Goat Hill Report-Week ending January 23, 2026
This week the Alabama legislature completed its second week of the 2026 session. The legislature held another three-day week as part of a deliberate pace to end the session early so that legislators can return to their districts sooner than later for the May primary election. In this early phase of the session, the legislative focus this week was largely focused on local legislation and sunset bills, which are the periodic reauthorization of various state boards and commissions. It is anticipated that both chambers will take up more high-profile items in the next week or two.
The legislature has now completed 6 days out of a possible 30 legislative days, but forecasts of severe winter weather this weekend have cast some doubt about next week’s legislative schedule (see discussion below). Nonetheless, the session still is expected to wrap up in early to mid-April.
Severe Winter Weather Forecast Disrupts Schedule: Budget Hearings Delayed
As part of the annual legislative budget process, budget hearings were initially scheduled for next Monday. In the hearings, joint budget committees hear from large state agencies with significant budget impact about their fiscal outlook and programmatic priorities as part of the Governor’s proposed budget. Those agencies include the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA), Department of Corrections, Department of Mental Health, Department of Human Resources (DHR), and the Alabama Medicaid Agency. However, due to the forecast of snow and ice in much of the state over the weekend, legislative leaders announced late this week that the budget hearings have been postponed to Thursday (1/29). In addition, the legislature’s plan to reconvene on Tuesday could be delayed to Wednesday, depending on weather/road conditions early next week.
2026 Elections: Candidate Qualifying Ends Today – Friday, January 23
As backdrop to the legislative session, all state and county candidates for the 2026 elections must qualify by the close of business on Friday, January 28. The state offices include all 140 members of the legislature (35 senators, 105 House members) and executive branch officers, including Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Treasurer, Auditor, Commissioner of Agriculture & Industries – and 5 of the 7 executive offices will be open seats. Today’s qualifying deadline is notable in the context of the legislative session, since many legislators and advocates alike have delayed the introduction of more controversial bills until it is determined who has a campaign challenger – and, with it, a potential campaign issue. The 2026 ballot will also feature two of three Public Service Commissioners, and four of eight State Board of Education members. As for federal offices, candidate qualifying also ends today for Congressional races, including the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R), who is running for Governor, as well as the open seat in the 1st Congressional District, where Congressman Barry Moore is stepping aside to run the open U.S. Senate seat
Bills of Interest to the Concrete Industry
Division of Construction Management Target of Legislation
The Alabama Division of Construction Management is facing increased legislative scrutiny. Senate Bill 88 would remove DCM oversight for K-12 and secondary school projects less than $750,000 and HB267 would remove oversight on forestry commission projects at the same threshold. HB 267 has cleared committee while SB88 is expected to be considered in committee next week.
Legislation Tying Environmental Regulations to National Standards Clears Committee
SB71 by Senator Donnie Chesteen passed the Senate County and Municipal Government Committee this week. The bill limits state agencies from adopting environmental rules stricter than federal standards for areas such as drinking water and air quality. The legislation would protect the concrete industry from egregious regulation proposals that go beyond federal regulations and could prove very difficult to meet or even measure.
The legislature is schedule to reconvene on January 27, 2026. If you have any questions about this report, please contact our office. To view a list of bills the association is tracking, please click here.