HB642 Alabama 2012 Session

Updated Feb 27, 2026

Notable

Summary

Primary Sponsor: Richard Baughn
Republican
Session: Regular Session 2012
Title: Transportation Department, highway projects, construction contract plan changes, approval by the Director of Transportation up to certain amounts without approval of Governor, Sec. 23-1-60 am'd
Summary: HB642 lets the Director of Transportation approve certain highway project changes without Governor approval, within specific monetary limits.
What This Bill Does
The bill authorizes the Director to alter plans or the nature of work, determine the need for new or extra work, and enter into supplemental agreements or order force-account work on highway projects. These actions can occur without Governor approval, but only within defined dollars: the increased amount must be the greater of $50,000 or 10% of the initial contract amount, not exceeding $200,000 per contract, and the total increases across projects cannot exceed $1,000,000. Changes must stay within the original project boundaries unless necessary to satisfactorily complete the project, and if a fair price cannot be agreed, force-account work can be used. The Department must develop procedures to implement these provisions, and the act takes effect immediately after passage and Governor approval.

Who It Affects
Department of Transportation and highway contractors — gain authority to approve plan changes and extra work without Governor approval within set dollar limits.
State taxpayers and project stakeholders — cost controls are maintained through per-contract and aggregate monetary caps and required procedures.

Key Provisions
The Director may alter construction plans or the character of work, determine the need for extra work, and enter into supplemental agreements or order force-account work on highway projects.
Without Governor approval, increases arising from the original contract may be authorized up to the greater of $50,000 or 10% of the initial contract amount, not to exceed $200,000 per contract, with aggregate increases not exceeding $1,000,000.
Changes must not extend beyond the termini of the original project, except as necessary to satisfactorily complete the project.
If a satisfactory unit price cannot be agreed upon, the Director can direct that extra work be performed on a force-account basis.
The Department of Transportation must develop procedures to implement these provisions.

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