SB35 Alabama 2015 1st Special Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Paul Bussman

Republican

Session

First Special Session 2015

Title

General appropriations bill to include expenses for public education, Alabama Medicaid Agency appropriation limited to 15 percent of total of state funds under Legislature's control, Department of Corrections appropriation limited to four and one half percent, limits exceeded under certain conditions, Education Trust Fund Rolling Reserve Act, repealed, Section 71, Constitution of Alabama of 1901, am'd.; Secs 29-9-1 to 29-9-6, inclusive, repealed, const. amend.

Summary

SB35 would let the general appropriation bill fund postsecondary education, require a large share of funds go to public education, cap Medicaid andCorrections funding, and repeal the Education Trust Fund Rolling Reserve Act, with a supermajority needed to exceed those caps.

What This Bill Does

The bill amends the constitution so the general appropriation bill can include postsecondary education funding, not just public schools. It requires at least 54% of total state fund appropriations in the bill to go to public education, caps Medicaid at 15% and Corrections at 4.5%, and allows those caps to be exceeded only with a three-fifths vote of elected members in each house. It also repeals the Education Trust Fund Rolling Reserve Act.

Who It Affects

• Public education (including postsecondary institutions) receives a defined minimum share of state fund appropriations in the general appropriation bill
• Alabama Medicaid Agency is limited to 15% of total state fund appropriations in the general appropriation bill
• Alabama Department of Corrections is limited to 4.5% of total state fund appropriations in the general appropriation bill
• Legislators, who would need a three-fifths vote in both houses to exceed the specified caps

Key Provisions

• Amends Section 71 to allow appropriations for postsecondary education in the general appropriation bill
• Requires at least 54 percent of the total appropriations of all state funds in the general appropriation bill to be for public education
• Caps the Medicaid Agency funding at 15 percent and the Department of Corrections funding at 4.5 percent of total state fund appropriations
• Exceeding these caps requires an affirmative vote of three-fifths of the elected members in each house
• Repeals the Education Trust Fund Rolling Reserve Act

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

Subjects

Constitutional Amendments