Three state legislators from West Alabama have prefiled a total of 13 bills for the upcoming January 2026 legislative session. Among them, Representative Ron Bolton has introduced five bills, while Senator Gerald Allen has submitted six, and Senator April Weaver has proposed two.
Rep. Bolton’s bills address a variety of issues. One significant proposal, HB 29, seeks to include sexual extortion that results in the death of a minor under 18 within manslaughter charges. Another measure, HB 32, aims to revise weight and age limits for child passenger restraints and increase penalties for violations. Additionally, HB 33 proposes eliminating enrollment and attendance requirements for obtaining driver licenses and learner permits. Bolton also has HB 34, which would classify willful refusal to answer questions during a law enforcement stop as a Class C misdemeanor, and HB 35, known as the “Alabama Squat Truck Law,” seeks to prohibit specific vehicle modifications that alter height ratios and impose penalties for violations.
Senator Allen’s prefiled measures also address various concerns. SB 5 would amend the Alabama Constitution of 2022, mandating that each public K-12 school play or endorse the performance of the first stanza of “The Star-Spangled Banner” weekly. SB 6 aims to ensure that governmental entities that replace memorial buildings preserve their original names or construct markers acknowledging the names. Additionally, SB 7 would ban slap fighting throughout the state, while SB 8 would grant the Alabama Emergency Management Agency Director the authority to purchase educational materials that promote emergency preparedness. Allen’s proposals also include SB 9, which seeks to rename the Alabama Clean Indoor Act to honor Vivian Davis Figures and extend smoking prohibitions to electronic nicotine devices, and SB 10, which proposes a constitutional amendment that would require a majority vote for any new sales taxes in Tuscaloosa County.
Senator Weaver’s legislation includes SB 1, which would classify only nonpsychoactive cannabinoids from hemp as exempt from controlled substances classifications, while establishing regulations for their sale in licensed pharmacies. This measure mandates testing protocols for hemp products and aims to ensure that only locally sourced hemp is sold. Her second bill, SB 2, seeks to limit where LP-Gas cylinders can be filled or stored near public gathering locations.
These three lawmakers may continue to prefile additional bills, and some of the proposed legislation carries over from this year’s session. In the recent legislative year, Alabama lawmakers introduced a total of 968 bills, with 621 originating in the House and 347 in the Senate. The session concluded with 310 of those bills becoming law, as noted by legislative tracking services.
The upcoming session has the potential for significant legislative action, reflecting various community and state interests.
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