SB226 Alabama 2014 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Greg J. Reed

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2014

Title

Pain Management Act, physicians, requirement for physicians to have criminal background check deleted under certain conditions, Act 2013-257, 2013 Reg. Sess., am'd.; Sec. 34-24-604 am'd.

Summary

SB226 would remove the criminal background check requirement for physicians registering under Alabama's Pain Management Act.

What This Bill Does

The bill eliminates the requirement that physicians submit criminal background check results to the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners to register for pain management services. Other registration requirements (completed application, DEA registration, controlled substances certificate, and PDMP registration) would remain in place. Fingerprinting and national background checks would no longer be required, and the costs of background checks would be removed for applicants.

Who It Affects

• Physicians who provide pain management services: no longer required to submit criminal background check results to register, reducing time and cost, while still needing to meet other registration requirements.
• Alabama Board of Medical Examiners: would stop processing criminal background checks for this registration, while continuing to handle other registration aspects, renewals, and exemptions.

Key Provisions

• Eliminates the requirement that physicians must submit the results of a criminal background check to the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners in order to register under the Pain Management Act.
• Maintains other registration requirements: completed board form, current DEA registration, Alabama controlled substances certificate, and current registration with the Alabama Prescription Drug Monitoring Program.
• Removes the fingerprinting and FBI/ABI national background history check process and the associated costs from the pain management registration process.
• Registration remains subject to annual renewal, with fees not to exceed $300 for initial and renewal registrations; multi-location practices may require separate registrations.
• Exemptions for certain entities (e.g., hospice programs and federal facilities) remain, along with board-determined exemptions and petition processes.
• Effective date: the act becomes law immediately after its passage and approval by the Governor.

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

Subjects

Physicians