Insurance, to provide that service contract provider registration fees be paid into the Special Examination Revolving Fund instead of the Service Contract Revolving Fund
Summary
HB419 revises Alabama’s service contract law, which governs contracts sold to consumers for the repair, maintenance, or replacement of purchased goods. The bill changes where service contract provider registration fees are deposited: instead of going to the Service Contract Revolving Fund, they would be paid into the Special Examination Revolving Fund. It also requires any remaining unencumbered balance in the Service Contract Revolving Fund to be transferred to that fund on October 1, 2026.
The bill also makes conforming and technical changes to the service contract statutes. It clarifies that any future adjustment to the annual provider registration fee must follow the Consumer Price Index adjustment mechanism already referenced in existing law, and it updates cross-references and terminology in Sections 8-32-1, 8-32-3, and 8-32-5. The underlying consumer-protection framework for service contracts remains in place, including registration requirements, disclosure rules, cancellation provisions, refund rules, and financial responsibility standards for providers.
Impact
HB419 would amend Alabama Code Sections 8-32-1, 8-32-3, and 8-32-5 to redirect service contract provider registration fees to the Special Examination Revolving Fund and to move any leftover balance from the Service Contract Revolving Fund into that fund. In practical terms, this shifts the financial support for insurance department oversight and examination activities while leaving the basic regulatory structure for service contract providers intact. The bill is set to take effect on October 1, 2026.
Sentiment
The available legislative context suggests the bill is routine and administrative rather than controversial. It was introduced and then read for the second time and placed on the calendar, with no recorded committee transcript debate and no recorded votes in the provided materials. That indicates no visible opposition or support statements in the available record, and the bill appears to have been treated as a technical funding and cleanup measure within the insurance committee jurisdiction.
Contention
The main substantive issue is the redirection of fee revenue from the Service Contract Revolving Fund to the Special Examination Revolving Fund. That change could matter to the Insurance Department and to any stakeholders who track how provider fees are used to fund oversight and examinations. A secondary point is the bill’s clarification that fee adjustments follow Consumer Price Index changes, which reduces ambiguity but does not appear to have generated recorded dispute in the available materials. No specific opposition from providers, insurers, or consumer advocates is reflected in the provided history.
Same As
Insurance, to provide that service contract provider registration fees be paid into the Special Examination Revolving Fund instead of the Service Contract Revolving Fund
Contract Review Permanent Legislative Oversight Committee, review of personal or professional services contracts, limitation that funds be issued on a state warrant removed, occupational and professional licensing boards included as state entities