Alabama’s 2026 legislative session drew to a close last Thursday, April 9. State lawmakers met for 30 days of House and Senate sessions considering new policies. This session, lawmakers passed bills on some high priorities, such as Public Service Commission reform, while other high-profile bills failed to make it through the session.

Regulating the Public Service Commission:

One of the biggest issues lawmakers sought to tackle during this year’s session was the state’s high utility rates — an issue many blame on the Alabama Public Service Commission. The PSC is responsible for setting utility rates across the state, but has not held a rate hearing since 1981. Instead, the commission uses a process known as rate stabilization and equalization to determine utility rates that guarantee a return for power companies.

Several PSC regulation bills were introduced throughout the session. However, the only one to pass the legislature, HB475, was voted against by its original sponsor Rep. Mack Butler, R-Rainbow City. 

The bill had originally aimed to require the PSC to host regular rate hearings, but was amended by the Senate to resemble another PSC regulation bill introduced in the session, SB360. Under the amended version of the bill, PSC membership has expanded from three members to seven. However, all language about hosting regular rate hearings was scrapped by senators — leading Butler to vote against the amended bill when it came back to the House for approval. 

Schools and religion:

Another theme for this year’s legislation was moving religion into schools. Multiple bills passed this session that shrunk the gap between church and state, including a bill mandating the display of the Ten Commandments in public schools and a bill allowing students to be released during a school day to receive off-campus religious instruction. 

One of the most high profile school religion bills that legislators approved this session proposes a constitutional amendment that would require schools in the state to start their day with a prayer and with the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance. Under the bill, school districts who fail to mandate daily prayer or and pledge recitation would have 25% of their state funding withheld. 

Voters will have the opportunity to vote on this proposed amendment in November.

What didn’t pass:

Some other high profile bills failed to make it through the legislature this year. This included a push to close Alabama’s primary election so that only registered party members could vote in a party’s primary election. This bill, sponsored by Republican lawmakers who said it would protect election integrity, drew bipartisan opposition, with opponents to the bill saying it would add more barriers to voting.

Additionally, a bill that sought to impose a one-year moratorium on new solar farms in the state failed to move through the legislature because of a procedural hurdle. The bill — which was inspired by a controversial solar farm project in Baldwin County — was passed by the Senate in February but was not picked up for a vote in the House.

What’s next:

This year’s legislative session marked the final one that will be held in the current Alabama State House. The current state house has hosted legislative sessions since 1985. A new state house building is currently under construction in Montgomery and is on-track to be in use for the 2027 legislative session. 

Lawmakers will now turn their attention to the upcoming statewide election. All 105 seats in the House of Representatives and all 35 seats in the Senate are up for election this year, alongside state executive offices. The primary election will take place on May 19, ahead of the primary election on Nov. 3. 

Alabama top stories in brief:

Tuberville leads in gubernatorial fundraising, with large donation from gambling company in March

• U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville, the Republican front-runner for governor, raked in $581,377 in campaign donations last month, thanks in part to a $30,000 donation from online gambling company, VGW Luckyland Inc.
• VGW Luckyland Inc. is part of a larger Australian gambling company, VGW Holdings, which operates a number of online gambling platforms such as Chumba Casino and LuckyLand Slots. The company has been the subject of multiple state bans and cease-and-desist orders across the country and has been the subject of multiple class action lawsuits regarding gambling addiction.
• Meanwhile, Democratic front-runner Doug Jones raised $175,387 in March.
• While Jones trailed Tuberville in fundraising last month, he did earn more individual contributions than Tuberville. Jones’ campaign finance records show he earned 1,131 individual donations, while the Tuberville campaign reported 878.

State’s new shark alert system goes live

• Alabama’s new shark alert notification system has gone live. Alabama’s system is the first government-issued alert system of its kind in the country.
• The system, which was created during the 2025 legislative session, would send an alert to cell phones in southern Mobile and Baldwin Counties if there is a reported unprovoked shark attack off the coast of either of those counties. 
• The legislative push to create a shark attack alert system last year was inspired by Mountain Brook teenager Lulu Gribbin, who was attacked by a shark in June 2024, causing her to lose her right leg and left hand. The attack happened in waters off the coast of Rosemary Beach, Florida less than two hours after another attack nearby.
• Unprovoked shark attacks are extremely rare off of Alabama’s coast — only eight unprovoked attacks have been recorded since 1837.

Environmental groups sue to protect Alabama fish

• The Center for Biological Diversity filed a lawsuit last week against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service asking for the coal darter — a fish native to Alabama’s Coosa, Cahaba and Black Warrior Rivers — to be protected under the Endangered Species Act. 
• The Center for Biological Diversity is accusing the service, under the Trump administration, of dragging its feet on implementing protections for the darter. In 2023, the service, under the Biden administration, proposed listing the darter as a threatened species and protecting certain habitats critical to the darter. This process was supposed to be finalized by December 2024, but the service is yet to approve any protections for the fish.
• Coal darter populations have diminished in Alabama rivers due to runoff from mining and industry in the area. The fish used to occupy an area of 355 river miles, but now only occupies 189 river miles.
• “These fish are a vital part of Alabama’s incredibly biodiverse river systems, and they’ll spiral further toward extinction without federal protection,” said Danny Waltz, a senior attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity, in a news release.

Tuberville regional director, former Motorsports Hall of Fame director arrested for using office for personal gain

• Michael Raita, the executive director of the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in Talladega from 2020 through 2024, was arrested last week for using his position on a state board for personal gain.
• The International Motorsports Hall of Fame is operated by the state through the Motorsports Hall of Fame Commission.
• An audit released in October found Raita bought a 1968 Camaro convertible pace car for $15,000 from the commission, far less than what it would sell for on the market. Raita’s wife also purchased a 1998 F-150 from the commission for $1,000, also significantly under market value.
• Raita is also the Hoover regional director for U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s gubernatorial campaign. He also was a long-time sports anchor at Alabama news station ABC 33/40.

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