HB794 Alabama 2010 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Spencer Collier

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2010

Title

Alabama Waterfront Access Study Task Force, established, members, duties, appropriations

Summary

The bill creates the Alabama Waterfront Access Study Task Force to study and improve diversity of waterfront uses and public access along Alabama's coast.

What This Bill Does

It establishes a permanent advisory committee to the Legislature with a defined makeup, duties, and funding rules. The task force will gather data on land use, development trends, and tax rates; research tools used to preserve waterfront diversity; assess applicability to Alabama; draft a report with issues and recommendations; and hold at least three public meetings. It can accept private funds (with no conditions on findings) and receive funding from appropriations to the Legislature, with a total annual expenditure cap and staff support as needed.

Who It Affects

• Coastal residents and shorefront users, whose access and waterfront diversity may be studied and influenced by the task force's work and recommendations.
• State and local agencies, industry groups (fishing, tourism, development), local governments, and lawmakers, who participate in the task force, provide data and funding, and are affected by potential policy guidance and reporting requirements.

Key Provisions

• Creates the Alabama Waterfront Access Study Task Force as a permanent advisory committee to the Legislature with a specified, diverse composition and chair/vice-chair roles.
• Defines duties to study loss of diversity and use along the coastal shoreline, assess impact on public trust waters, gather data on land-use, zoning, development trends, and tax rates, and prepare a draft report with issues, research, and recommendations; requires at least three public meetings.
• Allows the task force to accept private funds with a clear designation that funding places no conditions on findings or recommendations; permits funding from appropriations to the Legislature; caps total expenditures at $10,000 per fiscal year.
• Details compensation and reimbursement: citizen members receive standard state business expenses, legislators receive per diem and travel allowances, other state officials may be reimbursed but not compensated; prohibits extra pay on meeting days overlapping with legislative sessions.
• Enables staffing and interagency arrangements, and allows the task force to request information from state officers, agencies, and departments as needed to perform its duties; annual diversity reporting to the Legislature is required.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 25, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Legislative Committees