HB105 Alabama 2021 Session

Updated Feb 22, 2026

Summary

Primary Sponsor: Mike Ball
Republican
Session: Regular Session 2021
Title: Ethics, State Ethics Commission, duties and membership revised, penalties, definitions, gift ban, enforcement procedures revised, Secs. 36-25-1, 36-25-3, 36-25-4, 36-25-4.1, 36-25-4.3, 36-25-5, 36-25-5.1, 36-25-7, 36-25-8, 36-25-9, 36-25-10, 36-25-12, 36-25-13, 36-25-14, 36-25-15, 36-25-16, 36-25-17, 36-25-18, 36-25-19, 36-25-23, 36-25-24, 36-25-27 am'd; Secs. 17-17-4, 36-25-1.1, 36-25-1.3, 36-25-5.2, 36-25-6, 36-25-11, 36-25-22 repealed.
Summary: HB105 overhauls Alabama's ethics laws by expanding the State Ethics Commission, tightening gift and conflict rules, strengthening enforcement, and updating definitions and reporting requirements.
What This Bill Does
The bill adds a sixth member to the State Ethics Commission, extends member terms to six years, and expands appointing officials to include the presiding judges of the Court of Civil Appeals, the Court of Criminal Appeals, and the President Pro Tem of the Senate. It requires law enforcement agencies and prosecutors to notify and cooperate with the Commission, and it prevents AG or district attorneys from presenting suspected ethics violations to a grand jury without a referral from the Commission. It allows the Commission to issue public reprimands or private censures for minor violations, strengthens whistleblower protections, updates gift and revolving-door rules, expands statements of economic interests, and moves certain enforcement and governance provisions into the ethics code. It also creates an electronic filing system and public database for disclosures, with privacy protections, and repeals several older sections as part of the overhaul.

Who It Affects
Public officials and public employees, who would face tighter gift bans, revised conflict-of-interest rules, updated revolving-door restrictions, and expanded reporting requirements.
Lobbyists and principals, who would face stricter gift rules, expanded registration and reporting obligations, and new exemptions.
The State Ethics Commission and its staff, which would gain new powers, a larger board, longer terms, and enhanced enforcement duties.
The Attorney General and district attorneys, who would need to refer ethics cases to the Commission and could not present cases to a grand jury without Commission referral in most situations.
Local and state government entities and regulators, through updated ethics rules and reporting requirements that affect interactions with public officials and contractors.
The general public, which would gain access to an electronic database of disclosures and related information, subject to privacy protections.

Key Provisions
Adds a sixth member to the State Ethics Commission, extends terms to six years, and requires appointing officials to include presiding judges and the President Pro Tem of the Senate.
Requires appointment and confirmation process with Senate involvement; mandates representation and diversity considerations, including ensuring Black appointees for vacancies and reflecting statewide demographics.
Authorizes the Commission to issue public reprimands or private censures for minor, non-substantive ethics violations and broadens enforcement authority with penalties and restitution.
Revises the gift ban and related standards for gifts from lobbyists, principals, and regulated entities, including de minimis-value exemptions and meal/classification limits.
Strengthens revolving-door, conflict-of-interest, and whistleblower protections; expands definitions and updates terms of economic interests and related reporting requirements.
Creates an electronic filing system and public online database for statements of economic interests and other filings, with privacy protections for identifying information.
Moves certain criminal provisions related to influencing votes from the elections code to the ethics code and increases procedural safeguards for investigations, including subpoena rules and time limits for probable-cause determinations.
Repeals several older ethics provisions (e.g., 17-17-4, 36-25-1.1, 36-25-1.3, 36-25-5.2, 36-25-6, 36-25-11, 36-25-22) and creates a constitutionally framed framework regarding local expenditures as noted in the bill.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 22, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.
Subjects: Ethics