HB435 Alabama 2015 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Marcel Black

Democrat

Session

Regular Session 2015

Title

School hiring, nepotism prohibited, Sec. 41-1-5 am'd.

Summary

HB435 tightens nepotism rules for Alabama education hiring by banning relatives of school officials from being hired, supervised, or evaluated, with penalties and remedies; city and county boards of education are exempt.

What This Bill Does

If enacted, the bill would bar state-level school leaders (superintendents, principals, supervisors, and board members) from directly or indirectly participating in hiring a relative. It would also prevent hiring when a relative would be the applicant's immediate supervisor, while allowing employment if a relative is in the chain of command but not the immediate supervisor. It would prohibit evaluating the performance of a subordinate who is a relative, create a legal recourse for applicants harmed by nepotism, define 'relative', and establish penalties for violations.

Who It Affects

• State-level education officials (superintendents, principals, supervisors, and board members) who would be prohibited from hiring, supervising, or evaluating relatives within the state education system.
• Applicants for state education positions (and their legal rights to challenge improper hiring) who could benefit from these nepotism restrictions.

Key Provisions

• Prohibits appointing or hiring a relative within the fourth degree of affinity or consanguinity to any job, with explicit ban on the role of a supervisor in such hiring.
• Bars hiring where a relative would be the applicant's immediate supervisor; allows hiring if the relative is in the chain of command but not the immediate supervisor.
• Prohibits evaluating the performance of a subordinate who is a relative.
• Creates a cause of action for applicants injured by violations; defines relative; imposes penalties (misdemeanor, fine up to $500, imprisonment up to 1 year, or both).
• Requires independent processes for hiring decisions (disinterested evaluator, recusal for relatives of board members, assignment of interviews to non-relative staff).
• Provides remedy to void improper hires and re-advertise the position; allows declaratory judgment actions by other applicants.
• Not applicable to city or county boards of education; effective date is after the third month following passage.

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

Subjects

Employment