App Age Verification Bill, Ban on Vaping & More Moving Ahead
January 26, 2026 Group Watch: News & Views from the State House
Last week in the Alabama Legislature was a busy one. Find details on some of the key issues and activities of the session’s second week below.
Looking Back: Last Week’s Bill Progress
While much of the legislation that quickly passed last week were bills of local application only, a few broader measures also made significant headway. Here are some of the early winners this session.
A bill to get rid of the Southeast Alabama Human Development Council and put its duties under the umbrella of the Alabama Department of Youth is on its way to Governor Ivey’s desk.
A bill to make gross proceeds from the sale of deer feed exempt from sales and use tax passed the House almost unanimously.
A bill to increase the homestead exemption for disabled people and people age 62 and older made it through the House without a single dissenting vote, as did a bill to give a state income tax credit to restaurants that recycle oyster shells.
A bill to establish automatic, annual audits for Alabama municipalities that hit at least $500,000 in yearly expenditures also passed the House unanimously, as did a bill making agreements prohibiting an individual’s disclosure of information about instances of sexual abuse unenforceable.
A House bill aiming to preserve and regenerate Alabama’s coastal ecosystems by creating the Alabama Seagrass Restoration Task Force passed 102-0.
Read more here.
Looking Ahead: Public Vaping & Slap-Sport On the Way Out in AL
Vapers could soon be in the same boat as cigarette smokers if the bill that made it through the Alabama Senate Committee on Healthcare last week continues to advance. The legislation, proposed by Senator Gerald Allen, R-Cottondale, bans vaping in enclosed public spaces, mirroring the law banning smoking enacted in 2003. It goes before the full Senate for a vote this week. Allen points to protecting people from the negative health impacts that could be caused by exposure to secondhand nicotine as motivation for the bill. Read more here.
Senator Allen is also concerned about a new pastime and has filed SB7 to prevent it from ever taking off in Alabama. Face-slap fighting, which is exactly what it sounds like, is permitted in some other states, like Nevada, where opponents slapping each other across the face has grown into a sport. Allen’s legislation will make the “slap-fighting” sport illegal in Alabama and was passed by the Senate State Governmental Affairs Committee last week. Slap-fighting has already been banned by The Alabama Athletic Commission, and the Commission supports Allen’s bill. Read more here.
Bill Requiring Age Verification for Apps Clears the House
HB161, which requires those providing apps to smartphones and other devices to verify the age of anyone attempting to purchase and/or download apps, easily sailed through the House late last week, passing on a unanimous vote. The purpose of the legislation is to protect children from access to harmful content that proliferates online, and multiple representatives, both Republican and Democrat, praised the measure. The bill outlines age-verification systems and methods for app-store compliance, including verification from a parent or guardian. The bill also increases parental control. If the individual attempting to download an app is determined to be a minor, the bill requires the app store to link the app to a parent’s account or to secure parental consent prior to the download. Read more here.
League of Municipalities Event Offers Access to AL Lawmakers
During its Advocacy Day last week, the Alabama League of Municipalities brought leaders of the state’s cities together to hear from key legislators, Senate President Pro Tem Garlan Gudger and House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter. The two spoke about issues and policies impacting cities across Alabama and talked about how bills coming up this session play a role. The event was the League’s largest ever, drawing more than 300 mayors and city council members to Montgomery. Watch a video with more details here.
Session Week 2 Quick Hits
Click to check out the lists of everyone who qualified to run for office for both of the state’s major political parties.
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X 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.