Bills Limiting Use of SNAP for Sugary Foods and Addressing Data Center Costs Advance, Plus a Prediction of “Spicier” Times in the Senate
February 9, 2026 Group Watch: News & Views from the State House
The third week of the Alabama Legislature’s regular session is done, and it was an action-packed one for sure. Read on for more details on some of the key bills and issues making news last week and for a look at what will likely garner attention and headlines in the week to come.
Looking Back: Bills On the Move Last Week
Check out the bills that got one step closer to becoming law last week.
The Senate Finance and Taxation General Fund Committee approved SB67, a bill that would restrict those on food assistance from using using SNAP benefits to purchase sugar-laden items, namely, soda and candy. Bill sponsor Senator Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, points to Alabama‘s obesity epidemic as motivation for the legislation. He believes if the bill becomes law, it will lead to healthier outcomes for Alabamians on food assistance programs. Critics of the measure called it “paternalistic” and question why poor people would be singled out for limited access to certain food and drinks. Read more here.
A package of bills with bipartisan sponsorship and support in both the Alabama House and Senate aims to ensure Alabama‘s energy costs are “fair and transparent.“ Called the “Affordability Protection Plan,” the bills specifically focus on data centers and their needed energy infrastructure and energy use. One bill requires data centers to pay for energy grid expansions and upgrades, as well as other infrastructure needed by their operations. A companion bill would bring incentives for new data centers more inline with the incentives for other economic development projects, namely, making data centers show how their presence benefits the public large to receive certain incentives. A third bill would change Alabama Public Service Commission from being an elected body to an appointed one.
As data centers and other tech projects continue to play big roles in the state’s economic future, the legislators behind these bills believe their legislation will protect the interests of everyday Alabamians. Read more here.
Looking Ahead: Senator Gudger Promises More Excitement in the Senate
While speaking to a group at Business Council of Alabama event last week, Senate President Pro Tem Garlan Gudger, R-Cullman, said a few more fireworks should light up Senate Chambers this week. Bills likely to spur some lively debate, including the bill to make child sexual assault punishable by the death penalty, are on the agenda. And Gudger noted that robust and even heated back-and-forth is always good for the people of Alabama, pointing to open and continued communication as key to an overall positive legislative process. Gudger also spoke about the Rural Road Map program created by he and Speaker of the House Nathanial Ledbetter to help the state’s less populous areas access funding and other resources. Read more here.
Bill Protecting Church Services Moves Ahead
photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash
HB363, a bill designed to protect church services and church goers from protest-fueled disturbances made progress last week, advancing out of a House committee on a unanimous vote. Bill sponsor Rep. Greg Barnes, R-Jasper, says the legislation is a reaction to recent events in Minnesota and would protect the religious liberty of Alabamians as they gather in their houses of worship. Critics question making such disruptions a Class C felony and claim it could be interpreted too broadly. But a key point is the language in the bill that requires “intent to disrupt a service.” According to supporters, that intent must be present for a crime to have been committed. Read more here.
Quick Hits
Check out the below other activity and action important to #alpolitics.
This update shares some of the construction progress over at the new Alabama State House, which should be ready for use at the end of this year.
A bill requiring app providers to verify users ages already passed the House and last week, made it out of the Senate, too. A Senate-added amendment sends it back to the House for concurrence.
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.