Senate Bill 74 Alabama 2026 Session

Updated Jan 16, 2026

Senate Bill

In Committee

Current Status

2026 Regular Session

Session

Sponsor

Summary

Primary Sponsor: Donnie Chesteen Senator
Republican
Session: 2026 Regular Session
Title: Alabama Math and Science Teacher Education Program (AMSTEP), renamed the Loan Assistance in Support of Educators in Alabama (LASEA) Program; providing loan assistance in acute educator shortage programs as determined by the Alabama Commission on Higher Education in consultation with the State Department of Education and the Alabama Commission on the Evaluation of Services
Description: Under existing law, the Alabama Commission on Higher Education administers the Alabama Math and Science Teacher Education Program (AMSTEP), which provides a loan repayment award to eligible public K-12 math, science, and computer science teachers and an additional loan repayment award to the eligible applicants who are employed in underserved locations in the state.
This bill would change the name of the program to the Loan Assistance in Support of Educators in Alabama (LASEA) Program and would expand program eligibility to address additional educator shortages by extending eligibility for loan assistance to educators with certification in acute educator shortage programs and providing additional loan assistance if those educators are employed by public K-12 schools or school systems recognized as acute educator shortage locations.
This bill would specify that the Alabama Commission on Higher Education, in consultation with the State Department of Education, would determine which programs, schools, and school systems have acute educator shortages.
This bill would also require the commission, in SB74 INTRODUCED consultation with the Alabama Commission on the Evaluation of Services, to develop an accountability and evaluation plan for the program and would provide further for the eligibility of certain applicants who have been continuously employed with a qualifying school.
Subjects: Education