House Bill 469 Alabama 2026 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Rolanda HollisRepresentative

Democrat

Session

2026 Regular Session

Title

Municipal firefighters' bill of rights; rights and procedures for firefighters' personnel issues established

Summary

HB469 would create the Municipal Firefighters' Bill of Rights, setting minimum investigation standards and protections for firefighters, while allowing off-duty political activity and requiring local ordinances to implement the rights, with an effective date of October 1, 2026.

What This Bill Does

It establishes a Municipal Firefighters' Bill of Rights and allows municipalities to adopt local ordinances to implement its rights and procedures. It sets minimum standards for investigations into alleged misconduct that could lead to termination, demotion, or loss of pay or status, including protections against adverse inferences, clear interrogation rules, recording requirements, and a predisciplinary hearing before disciplinary action. It also protects firefighters from being forced to disclose certain personal information for promotions, requires notice of pending personnel actions, permits off-duty political activity, and prevents penalties for exercising these rights.

Who It Affects

• Municipal firefighters and other fire department personnel who gain defined rights and protections in investigations, promotions, and responses to personnel actions.
• Municipal governments and fire departments that would adopt implementing ordinances and must apply the new investigation standards, due-process protections, and notification requirements.

Key Provisions

• Creates the Municipal Firefighters' Bill of Rights and allows municipalities to adopt local ordinances implementing its rights and procedures.
• Sets minimum standards for investigations into alleged improper conduct that could lead to termination, demotion, or loss of pay or status, including prohibiting adverse inferences for non-participation, allowing interrogations at specified locations, informing the firefighter of the investigation details, having a single interrogator at a time, ensuring reasonable duration and breaks, prohibiting threats or rewards, recording interrogations, and permitting independent recording with a witness.
• Requires formal charges to be clear and specific, and provides a pred disciplinary hearing before disciplinary action if charges are official, with the firefighter able to choose a hearing participant.
• Protects firefighters from being required to disclose personal information (property, income, assets, debts, expenditures) for promotion or assignment.
• Requires written notice of pending personnel actions before they are taken when such actions could affect pay, benefits, or status.
• Allows firefighters to engage in political activity when off duty and prohibits penalties for exercising rights related to this act; notes the act is not the exclusive remedy for rights.
• Effective date of October 1, 2026.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 17, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Counties & Municipalities