HB109 Alabama 2023 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Terri CollinsRepresentative

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2023

Title

Relating to credentials and the workforce; to create the Alabama Credential Quality and Transparency Act as a new Division 9, commencing with Section 41-29-350, Article 3, Chapter 29, Title 41, Code of Alabama 1975; to create the Alabama Terminal on Linking and Analyzing Statistics on Career Pathways Act as a new Division 10, commencing with Section 41-29-360, Article 3, Chapter 29, Title 41, Code of Alabama 1975; and to establish the Alabama College and Career Readiness Act by adding Section 41-29-298 to the Code of Alabama 1975; to provide for the creation of a free, searchable public online registry of educational and occupational credentials; to restrict the release of personally identifiable information; to provide procedures for handling data breaches; to establish a statewide definition of college and career readiness; and in connection therewith would have as its purpose or effect the requirement of a new or increased expenditure of local funds within the meaning of Section 111.05 of the Constitution of Alabama of 2022.

Summary

HB109 creates a public credential registry, a linked education/workforce data system, and a statewide readiness framework, with privacy protections and a new governance body to oversee credentials and data sharing.

What This Bill Does

It establishes three components: the Alabama Credential Quality and Transparency Act (a free, searchable credential registry with deidentified data); the Alabama Terminal on Linking and Analyzing Statistics on Career Pathways (ATLAS) to securely link education and workforce data; and the Alabama College and Career Readiness Act, which starts requiring students to earn readiness indicators in 2025-2026. It sets privacy protections, data sharing rules, and breach procedures, and creates a governance council to oversee data use, publish reports, and ensure transparency. It acknowledges potential local funding needs but states the bill is exempt from local-funds requirements under Section 111.05 because it creates a new crime or amends a crime.

Who It Affects

• Public school students (starting with the 2025-2026 school year) who would earn college or career readiness indicators before graduation and have their credentials tracked in the public registry, with personal data protected.
• Education and workforce data partners (state agencies, schools, higher education, and related organizations) that would own and share data through ATLAS and the credential registry under strict governance, privacy, and data-sharing rules; they could face penalties for improper data release.

Key Provisions

• Creates Division 9 (Alabama Credential Quality and Transparency Act) to establish the credential registry and related definitions (registry, transparency, credential, competency, etc.).
• Creates Division 10 (ATLAS) to establish a secure, longitudinal database (data matching across education and workforce data) with deidentification and strict privacy protections; specifies data ownership by partner entities and requires council approval for cross-access.
• Establishes the Alabama College and Career Readiness Act (Section 41-29-298) requiring public school students to earn approved readiness indicators starting in 2025-2026; State Board of Education to adopt implementing rules.
• Forms the Alabama Workforce Council Committee on Credential Quality and Transparency to oversee rules, data governance, research agenda, reporting, and data-sharing policies; includes governor, agency heads, chairs of education committees, and up to four public members.
• Requires deidentified, publicly accessible credential data in the registry; allows data sharing and research under agreed terms while protecting privacy; restricts direct access to data and requires unanimous council approval for certain data exchanges.
• Implements data protection, breach notification, and penalties for unauthorized data release (Class C felony).
• Provides for annual reporting to key state leaders and education boards; outlines open-meetings compliance, budgeting, and reimbursement procedures for council members.
• Notes the bill may involve local-funding considerations but is exempt from constitutional local-funding requirements due to its creation of a new crime or modification of a crime.

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