HB1 Alabama 2015 1st Special Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Steve ClouseRepresentative

Republican

Session

First Special Session 2015

Title

General fund budget, appropriations for ordinary expenses of executive, legislative, and judicial departments

Summary

HB1 is Alabama's 2015-2016 general fund budget act that allocates ordinary expenses, debt service, and capital outlay for executive, legislative, and judicial agencies and numerous state programs.

What This Bill Does

It authorizes annual appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2016 from the General Fund, earmarked funds, and federal sources to fund state government operations. It reappropriates unused 2015 funds to 2016, creates conditional and priority funding for certain tobacco settlement and other funds, and imposes rules on capital outlays and vehicle purchases. It also establishes reporting and oversight requirements, sets a fixed health insurance rate for state employees, and includes targeted provisions for Medicaid, senior services, and public safety programs.

Who It Affects

• State agencies and state employees who receive funding for operations, salaries, benefits (including a fixed State Employees' Insurance Board rate), and capital projects.
• Alabama residents and program beneficiaries, including Medicaid recipients, seniors (via SeniorRx and related elderly programs), veterans, crime victims, disaster response and recovery efforts, and participants in health, social services, and public safety programs.

Key Provisions

• Section 2A establishes the overall funding by fund source (General Fund, earmarked funds, and federal funds) and allocates amounts to the executive, legislative, and judicial branches and other state functions.
• Section 3 reappropriates unspent 2015 appropriations to the corresponding offices for 2016, ensuring budget continuity.
• Section 4 and 5 create additional and conditional appropriations, including tobacco settlement funds and other contingent revenues, to be allocated under specified conditions and with governor and finance department approval.
• Section 6 sets expenditure ceilings and limits, including a prohibition on most capital outlay and a requirement that capital projects follow the Budget Management Act, with exceptions for emergencies and certain pre-approved programs.
• Section 7 allows the Governor to transfer surplus funds between State General Fund appropriations to cover salaries when an office is underfunded.
• Section 8 permits gifts, grants, and entitlements to be reused for their intended purposes and authorizes cost-sharing for audits; it also requires open auditing support.
• Section 17 restricts most state vehicle purchases or leases, with exceptions for law enforcement vehicles, and requires unanimous approval for emergency vehicle purchases.
• Sections 9, 10, 11, and related provisions require quarterly reporting on grants, interagency transfers, and court-ordered or federal funds, and mandate utilization of funds per approved purposes.
• Medicaid and health provisions allocate funding to the Department of Public Health and the Medicaid Agency, with cost-sharing arrangements and open access goals for certain medications and programs, and continuation of hospice benefits.
• Senior Services and related programs (e.g., SeniorRx) receive funding with reporting requirements and a tie to federal funds; provisions emphasize targeting support to elderly and disabled populations and reporting to legislative committees.
• The bill includes specific reporting to legislative leaders on grants, contracts, and expenditures, and requires agencies to cooperate with the Examiners of Public Accounts for audits and compliance.

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

Subjects

Appropriations