. The bill will now be sent to Governor Ivey’s desk for final consideration.
In addition, a bipartisan group of House and Senate members introduced the Alabama Affordability Protection Plan. This package of legislation is aimed at protecting Alabama families and businesses from rising utility costs while strengthening transparency and oversight within the state’s utility system. The package is designed to maintain Alabama’s historically competitive utility rates without increasing taxes or base rates. The package includes three bills that focus on consumer protections, accountability in economic development incentives, and reforms to utility oversight:
HB403/SB270 (Rep. Neil Rafferty/Sen. Lance Bell): Prevents utility costs associated with data centers from being shifted onto Alabama households and businesses.
HB399/SB265 (Rep. Leigh Hulsey/Sen. Andrew Jones): Updates data center incentive structures to ensure measurable public benefits, aligning them with standards applied to other economic development projects.
HB392/SB268 (Rep. Chip Brown/Sen. Bobby Singleton): Reforms utility oversight to improve accountability and limit undue influence from special interests.
The legislation is expected to begin moving through the legislative process next week.
The Senate passed SB71, sponsored by Senator Donnie Chesteen. According to SB71, the bill requires environmental rules to be based on “sound science,” “generally accepted scientific practices,” and “direct causation.” By preventing regulatory overreach, SB71 aims to help keep Alabama competitive and ensure environmental policy remains grounded in science rather than politics. The legislation aligns Alabama with the national baseline established by President Trump and positions the state to respond should future federal actions seek to impose more stringent standards. The bill received a favorable report in the House Agriculture Committee on Thursday.
The Senate also passed HB161, the App Store Accountability Act, sponsored by Representative Chris Sells, with an amendment adopted on the Senate floor. The legislation aims to strengthen consumer protections for minors who use app stores by establishing specific requirements for app store providers and application developers.
This week’s Tuesday Morning Issues Briefing featured Senate President Pro Tem Garlan Gudger, moderated by Allison Ross with HH Health Systems. His message was strong and clear: Progress happens when leaders collaborate and keep strong communication. We look forward to welcoming House and Senate Education Budget Chairs, Rep. Danny Garrett and Sen. Arthur Orr, to our next briefing on Tuesday, February 10, at 9 a.m.
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