2025 Legislative Update, Part II

In last week’s issue, we let readers know that the 2025 Alabama Legislative Session will begin on Feb. 4, and we highlighted House Bills 2, 7, 20, 23, and 67. Here are additional bills from the legislature that were prefiled in 2024 and will be decided this year. 

HB 29 - Alabama House Bill 29 proposes changes to the state’s unemployment compensation system. The bill aims to increase the number of prospective employers unemployed individuals must contact each week to qualify for unemployment benefits. 

Unemployed individuals receiving compensation benefits would need to contact five prospective employers each week to remain eligible for unemployment benefits. This is an increase from the previous requirement of three contacts per week. 

Additionally, the bill seeks to clarify what constitutes a failure to seek or accept suitable work. The bill is sponsored by Representative Ed Oliver, a Republican. 

HB 37 -  House Bill 37 proposes changes to judicial compensation in Alabama, amending Section 12-10B-1 of the Code of Alabama. Judicial salaries will be based on experience. Salaries for supreme court justices, appellate judges, circuit judges, and district judges will be determined by the number of years they have served in a state court. Salaries will increase by 7.5 percent, after 6, 12, and 18 years of service.

Initial salaries will be $176,000 for Chief Justice, $175,000 for Associate Supreme Court Justices, $174,000 (+ $500 for presiding judges) for Appellate Judges, $140,000 for Circuit Judges, and $139,000 for District Judges. Judges promoted to higher courts will have their initial salaries adjusted to reflect their bench experience. 

Judges in service as of October 1, 2021, will not have their salaries reduced and will maintain their current compensation until the experience-based increases exceed their current salaries.

Circuit and district judges may no longer receive salary supplements or expense allowances from counties. Compensation must solely come from the state treasury. The proposed changes would take effect on June 1, 2025.

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HB 24 – Senate Bill 24 proposes amendments to Sections 36-21-210, 36-21-212, and 36-21-213 of the Code of Alabama, 1975, to revise rules for disclosing and releasing law enforcement recordings from body-worn and dashboard cameras. Recordings from body-worn and dashboard cameras will be considered public records, making them subject to public inspection under Section 36-12-40. 

Release Requirements: Custodial law enforcement agencies must release requested recordings within 30 days of receiving a written request, along with payment of a reasonable fee (not exceeding the actual cost of production). 

Appeals Process: If a law enforcement agency denies a request for release, the requester can file a petition for judicial review in the circuit court. A court may uphold a denial only if releasing the recording would interfere with an ongoing investigation or endanger a witness or confidential source. 

Fee and Editing: Agencies may charge a reasonable fee for redacting or editing recordings. The act will take effect on October 1, 2025. 

HB 4  - House Bill 4 proposes changes to regulations regarding materials and conduct deemed sexually explicit or inappropriate in public libraries and K-12 school libraries. The bill defines terms like “sexual conduct,” “sexual intercourse,” and related activities, including acts, displays, or behaviors that are sexually explicit or inappropriate in spaces accessible to minors. It prohibits exposure of minors to individuals dressed in sexually revealing, provocative, or exaggerated costumes or engaging in explicit performances in K-12 schools or public libraries.

Residents or parents/guardians who believe inappropriate materials or conduct are present in a library or school may submit written notice via certified mail to the appropriate authority (library director, principal, or superintendent).

Libraries and schools have 15 business days to: Move the material to an age-restricted area; remove the material or cease the conduct, and determine the material/conduct does not violate this division and take no further action. Written notice of actions taken must be sent to the complainant within five business days after action is taken.

If no action or inadequate action is taken within 25 business days of the initial complaint, the complainant can escalate the matter to law enforcement by providing required documentation. Courts or grand juries cannot issue warrants or indictments until law enforcement has received the required documentation from complainants. The act is set to take effect on October 1, 2025.

This bill aims to regulate sexually explicit material and conduct in public and K-12 school libraries, providing a process for parental or public objections and requiring timely responses from authorities.