HB381 Alabama 2011 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Laura HallRepresentative

Democrat

Co-Sponsors

Daniel H. BomanElaine BeechJohnny Mack MorrowPatricia ToddRichard LindseyJames E. BuskeySteve HurstMarcel BlackOliver RobinsonBarbara Bigsby BoydArtis McCampbellDavid Colston

Session

Regular Session 2011

Title

Railroads, standards of stationary assembly points and mobile labor camps for maintenance-of-way employees, established, drinking water provided, Board of Health to adopt rules for mobile camps, investigations, inspection fees, distrib.

Summary

HB381 would set health and safety standards for railroad maintenance camps, require drinking water at assembly points, and create an inspection-based fee system to enforce the rules.

What This Bill Does

It creates minimum sanitary and housing standards at stationary assembly points and for mobile camps used by maintenance-of-way workers. It requires drinking water at permanent assembly points and specifies facility requirements for mobile camps, including housing, sanitation, and emergency equipment. It establishes a framework for health inspections, associated fees, and enforcement, with rules to be set by the State Board of Health and carried out by local health departments, and it provides for oversight and possible enforcement actions if compliance is not met.

Who It Affects

• Railroad companies operating in Alabama: must build, maintain, and operate sanitary facilities and mobile camps to specified standards and pay inspection fees.
• Maintenance-of-way employees: gain improved living and sanitary conditions, access to drinking water, and safety features in camps.
• Local health departments and the Alabama Department of Public Health: responsible for conducting inspections, collecting fees, and enforcing the rules.
• State General Fund and the Department of Public Health: receive inspection fees collected from the program.

Key Provisions

• Establish minimum standards for stationary assembly points (heated rooms, wash basins, showers, inside toilets, lockers) and require a sanitary drinking-water supply at these points.
• Require mobile camps to have camp cars with heating/AC, wash basins, showers, toilets, lockers, potable water for drinking/bathing/cooking/cleaning, minimum floor space (80 sq ft per occupant on single beds; max four occupants per car), and emergency equipment (weather radio, smoke detector, carbon monoxide detector) with evacuation instructions posted.
• Mandate food handling certification for food preparers in mobile camps with commissary/cook cars and adherence to food handling guidelines.
• Require railroad companies to notify the local health department within two business days of locating a mobile camp and to allow health inspections; local health departments may conduct inspections with a state or union representative and railroad company representative present.
• authorize the Board of Health to adopt rules regulating sanitary conditions and to set inspection fees; fees and enforcement handled by local health officers; inspection fees deposited into the State General Fund for the Department of Public Health.
• Provide for investigations by the Alabama Public Service Commission if noncompliance is suspected, with hearings and time-bound recommendations; failure to follow recommendations can lead to court enforcement.
• The Department of Public Health will implement the act under interim guidelines, and the act becomes effective on the first day of the third month after passage.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 24, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Railroads