LEGISLATIVE SUMMARY

This week, the Alabama Legislature completed its fifth week. There were two session days on Tuesday and Thursday, with Wednesday serving as the traditional committee day. Twelve session days of the allotted 30 are now complete. A total of 762 bills have been introduced: 308 bills in the Senate and 454 bills in the House of Representatives.

Some bills of interest introduced this week include title fraud prevention and seller impersonation legislation; numerous bills involving local governance; local bills involving tax exemptions; additional regulations on captive insurers; health insurance coverage; and further regulation of personal information that may be contained in public records.

Some bills of interest debated in committees this week include data privacy; changes to guardianship and conservatorship laws; the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction Enforcement Act; camp safety; changes to youthful offender status in murder cases; and possible legal issues surrounding high-speed vehicular pursuits.

Some bills receiving passage in the House and Senate this week, before moving on to their second house, include a bill changing restitution in leaving-the-scene-of-the-crime cases involving criminally negligent homicide and changes to Aniah’s Law proceedings. Another bill updating the Alabama Judicial College is also on the move.

Another bill from the Alabama Law Institute introduced this session is the Alabama Probate Code Technical Corrections Bill, SB 195 (Smitherman) and HB 264 (Robbins). This legislation remedies the inadvertent deletion of the phrase “without assigning any special equity” from Section 43-8-216, enacted in 2022, which updated the estate removal and remand statute.

As always, the Alabama State Bar encourages all members to be aware of legislation that may impact court costs and fees. Access to justice is a priority. Please be aware of advertisements that may be occurring for local bills and those that may already be filed to use the courts as a fundraiser for non-court entities. We encourage you to be informed and notify us as well.

LEGISLATIVE TRACKING

We are excited to present a new tracking method for our members this year. Hopefully, it will prove to be a more user-friendly experience.  The Alabama State Bar provides legislative status reports concerning pending legislation that may be of interest to our members. The reports divide legislation into the following categories for your convenience:  Civil/General; Court Costs; Criminal; Domestic Relations; Elections, Ethics, and Government Relations (EEGR); Judicial; and Tax.

A comprehensive master list containing all tracked legislation is also available here.

Look Up A Specific Bill Here

LEGISLATIVE CALENDAR

The Senate has adjourned until Tuesday, February 17, 2026, at 2:00 pm.

The House of Representatives has adjourned until Tuesday, February 17, 2026, at 1:00 pm.