House Bill 295 Alabama 2026 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Laura HallRepresentative

Democrat

Session

2026 Regular Session

Title

Alabama Office of Minority Affairs; renamed to the Alabama Office of Civic Engagement

Summary

HB295 would rename the Alabama Office of Minority Affairs to the Alabama Office of Minority Affairs Civic Engagement (often called the Alabama Office of Civic Engagement) and update related laws and governance.

What This Bill Does

The bill renames the office and expands its mission to advise the Governor on minority issues and to draft policy ideas to improve education, health, economics, housing, civil rights, criminal justice, and race relations. It creates a Director appointed by the Governor who leads the office as a cabinet-level position; existing staff from the old office would transfer to the new office with no loss of pay or benefits, and future pay would be set by the director within merit-system ranges. It also creates an Advisory Committee to assist the director, with members from minority communities, women, state officials, and education/workforce experts, appointed by the Governor. Additionally, the office would be added to the Historic Tax Credit Evaluating Committee, and conforming changes to several statutes would be made, with the changes taking effect on October 1, 2026.

Who It Affects

• State employees who currently work in the Governor’s Office of Minority Affairs and will transfer to the new Alabama Office of Minority Affairs Civic Engagement; they may experience changes in leadership, pay-setting by the new director, and eligibility for retention under merit-system rules.
• Residents and communities identified as minorities (including women) who may benefit from the office’s expanded focus, policy work, and the advisory committee’s input on education, health, economics, housing, civil rights, and other quality-of-life issues.

Key Provisions

• Rename the Alabama Office of Minority Affairs to the Alabama Office of Minority Affairs Civic Engagement (also referred to as the Alabama Office of Civic Engagement) in the relevant statutes.
• Establish a Director of the Office who is appointed by the Governor and serves as a cabinet-level official; transfer of certain existing employees to the new office with no loss of compensation or benefits.
• Require the office to staff and staff-diversify to reflect the state's racial, gender, geographic, urban/rural, and economic diversity.
• Create the Advisory Committee on Minority Affairs Civic Engagement with members from diverse communities, female representation, state officials, and education/workforce experts, appointed by the Governor.
• Make the Director a member of the Historic Tax Credit Evaluating Committee and align related laws (36-13-50, 36-13-51, 36-13-53, 40-9F-38, 41-1-93) to conform with the renamed office.
• Effective date set for October 1, 2026.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 12, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

State Government