Changes Could Come to High-School Sports & Biz Leaders Speak Out on Health Insurance Bills
March 23, 2026 Group Watch: News & Views from the State House
Students in some parts of the state and all Alabama lawmakers are taking a break this week in celebration of spring. But last week, the State House was abuzz with activity. Read on for the #alpolitics headlines.
And with legislators out this week, there won’t be an issue of Group Watch on March 30. Watch for the next issue in your inbox on April 6.
Looking Back: Last Week in the Alabama Legislature
Addressing issues ranging from school athletics to property protection, the legislature passed multiple bills last week.
The House Ways and Means Education Committee approved HB563 last Wednesday. The measure adjusts the way students’ eligibility for athletics is determined. Currently, students who use funds from the CHOOSE Act to attend a private school must sit out of sports for one year. The bill aims to change that by letting students who receive CHOOSE Act funds to keep their athletic eligibility. It now heads to the full House for consideration. Read more here.
The legislature acted in complete agreement to approve legislation protecting people from mortgage and title fraud. The Alabama Property Protection Act of 2026 ensures Alabamians don’t become victims of this crime , which has been on the rise across the country. If signed into law, the measure creates a statewide monitoring system that alerts home and property owners whenever liens or other actions are recorded in relation to their property. Read more here.
Two electricity-related bills passed the House last week. HB475 mandates that the Public Service Commission hold rate hearings every three years to discuss electricity prices in the state. It passed unanimously and now goes to the Senate. And HB403 makes data centers pay for the extra electricity their operations require. It also passed with all “yes” votes and heads to the Senate.
Find a full list of every bill passed last week, here.
Coming Up: Bill Aims to Limit Public School Students’ Screen Time
When lawmakers come back from their spring break, they’ll have only six legislative days left in the regular session, so it’ll be interesting to see which outstanding bills are on the agenda. One bill filed in early March might make it. HB584 passed the House Education Policy Committee the week before last and targets screen time in public schools, limiting the time students use computers and other technology during each school day. The bill expands upon the Healthy Early Development and Screen Time Act that Governor Ivey already signed into law earlier this year by making the screen-time limits apply to all children and students in public schools all the way through 12th grade. Currently, the Screen Time Act’s limits only affect children from birth through kindergarten who are in publicly licensed childcare facilities and public preschools and kindergartens. Read more here.
Biz Leaders Alert Lawmakers: Health Insurance Legislation Will Raise Everyday Alabamians’ Costs
Image via Unsplash by Markus Frieauff
As healthcare costs and health insurance premiums continue to move upward, leaders in Alabama’s business community and in the health-insurance industry are speaking out. They’ve issued strong statements against multiple bills filed this legislative session that contain health insurance coverage and reimbursement mandates. Representatives from the Business Council of Alabama, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama and others claim these measures, if they become law, will push up health-insurance companies’ costs, and those increases will trickle down to consumers. BCA says the burden will hit small- and mid-size employers hardest, an impact that will then also be felt by “hardworking Alabamians.” Individuals who don’t get health insurance through an employer will also pay more, according to a spokesperson for The Alabama Farmers Federation. Legislation passed just last year allows the Federation to sell health coverage plans. Read more here.
Quick Hits
The SAVE Act, which makes changes to the way Alabama primary elections operate by requiring voters to register with a political party, is one step closer to Ivey’s desk.
The bill to allow student-led prayer in public schools and require the daily recitation of the Pledge Of Allegiance in public schools passed the House.
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.