SB37 Alabama 2023 Session

Updated Feb 26, 2026

Notable

Summary

Primary Sponsor: Sam GivhanSenator
Republican
Session: Regular Session 2023
Title: Relating to the Military Family Jobs Opportunity Act; to amend Section 31-1-6, Code of Alabama 1975, as amended by Act 2022-92, 2022 Regular Session, to extend professional license reciprocity to spouses of United States Department of Defense civil servants.
Summary: The bill extends professional license reciprocity to spouses of Department of Defense civil servants who relocate to Alabama, making it easier for them to work in licensed professions.
What This Bill Does
It adds eligible individuals to the reciprocity rules, including spouses of DoD civilians and certain other federal employees relocated to Alabama. It requires licensing boards to recognize substantially similar out-of-state licenses and issue Alabama licenses within 30 days of application. It allows a temporary permit valid for at least 360 days so the person can work while their license is processed. It waives the initial licensing fee for eligible individuals and enables reciprocity with other states, while excluding certain professions from applicability.

Who It Affects
Spouses of active duty, reserve, transitioning, or surviving military members who relocate to Alabama under official orders and need licensure to work in regulated professions.
Spouses of federal employees relocated to Alabama (including DOJ and NASA) and DoD civilian employees already in Alabama, who would benefit from license reciprocity and faster licensure.

Key Provisions
Extends license reciprocity to eligible individuals, including spouses of DoD civilians and related federal employees relocated to Alabama.
Boards must adopt implementing rules and issue a license within 30 days if the foreign license is substantially similar, with a temporary permit available for at least 360 days during processing.
Allows license reciprocity with other states and authorizes boards to establish such reciprocity for military spouses.
Waives the initial licensing fee for eligible individuals and processes the fee waiver within 30 days of application.
Not applicable to certain professions and boards, such as law, securities, and several specific professional boards.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 22, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.
Subjects: Military Family Jobs Opportunity Act; eligible persons to include Department of Defense civil servants