Goat Hill Report- Week Ending February 27, 2026

This week the Alabama legislature completed Week 7 of the session. It was a 3-day work week, meaning the two chambers convened on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, with committee meetings scheduled throughout the three days. The result of the increased pace is that the legislature has now completed 17 days out of a possible 30 legislative days, and the continued expectation is that the session will wrap up in early to mid-April.

Details of this week’s notable action and news items are provided below.

Speaker Ledbetter and Senator Tuberville Back Closing Party Primaries
This week, Speaker of the House Nathaniel Ledbetter (R-Rainsville) expressed his support for closing party primaries in Alabama. Under current state law, any registered voter can participate in a partisan primary election without declaring a party affiliation in advance of Election Day. The debate around closed primaries has been a flashpoint topic for years within the Alabama Republican Party’s membership, but up until now has not been fully prioritized by the Legislature. Speaker Ledbetter’s position on closing primaries is also supported by U.S. Senator and current gubernatorial frontrunner Tommy Tuberville – who remarked yesterday that a closed primary bill would “help the cause of conservative Republicans” in Alabama. Speaker Ledbetter and Coach Tuberville have been close political allies since before Tuberville was elected the Senate in 2020, so it’s no surprise to see the two in lockstep on the proposal.

Controversial PSC Legislation Declared Dead

In a somewhat surprising turn of events, HB392 by Rep. Chip Brown (R-Hollinger’s Island) that would have ended popular elections for members of the Alabama Public Service Commission by 2030, was declared dead on Wednesday by Senate President Pro Tem Garlan Gudger (R-Cullman). Gudger took to the Senate podium for a moment of personal privilege to state that the bill “moved too fast and addressed the issue too narrowly.” The bill was filed on Feb. 5 and appeared in a House committee on Feb. 10, where renewable energy advocates strongly criticized the measure, saying it would do little to cut bills and limit public input in utility regulation. Two days later, the bill set was for a floor vote in the House but was removed from the agenda due to a perceived lack of support upstairs in the Senate. HB392 would have authorized the governor to appoint the president of the Public Service Commission when current PSC President Cynthia Almond’s term expires in 2028, and to appoint the two associate members of the board starting in 2030 from a list provided by the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Alabama Senate President Pro Tem. The stated purpose of the bill was to allow for more public input in the setting of utility rates by the PSC, but Rep. Brown in an interview on Wednesday admitted that that message was poorly communicated. Gudger said in an interview after the Senate adjourned that he is working with Brown and House leadership on new legislation that would focus instead on lowering energy costs.

Career Tech Package Announced

On Thursday, legislators introduced a package of career and technical education (CTE) bills, including a proposal seeking an additional $150 million investment in the state’s CTE programs. Specifically, the package features:

• A joint resolution, HJR189 by Rep. Frances Holk-Jones (R-Foley), supporting the $150 million funding request as additional CTE investment beyond last year’s $100 million appropriation from the Advancement and Technology Fund for matching grants to local school districts to develop regional career technical centers.
• HB517 by Rep. James Lomax (R-Huntsville), establishing the Talent Readiness and Industry Needs (TRAIN) Act. This bill would incentivize employers to temporarily loan qualified industry employees to teach CTE courses at eligible educational institutions, such as Alabama community colleges and public high schools. HB517 would create up to $10 million in annual income tax credits to offset a portion of the salary employers continue paying employees during their teaching assignments, with a cap of $250,000 per employer. The credits would be available beginning in the 2027 tax year. Lomax’s bill also creates the Workforce Teaching Certificate, which specifies minimum requirements, including a background check.
• HB520 by Rep. Marcus Paramore (R-Troy) is titled the CTE Teacher Certification Act. The legislation proposes an expedited certification pathway for experienced teachers relocating to Alabama to teach CTE courses in public high schools. Eligible teachers must hold a valid teaching certificate from another state and show proof of four years of full-time teaching experience, a bachelor’s degree and a criminal background check.
  The two bills are expected to be considered in House Committee next week, while the $150 million funding request will be reviewed in the coming weeks as the budgets begin to move through the legislative process.

Other Notable Legislation

• Limited Screen Time for Children. HB78 by Rep. Jeana Ross (R-Guntersville) passed the Senate on Thursday and now heads to the Governor for signature. The bill would require licensed child-care facilities, public kindergarten classrooms and certain Pre-K classrooms to implement guidelines and training on screen time created by the Department of Early Childhood Education (ADECE) Research and Evaluation team.

Bills of Interest to the Concrete Industry

SB327 by Senators Stewart, Coleman, Hatcher, Figures would increase the requirements for an employer who performs drug testing on employees. The bill would require an employer to notify an employee upon hiring all substances that would be tested in the program, post any changes to the program 10 days prior to testing, and encourage an employee to enroll in a substance abuse program prior to termination.

The Alabama Legislature will reconvene on Tuesday, March 3, 2026. Please call our office should you have any questions about the report. To view a list of bills the association is tracking, click here.