Counties and municipalities; online publication of financial statements, audits, expenditures, and budgets required

Crimes and offenses; crime of reckless endangerment expanded, criminal penalties provided

This act amends Sections 12-21-148, 13A-6-43, 13A-6-44, 13A-6-68, 13A-6-111, 13A-6-124, 13A-6-243, 15-20A-5, 15-20A-6, 15-20A-44, 15-25-31, and 26-14-3, Code of Alabama 1975, to: (1) to remove the affirmative defense to kidnapping in the first degree of safely releasing the victim uninjured; (2) add the use or intended use of deception or physical or deadly force to the elements of kidnapping in the second degree and revise the affirmative defense thereto to apply only if the actor's purpose is to assume control of the other person; (3) remove the exception of arousing one's spouse from the crime of indecent exposure and provide the penalty therefor is a Class C felony if the victim is under 12 years old; (4) provide that a person is guilty of transmitting obscene material to a child by electronic means if the actor believes the transmittee is a child regardless of whether undercover law enforcement is involved; (5) provide a person is guilty of the crime of traveling to meet a child for an unlawful sex act if the actor believes the person with which they are meeting is a child; (6) to add children between the ages of 12 and 16 when the child is two or more years younger than the actor to those against which the crime of directing a child to engage in sexual intercourse or sodomy and directing a child to engage in sexual contact may be committed; (7) further define the term "sex offense" to include voyeurism in the first degree; (8) increase the age at which out-of-court statements made by victims or witnesses who are children for crimes involving physical, violent, or sexual offenses are admissible in court from under 12 years old to under 18 years old; (9) establish the crime of inpatient custodial sexual misconduct when a person who is an employee solicits or engages in sexual conduct with a person who is a patient at an inpatient substance use treatment facility or a mental health facility, a violation of which is a Class C felony; (10) further provide for the persons that must orally and subsequently submit a written report immediately upon knowing or suspecting a child is the victim of child abuse or neglect circumstances to a law enforcement official or the Department of Human Resources; (11) provide that a subsequent violation of an employer punishing an employee for reporting suspected child abuse or neglect is a Class C felony; and (12) require that a misdemeanor prosecution under such a report of suspected child abuse or neglect must commence within 12 months after being reported and a felony prosecution must commence within five years after being reported.

Local land bank authorities; shorten tax sale redemption period; restrictions on geographic scope; creation of multijurisdictional land banks by agreement; Governor's emergency authorization to create land bank

Office of Occupational and Professional Licensing established within Alabama Department of Workforce, powers and duties of Secretary of Workforce and executive director specified, Sunset Committee to consider transfer to office in recommendation for modification

This act amends Sections 41-23-170, 41-23-171, 41-23-173, 41-23-174, Code of Alabama 1975, to: (1) rename the Alabama Space Authority as the Alabama Aerospace and Defense Authority; (2) add the Finance Director, the Secretary of Workforce, and the Chief Executive Officer of the U.S. Space and Rocket Center Commission to the authority's membership and reduce from six to five members appointed to represent the aerospace industry; and (3) further provide for the duties of the authority, including defense related duties.

This act adds Section 37-15-4.2 to the Code of Alabama 1975, to: (1) establish specific guidelines for excavators to notify operators of complex or large projects; (2) require both parties to enter into a working agreement governing duties under such projects; and (3) levy civil penalties for either party violating an agreement and an excavator knowingly failing to designate a project as complex or large. This act also substantially amends Chapter 15, Title 37, Code of Alabama 1975, to: (1) define the terms "complex or large project," "hand digging," and "working agreement"; (2) authorize the complex or large project processes to be used for complex or large survey or design projects; (3) extend the statutory sunset date for the One-Call Notification System from January 1, 2027 to January 1, 2037; (4) authorize excavators to begin prior to the proposed date of excavation if all notified operators have positively responded to a request to locate utility facilities; (5) require excavators that become aware of unmarked facilitates after operators have positively responded to a locate request to submit a new notice to locate; (6) require excavators to ascertain the depth of facilities when crossing; (7) provide public agencies are not liable for damages to facilities installed in public rights-of-way in violation of agency requirements; (8) include all funds collected pursuant to this act in the Underground Damage Prevention Fund; (9) authorize the Underground Damage Prevention Authority to contract with third parties for administrative services; and (10) authorize alleged violators of this act to request to attend hearings by the authority on the violations.

This act is the annual codification act. This act: (1) adopts and incorporates into the Code of Alabama 1975, the general and permanent laws of the state enacted during the 2025 Regular Session, as contained in the 2025 Cumulative Supplements to volumes 3 through 22A, and makes corrections in certain volumes of the cumulative supplements; (2) adopts and incorporates into the Code of Alabama 1975, the 2025 Cumulative Supplements to local law volumes 22B through 22N; (3) specifies that this adoption and incorporation constitutes a continuous systematic codification of the entire Code of Alabama 1975, and that this act is a law that adopts a code; (4) declares that the code publisher has certified that it has discharged its duties regarding the replacement volumes; (5) expressly provides that this act does not affect any 2026 session statutes; and (6) specifies the duties of the Secretary of State regarding the custody of the cumulative supplements and replacement volumes.

National Guard; duties of Legal Service Office positions revised and further provide for

Elections; special primary election for redistricting authorized in certain circumstances

This act amends Section 29-4-4, Code of Alabama 1975, to: (1) authorize the security personnel of the House of Representatives and Senate to be responsible for the security of the new Alabama State House, legislative parking deck, adjacent park, and at official legislative events away from the capitol complex; (2) prohibit intentionally using an Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) to conduct surveillance of or photograph or otherwise record images of a capitol area for the purpose of committing a criminal offense and provide a violation is a Class C felony; (3) prohibit intentionally or knowingly using a UAS in the vicinity of a capitol area in a manner that interferes with the operations of or causes a disturbance to a capitol area and provide a violation is a Class C felony; (4) prohibit intentionally or knowingly using a UAS without written permission from the Secretary of the Alabama State Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) within 250 horizontal feet and 250 vertical feet of the perimeter of any site of the construction or improvement of state property within a capitol area and provide a first violation is a Class C misdemeanor and a second or subsequent violation is a Class B misdemeanor; (5) beginning January 1, 2027, prohibit intentionally or knowingly using a UAS in the vicinity of a capitol area and provide a first violation is a Class C misdemeanor and a second or subsequent violation is a Class B misdemeanor, subject to exceptions for certain persons including federal and state employees and contracted third parties; (6) authorize ALEA to take measures against unmanned aircraft systems operating in violation of this act, including seizure; (7) authorize the secretary to designate additional locations as Capitol areas; and (8) authorize the secretary, in consultation with the Governor, Alabama Legislative Council, and Alabama Administrative Office of Courts, to establish a permitting process for using a UAS in the vicinity of a Capitol area.

Volunteer fire departments; authorized to deposit funds with financial institutions

Local sales and use taxes, municipal sales and use taxes collected from nonresident Alabama taxpayers refunded

Public Service Commission; number of commissioners expanded to represent congressional districts, phase-in by election provided, term of office revised, position of Secretary of Energy established as cabinet member, calculation of electric utility rates revised

Local sales and use taxes, exemption for nonresident Alabama taxpayers established