Representative Paschal introduced House Bill 464 yesterday—the DHR Central Registry and Due Process Act. This is the bill Patriots First Alabama has been calling for. It requires an investigative hearing before any “indicated” finding goes on the statewide registry. It defines “credible evidence” as third-party corroborated or unambiguous physical evidence. It blocks DHR reports from being used for criminal probable cause and requires a grand jury indictment before any warrant based on DHR records can be served. All “not indicated” reports will be retroactively purged from the registry. Effective date: October 1, 2026. Now in the House Judiciary Committee.
Read Our Full Analysis →Governor Ivey signed the bill making rape or sodomy of a child under 12 a capital offense eligible for the death penalty. This was a top conservative priority and passed the Senate after emotional testimony from victims’ advocates. Aligns with HB41 (Capital Offenses—Crimes Against Children) on our Priority Legislation tracker.
View in Legislative Tracker →Unanimously passed. Establishes enhanced safety standards for summer camps, named for a Mountain Brook native killed in a camp incident. A mother’s testimony in committee drove the bill forward.
Requires parents to be notified when their teen receives a traffic violation, with potential for increased penalties. Aimed at reducing teen driving fatalities.
Transfers oversight of autism therapy to the state mental health department. Could streamline services for Alabama families dealing with wait times and provider shortages.
Passed the House 67–34 on Monday after fast-tracking through committee. Prohibits state agencies from adopting environmental rules stricter than federal standards on drinking water, air quality, hazardous waste, and contaminated sites. Sponsor: Sen. Chesteen. Carried in the House by Rep. Stubbs, who argued regulations drive cost of living. Democrats pushed back, with Rep. Chris England arguing the bill flips the traditional states’ rights principle by making federal law the ceiling instead of the floor. Now heads to the Governor’s desk. Worth watching—this limits Alabama’s ability to address state-specific pollution concerns independent of Washington.
Sponsor: Rep. Paschal. Committee: Judiciary. Requires hearing before registry placement, defines credible evidence, creates criminal justice firewall between DHR and law enforcement, mandates investigator training and annual reporting to the Legislature. See top story.
Read Editorial →Senate bill requiring hospitals to disclose emergency room staffing levels. Targets rural health care shortages and patient safety across Alabama’s underserved areas.
Rep. Chip Brown sponsors fines for restaurants failing to disclose seafood origins, supporting Alabama’s Gulf Coast fishing industry and consumer transparency.
Would allow the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency to assume operational control of understaffed police departments in two major cities. Set for Senate committee review.
A bill advancing through committee would toughen penalties for students making terrorist threats against schools, potentially allowing one-year suspensions. Addresses a wave of threats at Alabama schools over the past year.
Proposes felony charges with up to 10 years in prison for disrupting worship services, introduced in response to recent protest incidents at churches in other states.
The bill to strip voters of the right to elect Public Service Commissioners was pulled from the House calendar after Speaker Ledbetter acknowledged the Senate didn’t have the votes. But the story got worse over the weekend.
WBRC and the Alabama Reflector obtained a January 27 recording of Alabama Power’s government affairs lobbyist R.B. Walker calling Energy Alabama’s lobbyist to pitch the bill—more than a week before HB392 was even introduced. On the call, Walker frames the bill as a “legislative win” for the nonprofit, discusses the appointment structure, and says Alabama Power would stay officially “neutral.” He told the Energy Alabama lobbyist: “My thought was to let you all have a win.”
When reporters asked sponsor Rep. Chip Brown whether Alabama Power was involved, he said the idea “came out of the people in my district” and that Alabama Power was “neutral.” The recorded call tells a different story. Nearly $200,000 in Alabama Power contributions went to the lawmakers listed on HB392 and its Senate companion SB268. The bill dropped less than two weeks after 10 candidates qualified to run for two PSC seats in November—seats where incumbents face real challenges for the first time.
Focus on America urged the Senate to stop this bill, arguing it imposes restrictions that undermine transparency in government dealings. Worth monitoring for potential impact on public accountability.
The House Republican Caucus elected Rep. Paul Lee as the new Majority Leader on Wednesday after Rep. Scott Stadthagen formally resigned the post to pursue the Alabama Republican Party chairmanship (that election is March 7). Lee is a four-term lawmaker from the Wiregrass, chairs the House Health Committee, and serves on Ways and Means General Fund. Rep. Chip Brown served as interim leader during the transition. The move follows what Alabama Daily News described as “a rocky few days” for the majority party after a leaked audio recording from a closed caucus meeting. The tensions between grassroots conservatives and the establishment wing remain unresolved.