HB500 Alabama 2014 Session

Updated Feb 24, 2026

Summary

Primary Sponsor: John Merrill
Republican
Co-Sponsors: Charles O. Newton Mike Ball Lynn Greer
Session: Regular Session 2014
Title: Campaigns, Fair Campaign Practice Act, cross references and terms updated, Secs. 27-2-2, 36-25-1, 36-25-5, 36-25-13, 36-25-14, 36-25-15, 36-25-19, 40-14A-43 am'd.
Summary: HB500 updates Alabama ethics and campaign finance laws by fixing outdated terms and cross references to the Fair Campaign Practices Act and tightening disclosure and lobbying rules.
What This Bill Does
It updates terminology and cross references across eight sections (27-2-2, 36-25-1, 36-25-5, 36-25-13, 36-25-14, 36-25-15, 36-25-19, 40-14A-43) to align with the Fair Campaign Practices Act. It expands and clarifies who must file financial disclosures, what information is reported, and when; strengthens post-employment and conflict of interest rules; and requires more detailed quarterly lobbying reports from lobbyists and principals. It adds or updates definitions for terms like candidate, lobbyist, conflict of interest, and widely attended event to ensure consistent interpretation.

Who It Affects
Public officials, public employees, and their households, who face updated definitions, disclosure obligations, conflict of interest rules, and post-employment restrictions.
Lobbyists, principal employers, candidates, and organizations involved in campaigning or government contracting, who face new or tighter reporting requirements, financial disclosure rules, and lobbying restrictions.

Key Provisions
Terminology and cross references updated to align with the Fair Campaign Practices Act across multiple sections.
Section 27-2-2 updated to define the Commissioner of Insurance as chief executive of the department and to prohibit political party PAC involvement or candidacy while in office, with vacancy rules if those occur.
36-25-1 through 36-25-19 updated to redefine terms (eg, candidate, lobbyist, conflict of interest) and to broaden the scope of ethics and campaign finance rules.
36-25-5 strengthens restrictions on using official position for personal gain and restricts use of public resources or solicitations for private benefit.
36-25-13 imposes two-year post-employment bans on lobbying or representing before governmental bodies for former public officials and certain related prohibitions.
36-25-14 and 36-25-15 expand and enforce statements of economic interests for many officials and candidates, with filing timelines and penalties for noncompliance.
36-25-19 expands lobbyist reporting with quarterly disclosures of expenditures and financial transactions involving public officials, including de minimis and other value rules, plus exemptions for certain organizations.
40-14A-43 preserves tax exemptions for certain organizations and political-related entities.

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