HB495 Alabama 2015 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Arnold MooneyRepresentative

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2015

Title

Labor relations, employer, employee rights, certain practices prohibited by local governments relating to leave and access to background information and to designate state for federal labor law disputes

Summary

HB495 would reinforce Alabama’s right-to-work status while limiting local governments from imposing extra leave, restricting interference with background checks, and preserving the state's role in regulating certain labor relations and project labor agreements.

What This Bill Does

The bill prohibits counties, municipalities, and other political subdivisions from requiring employees to take leave beyond what state or federal law requires, with a limited local leave exception. It prevents local rules that would interfere with an employer’s ability to obtain background information about employees or applicants. It restricts local mandates on union-related activities and requires waivers of National Labor Relations Act rights, while affirming that the state retains authority over project labor agreements under federal law. The act also provides for injunctive relief in Montgomery County courts for violations and states that inconsistent local ordinances are void, with immediate effect upon passage.

Who It Affects

• Local governments (counties, municipalities, and other political subdivisions): restricted from enacting leave mandates beyond state/federal law, and from interfering with employers’ background checks; any conflicting local rules are void.
• Employers and employees in Alabama: allowed to operate under right-to-work and state-determined standards; subject to state authority over certain labor relations and project labor agreements, with protections against local mandates that would waive NLRA rights or impose bargaining restrictions.

Key Provisions

• Prohibits counties, municipalities, and political subdivisions from requiring any employment benefit or leave beyond what state or federal law requires, and bans compensation for such non-required leave (except where the subdivision itself enacts a leave mandate).
• Prevents local laws or regulations from restricting a employer’s ability to conduct background checks or investigations of employees or applicants, and voids inconsistent local ordinances.
• Bars local laws from forcing waivers of rights under the National Labor Relations Act or mandating acceptance of certain collective bargaining terms; preserves state authority to regulate project labor agreements under federal law.
• Affirms that the state retains exclusive authority to require project labor agreements and allows injunctive relief in Montgomery County Circuit Court for violations; immediately effective upon 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

Labor Relations