SB29 Alabama 2026 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Matt WoodsSenator

Republican

Session

2026 Regular Session

Title

Chiropractic board; board service and licensure qualifications revised

Summary

SB29 would modernize Alabama's chiropractic licensing rules by removing several education-based requirements for licensure and board service, while keeping enforcement powers, with an effective date of October 1, 2026.

What This Bill Does

It removes the requirement that a board member’s school must have required actual attendance to graduate and eliminates the old attendance/course-based prerequisites for licensure. It also drops the rule that licensure schools must teach attendance courses and require a four-year college course. It eliminates the mandate that licensure applicants must hold a bachelor's degree or an academic graduate degree (and a standardized test) to qualify, allowing broader eligibility paths. The bill preserves core processes such as background checks, examination requirements, and board enforcement powers, and retains the consumer member seat with its restrictions, while adding nonsubstantive technical updates and clarifying the board election process; all of this would take effect on October 1, 2026.

Who It Affects

• Licensure applicants and chiropractic students: gain broader eligibility paths for licensure, including removal of the bachelor’s or graduate degree requirement and the attendance-based school prerequisites, but still required to complete appropriate examinations and background checks.
• Board members and consumers: the board’s qualification rules for members are relaxed (education-attendance requirements removed) and the structure includes a consumer member who cannot be a chiropractor, with ongoing diversity considerations and a clarified election process.

Key Provisions

• Removes the requirement that board members come from schools that required actual attendance to graduate and eliminates attendance-based licensure school prerequisites.
• Eliminates the requirement that licensure schools teach only attendance courses and require a four-year college course.
• Eliminates the requirement that licensure applicants hold a bachelor’s degree or an academic graduate degree (and a standardized test) to qualify for licensure; broadens acceptable qualifications.
• Keeps mandatory background checks (fingerprints and FBI history check) with costs borne by the applicant and confidentiality provisions, and maintains the board’s investigative and enforcement powers (including subpoenas).
• Keeps NBCE or national examinations as part of licensure and allows licensure under certain circumstances from out-of-state boards with comparable or stricter standards; fees for exams and license issuance set by the board.
• Maintains a consumer member on the board (not a chiropractor and not a spouse/close relative of a chiropractor) and requires the board to reflect statewide diversity; includes technical language updates to current style.

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

Subjects

Occupational Licensing Boards