HONORING SERGEANT FIRST CLASS LATONYA J. O'NEAL FOR OVER 22 YEARS OF DEDICATED SERVICE TO THE UNITED STATES MILITARY.

To make an appropriation of $389,327 from the Education Trust Fund to Southern Preparatory Academy, formerly Lyman Ward Military Academy, in Camp Hill, Alabama for the support and maintenance of the educational program of the institution, for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024; to provide that the appropriation is subject to certain provisions of the Code of Alabama 1975; to require an operations plan and an audited financial statement prior to the release of any funds; and to require an end of year report.

Relating to public contracts; to amend Sections 41-16-50, 41-16-51, 41-16-52, 41-16-53, 41-16-54, and 41-16-55, Code of Alabama 1975, to increase the threshold dollar amount for which competitive bidding is generally required for certain state and local public awarding authorities, with exceptions; to provide a legislative method for the increase of the threshold dollar amount; and in connection therewith would have as its purpose or effect the requirement of a new or increased expenditure of local funds within the meaning of Section 111.05 of the Constitution of Alabama of 2022.

Relating to disability insurance policies; to authorize disability insurers to offer paid family leave benefit policies.

To make supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2023: from the Veterans' Assistance Fund to the Department of Veterans' Affairs in the amount of $10,000,000, and from the State General Fund to various agencies and entities a total amount of $188,573,865.

Relating to the Alabama Forestry Commission; to establish the Rural Logging Efficiency Act of 2023; to create the Logging Efficiency Grant Fund to be administered by the Alabama Forestry Commission; and to provide for the distribution of funding to the Alabama Forestry Commission to support rural economic development.

To make an appropriation of $169,633 from the State General Fund to the Coalition Against Domestic Violence for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, to require an operations plan and an audited financial statement prior to the release of any funds, and to require quarterly and end of the year performance reports.

Relating to the Alabama National Guard; to amend Sections 31-10-2, 31-10-3, and 31-10-4.1, Code of Alabama 1975, relating to educational benefits for qualified active members; to limit the amount of private tuition reimbursed to eligible guard members to the median tuition of any public institution in the state; to clarify the law relating to undergraduate and graduate credentials; and to repeal Article 2, commencing with Section 31-10-20, of Chapter 10, Title 31, Code of Alabama 1975, relating to supplemental educational assistance benefits.

Relating to health care facilities; to add Section 22-21-437 to the Code of Alabama 1975; to require health care facilities to adopt certain visitation policies; to provide that patients have a right to certain visitation; to allow patients to designate an essential caregiver and to guarantee that caregiver certain visitation rights; to prohibit a health care facility from adopting a visitation policy that is more stringent than certain employee policies; to prohibit a health care facility from requiring visitors to show proof of vaccination or from prohibiting consensual physical contact between visitors and patients; to provide for the circumstances in which patients may not be denied visitors who are not essential caregivers; to require health care facilities to provide visitation policies to the Department of Public Health; to require the Department of Public Health to develop a mechanism for complaints; to provide certain immunity from liability in certain circumstances; to exempt certain psychiatric care facilities from the provisions of this bill; and to repeal Sections 22-21-430 through 22-21-436, Code of Alabama 1975, relating to hospital visitation during a public health emergency.

Relating to retirement; to extend the provisions of Act 2022-229 to allow local units participating in the Employees' Retirement System additional time to elect to come under the provisions of the act.

To create the Medicaid Emergency Reserve Fund and to provide for the withdrawal and use of amounts deposited into the fund.

Relating to nonprofit homeowners' associations; amending Section 35-20-5, Code of Alabama 1975, to remove the requirement that certain duplicative filings shall be submitted to the Secretary of State.

To amend Section 40-22-2, Code of Alabama 1975; to increase the fee for recording of certain mortgages, deeds of trust, contracts of conditional sale, or other instruments of like character which is given to secure the payment of any debt which conveys any real or personal property; and to modify the rate and distribution of the mortgage record tax in order to provide a dedicated revenue for the Alabama Housing Trust Fund.

Relating to child abuse; to amend Sections 26-15-2 and 26-15-3, Code of Alabama 1975; to further define the crime of child abuse to include willful mistreatment; and in connection therewith would have as its purpose or effect the requirement of a new or increased expenditure of local funds within the meaning of Section 111.05 of the Constitution of Alabama of 2022.

Relating to alcoholic beverages; to amend Section 2 of Act 2022-431 of the 2022 Regular Session, now appearing as Section 28-3A-13.3, Code of Alabama 1975, to revise the amounts of alcoholic beverages that may be sold curbside.