HB165 Alabama 2013 Session

Updated Feb 27, 2026

Notable

Summary

Primary Sponsor: Richard Baughn
Republican
Co-Sponsors: Richard J. Laird Victor Gaston David Sessions Merika Coleman Mike Jones Kurt Wallace William Roberts
Session: Regular Session 2013
Title: Transportation Department, highway projects, construction contract plan changes, approval by the Director of Transportation up to certain amounts without approval of Governor under certain conditions, Sec. 23-1-60 am'd.
Summary: HB165 would let the Alabama Director of Transportation approve certain highway project changes and extra work without Governor approval, up to a $200,000 per-contract cap, and requires DOT to set procedures to implement.
What This Bill Does
If passed, the bill changes current law so the Director can alter plans or the nature of work, decide if new or extra work is needed, and approve additional work or changes up to $200,000 per contract without needing the Governor's sign-off. The authority is limited to changes within the original project’s ends, unless necessary to finish the project economically. It also allows supplemental contracts or force-account work for these additions, with a specific threshold: increases must be no more than $100,000 or 10% of the original contract (whichever is greater), and total increases cannot exceed $200,000; decreases can be approved without Governor approval. The DOT would create procedures to implement these changes and, if price for extra work isn’t agreed, the work can proceed on a force-account basis and not be subject to competitive bidding.

Who It Affects
Alabama Department of Transportation and the Director of Transportation — gain authority to approve certain additional or changed highway work without Governor approval, within set monetary limits, and must develop procedures to implement the new authority.
Prime contractors and other bidders/contractors on highway projects — may enter supplemental contracts or use force-account for extra work, with bidding exemptions up to the specified thresholds, and must respond to changes within the contract’s original scope.

Key Provisions
Authorizes the Director to alter plans or the character of work, determine the need for new or extra work, and approve additional, new, or changed work up to $200,000 per contract without Governor approval; DOT must develop implementation procedures.
Increased amounts may not exceed $100,000 or 10% of the initial contract amount (whichever is greater), and total increased amounts may not exceed $200,000; decreases can be authorized without Governor approval; supplemental contracts may be used, not subject to competitive bidding if price is agreed, or force-account work if price cannot be agreed.
Work must stay within the original project termini unless necessary to satisfactorily complete the project; the act becomes effective immediately after governor approval or as otherwise provided.

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