HB432 Alabama 2022 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Mike Ball

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2022

Title

Ethics, State Ethics Commission, duties and membership revised, penalties, definitions, gift ban, enforcement procedures revised, Sec. 36-25-5.3 added; Secs. 11-3-5, 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36-25-23, 36-25-24, 36-25-27 am'd; Secs. 17-17-4, 36-25-1.1, 36-25-1.3, 36-25-5.2, 36-25-6, 36-25-11, 36-25-22 repealed.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

HB432 overhauls Alabama’s ethics laws by expanding and reshaping the State Ethics Commission, tightening gifts and outside employment rules, and strengthening enforcement and penalties.

What This Bill Does

The bill adds a sixth member to the State Ethics Commission, extends member terms to six years, and broadens appointing officials to include top judges and Senate leadership. It strengthens enforcement by requiring law enforcement to notify the Commission of ethics investigations and prohibiting prosecutors from presenting suspected ethics violations to grand juries without a Commission referral. It tightens gift and outside employment rules, revises revolving door and conflict of interest provisions, and updates statements of economic interests. It also creates a modern electronic filing system, expands whistleblower protections, and gives the Commission new authority to issue public reprimands for minor violations and to impose penalties or forward cases for criminal action.

Who It Affects

• Public officials and public employees would face stricter gift limits, clearer outside employment rules, updated conflict-of-interest standards, and expanded reporting requirements.
• Lobbyists and principals would be subject to tighter gift restrictions, expanded registration and reporting duties, and new rules governing interactions with public officials.

Key Provisions

• Adds a sixth State Ethics Commission member and extends terms to six years; appointing officials include presiding judges of the Court of Civil Appeals and Court of Criminal Appeals and the President Pro Tem of the Senate.
• Revises gift prohibitions and limits, expands exceptions, tightens rules on gifts from lobbyists, principals, and regulated entities, and updates per-meal and annual values with de minimis thresholds.
• Establishes standards for outside employment by public officials and employees; creates a new Section 36-25-5.3 allowing certain pre- and post-public service compensation under strict conditions.
• Overhauls revolving door and conflict-of-interest provisions and updates definitions and reporting requirements for statements of economic interests.
• Enhances enforcement: Commission can issue public reprimands for minor violations; penalties and restitution rules are expanded; investigations can be referred to the Attorney General or district attorneys; confidentiality rules are adjusted.
• Requires cooperation from law enforcement and state prosecutors with the Commission; restricts presenting ethics cases to grand juries without a Commission referral.

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