HB188 Alabama 2023 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Chip BrownRepresentative

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2023

Title

Relating to public contracts; to prohibit the consideration of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria when awarding a public contract; and to require a responsible bidder, as a condition of being awarded a public contract, to certify, under penalty of perjury, that its employees will not be subject to a personal ESG rating as a basis of hiring, firing, or evaluation.

Summary

HB188 would ban using ESG criteria in awarding Alabama public contracts and require bidders to certify that employees will not be subject to personal ESG ratings.

What This Bill Does

The bill prohibits state and local government agencies from considering ESG criteria or ESG ratings when awarding public contracts worth $100,000 or more. It also requires a 'responsible bidder' to certify under penalty of perjury that its employees will not be subject to a personal ESG rating as a basis for hiring, firing, or evaluation. The act defines ESG terms and would take effect on the first day of the third month after it becomes law.

Who It Affects

• State and local government contracting authorities: would be prohibited from using ESG criteria or ESG ratings when awarding contracts valued at $100,000 or more.
• Bidder companies and their employees: must certify under penalty of perjury that their employees will not be subject to personal ESG ratings for hiring, firing, or evaluation; this certification is a condition of award.

Key Provisions

• Prohibits the consideration of ESG criteria and ESG ratings in awarding public contracts valued at $100,000 or more by state or local authorities.
• Requires a responsible bidder to certify under penalty of perjury that its employees will not be subject to a personal ESG rating as a basis for hiring, firing, or evaluation.

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

Subjects

Public contracts; ESG criteria prohibited in public contract.