Environmental Bill Close to Becoming Law & AL House Republicans Get New Leadership
February 23, 2026 Group Watch: News & Views from the State House
More local-application legislation passed last week, and a bill putting the capital city’s police force in the spotlight drew pushback. Learn more about this legislation and the other moves and measures making headlines.
Looking Back: Bills Passed Last Week
Lots of bills moved ahead last week, including more measures to protect Alabama’s children from obscene materials, legislation affecting health insurance and a bill aimed at making Alabama’s roads safer.
Bills to increase access to cancer screenings by requiring insurance coverage of certain diagnostic procedures made progress last week. SB19, mandating that health insurance policies cover prostate cancer screenings for any and all patients at high risk of the disease, is on its way to Governor Ivey for her signature. HB300 passed the House unanimously and now heads to the Senate. The legislation requires health insurance to pay for breast-cancer screening for all women over 40 years old. And sponsored by Senator Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, SB63 passed the Senate easily on a 27-0 vote and moves to the House. If it becomes law, the use of artificial intelligence by health insurance companies in making decisions about individuals’ healthcare coverage will be subject to oversight and regulation.
Looking out for Alabama kids, HB381 requires all camps in Alabama to have emergency preparedness standards and plans in place and goes to the Senate after passing the House without a single dissenting vote. The bill aims to prevent an event similar to the tragedy in Texas when a flash flood raged through a summer camp and claimed multiple young lives. In the Senate, SB70 expands the parameters of an existing law. If it becomes law, the crime of transmitting obscene material to a child using a computer would also extend to those instances where the perpetrator believes the recipient of the obscene material is a child (even if they are not).
And in the wake of several deadly accidents involving large commercial trucks whose drivers did not speak English, SB42 mandates that all commercial drivers be proficient in English and, if their commercial driver’s license was issued in another country, they must be able to show documents that verify valid entry into the U.S. and proof they are allowed to operate in Alabama.
Find more details and a list of all the legislation passed last week, here.
Looking Ahead: Bill Putting Montgomery Police Force Under Scrutiny
Image via Unsplash by Scott Rodgerson
A bill to ensure Alabama cities have the appropriate number of police officers to protect citizens and investigate and solve crimes has been introduced in the legislature. Still awaiting approval in the Senate County and Municipal Government Committee, SB298 has already drawn staunch opposition, most notably from the mayor and chief of police in Montgomery. Montgomery officials are speaking out because while the bill doesn’t overtly single out the capital city, its provisions targeting Class C municipalities in the state leave it applying only to Montgomery and Huntsville. While Huntsville is already in compliance with the bill’s mandate, and wouldn’t need to take any action if the bill becomes law, Montgomery currently would not meet bill’s minimum requirement numbers for police officers. If the legislation does become law, Montgomery would have five years to recruit and hire the needed number of officers. If the city failed to do so, the bill would allow for a state takeover of Montgomery‘s law enforcement. Watch for more debate in the weeks to come. Read more here.
Bill Establishing Standard for AL Environmental Regs On Ivey’s Desk
Pointing to Alabama businesses’ need for clear and consistent environmental rules and regulations, SB71 prohibits the Alabama Department of Environmental Management and other state agencies from adopting any rules that are stricter than those imposed by the federal government. This includes setting standards for pollutants, water and air quality, hazardous materials and more that go above and beyond standards set at the federal level. And in instances where there is no federal regulation and a state agency wishes to add one, the bill requires reliance on “the best science available” to guide any new rules. Already approved by the Senate, the bill passed the House last week and heads to the governor’s desk. Read more here.
Rep. Bob Fincher Retiring
When the 2026 regular session of the Alabama Legislature adjourns this spring, the body will say goodbye to State Representative. Bob Fincher, R-Woodland, who recently announced his retirement. Saying he is proud of serving his district, but ready to enjoy some time with friends and family, the 77-year-old lawmaker will close out his public service after 12 years of holding the office. During that time, he saw countless bills pass and fail. He called the inability to get a lottery bill passed one of his regrets, but stressed how much success he had, and that all his work was for on behalf of and to benefit the people he represented. Read more here.
Quick Hits
Check out some other activity and action important to #alpolitics.
A bill making a major disruption inside an Alabama house of worship a crime passed another hurdle last week, getting approval from a second House committee, despite some heated debate and strong opposition. Watch news coverage here.
There’s a new head of the Alabama House Republicans as of last Wednesday. With Scott Stadthagen stepping down from his position as House Majority Leader to run for Alabama Republican Party chair, Representative Paul Lee, R-Dothan, was elected by the caucus to fill the Majority Leader role.
Post of the Week
Meet The Bloom Group: (left to right) John Guthrie Jr., Harris Sanderson, Stephanie Norrell, Hal Bloom (principal/founder), Allen Sanderson (principal), Sara Elizabeth Burnham (vice president), James Dupree Jr., John Floyd.