HB627 Alabama 2013 Session

Updated Feb 27, 2026

High Interest

Summary

Primary Sponsor: Rod Scott
Democrat
Session: Regular Session 2013
Title: Counties with population of not less than 600,000, public transit system, creation authorized, Act 87-449, 1987 Reg. Sess., Act 204, 1971 Third Sp. Sess., Act 329, 1973 Reg. Sess., Act 508, 1973 Reg. Sess., Act 993, 1971 Reg. Sess., Act 2004-500, 2004 Reg. Sess. repealed
Summary: HB627 creates a county-level public transit authority in Alabama counties with 600,000+ people to plan, fund, and operate mass transportation, with new governance and financing rules.
What This Bill Does
It allows the formation of a transit authority in eligible counties and keeps it in place even if the population drops below 600,000. It sets up a nine‑member board and a Transit Citizens Advisory Body to guide decisions. It creates a funding framework where the authorizing county, principal municipality, and participating municipalities pay annual amounts based on ad valorem taxes and population, and authorizes the authority to set rates and issue bonds. It also gives the authority broad powers to plan, acquire, build, own, and operate transit systems, use rights‑of‑way, regulate services, and provide employee protections and labor rights.

Who It Affects
Authorizing county, principal municipality, and participating municipalities will finance, budget, and oversee the authority and determine service routes and rates.
Transit authority employees, unions, and riders will gain wage and bargaining protections, job transitions from acquired systems, and potential changes in service levels and fares.

Key Provisions
Allows formation of a public transit authority in counties with population not less than 600,000, and the authority remains even if population later falls below 600,000.
Board details: nine directors; one elected by the authorizing county, five by the principal municipality, and one from each of the three largest participating municipalities; terms, compensation, and governance rules are specified, with inflation adjustments.
Establishes a Transit Citizens Advisory Body (TCAB) to advise the authority and requires geographic and demographic representation.
Authority may issue bonds and other obligations; bonds are payable from transit system revenues and may have fixed or variable interest; bonds can be sold publicly or privately; tax exemptions apply to the authority and its bonds.
Rates, fees, and charges for service are set by the authority but must be approved by the principal municipality; the authority must prepare budgets and determine routes in coordination with municipalities.
Exempts the authority and related financial instruments from many taxes; prohibits the creation of another transit authority in the same county.
Grants authority to use public road rights‑of‑way, requires road restoration costs to be borne by the authority, and provides for audits and dissolution procedures.
Employees and labor relations: authorizes union participation, transfers employees from acquired systems with protections, requires compliance with federal labor protections, and provides for arbitration of disputes.
Funding and payment arrangements: annual payments by the authorizing county, principal municipality, and participating municipalities based on ad valorem taxes and route choices; detailed payment procedures and remedies for delinquency.

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