House Bill 524 Alabama 2026 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Mike ShawRepresentative

Republican

Session

2026 Regular Session

Title

Artificial Intelligence; state agencies required to perform quarterly AI-assisted review of rules

Summary

HB524 would require every Alabama state agency to perform quarterly AI-assisted reviews of all rules and guidance documents, with human oversight and annual reporting.

What This Bill Does

If passed, the bill would force agencies to acquire or develop agentic AI systems to analyze their rules and guidance documents. Agencies must complete an initial AI-assisted comprehensive review by April 1, 2027, and then continue with quarterly AI-assisted reviews. Analyses cover several factors (discretion vs. mandate, conflicts, comparisons with other standards, plain language, costs, readability, and economic impact) and include a cost-benefit analysis; human staff must review and approve AI recommendations, and no rule may be changed solely on AI findings. Agencies must publish annual information about the reviews, and must follow the Alabama Administrative Procedure Act if applicable.

Who It Affects

• State agencies and their staff: must implement AI systems, run quarterly AI-assisted analyses, and approve AI recommendations.
• Regulated individuals and businesses in Alabama: may experience rule changes or simplifications with associated cost savings and updated compliance expectations.
• The general public: will have access to annual agency reports on the AI review process and rule changes.

Key Provisions

• All state agencies must complete an initial AI-assisted comprehensive review of rules and guidance documents by April 1, 2027, and conduct quarterly AI-assisted reviews thereafter.
• Agencies must acquire or develop agentic artificial intelligence systems capable of performing the required analyses.
• AI analyses must be reviewed and approved by qualified agency staff with subject-matter expertise, legal/regulatory analysis experience, and authority to approve recommendations.
• No rule may be amended or repealed based solely on AI analysis; there must be human review and final approval.
• During reviews, agencies must eliminate rules/guidance that conflict with law, remove duplicates/irrelevancies, fix plain language issues, update outdated or burdensome rules, and correct citations.
• AI analyses must include cost-of-compliance considerations and a cost-benefit analysis to assess economic impact and potential savings from changes.
• Agencies must publish an annual report (by September 1) detailing numbers of rules reviewed, modified, or eliminated; accepted/rejected AI recommendations; and estimated cost savings for regulated parties; reports published on agency websites.
• If an agency is subject to the Alabama Administrative Procedure Act, it must follow APA procedures when adopting or amending rules under this act.
• The act becomes effective October 1, 2026.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 26, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Government Administration