SB27 Alabama 2015 1st Special Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Quinton Ross

Democrat

Session

First Special Session 2015

Title

Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Disaster Settlement, distribution of funds to relieve certain debt of the state and remaining funds transferred to the State General Fund

Summary

SB27 would send Deepwater Horizon settlement payments to Alabama's Education Trust Fund to support public education and treat those payments as nonrecurring revenue for budgeting.

What This Bill Does

It requires any settlement payments Alabama receives for Deepwater Horizon economic damages (not already dedicated by law or court) to be deposited into the Education Trust Fund and used for public education, split between K-12 and higher education according to percentages certified by the Legislative Fiscal Office. It also requires these payments to be classified as nonrecurring revenue for the fiscal year they are received when calculating the ETF's annual appropriation cap. The changes take effect immediately after passage and governor approval.

Who It Affects

• Public K-12 schools in Alabama (funding from the Education Trust Fund).
• Public colleges and universities in Alabama (funding from the Education Trust Fund).
• State budgeting and finance officials who calculate the ETF appropriation cap and manage the Education Trust Fund budgets.

Key Provisions

• Section 1: Payments allocated to Alabama from the Deepwater Horizon settlement that are not otherwise dedicated must be deposited into the Education Trust Fund and used for public education; the split between K-12 and higher education will follow percentages certified by the Legislative Fiscal Office.
• Section 2: Any such ETF payments are considered Nonrecurring Revenue (as defined in law) for the fiscal year received, for purposes of calculating the ETF's annual appropriation cap.
• Section 3: The act becomes effective immediately following passage and governor's approval.

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

Subjects

Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill