HB220 Alabama 2021 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Nathaniel LedbetterRepresentative

Republican

Co-Sponsors

Alan BakerMike BallK.L. BrownTerri CollinsTracy EstesBob FincherReed IngramGil IsbellWes KitchensRhett MarquesParker MoorePhillip PettusRex ReynoldsProncey RobertsonChris SellsGinny ShaverRandall SheddHarry ShiverVan SmithJeff SorrellsScott Stadthagen

Session

Regular Session 2021

Title

Education Dept., state property, Dept. of Edu., has authority to manange the construction and renovation of property that is part of a state educational institution, Sec. 41-4-400 am'd.

Summary

HB220 shifts most construction and renovation control of state educational property from the Division of Construction Management to the institutions' governing boards, with small-project exemptions, electronic document handling, and tornado-safe space requirements.

What This Bill Does

The bill gives each educational institution's governing board full authority to plan, approve, and oversee land acquisition, construction, renovation, and related contracts. It exempts certain small projects (costing $500,000 or less) and some HVAC/roof repairs from Division review, with the State Department of Education providing streamlined forms. It requires the Division to accept electronic submissions and signatures, and to submit annual reporting on K-12 projects; it adds tornado-rated safe spaces requirements for new higher-education buildings and creates a study group to review construction oversight and make recommendations.

Who It Affects

• Governing boards of public K-12 schools and public colleges/universities (including those with constitutionally created boards) gain broad authority to manage construction, renovations, land acquisition, and related contracts for their institutions.
• The Division of Construction Management (and related state agencies) see reduced involvement in educational facility projects, must implement electronic document submission/signing, provide annual project reports, and continue to set uniform building standards and tornado-safe space requirements.

Key Provisions

• Governing boards of educational institutions obtain full power to acquire land, plan and manage construction/renovation, set policies, hire architects/engineers, receive donations, charge user fees, and review/approve projects for their institutions.
• Small projects and certain repairs/maintenance (cost ≤ $500,000; HVAC/roof work) for K-12 and higher education with boards of trustees are exempt from Division of Construction Management approval; forms are developed to avoid requiring Division services.
• Division of Construction Management must allow electronic submission and signing of documents at no additional cost.
• Division must annually report to legislative leaders on qualifying K-12 projects, including project name, final cost, cost increases and reasons, and processing times for reviewed documents.
• New contracts for construction of classrooms/dorms at public higher education institutions must include tornado-rated safe spaces or hallways, coordinated with the Alabama Building Commission.
• Educational institutions may contract with the Division of Construction Management for any purpose, while the Division retains authority to set uniform building standards.
• A study group (HB220 Study Group) is created to review construction oversight, hear public input, examine relevant laws, and provide recommendations; the group dissolves after the 2022 Regular Session unless extended.

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

Subjects

Education Department