House Bill 307 Alabama 2026 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Rick RehmRepresentative

Republican

Session

2026 Regular Session

Title

Military spouses; preference in hiring and promoting in state service further provided for; preference authorized for political subdivisions, private employers

Summary

HB307 would expand military-related hiring preferences by giving five-point rating boosts to spouses of active-duty service members, allow local governments and private employers to grant veteran and family hiring/promotion preferences, and update the state's hiring language with an October 1, 2026 effective date.

What This Bill Does

It adds five points to ratings for spouses of active-duty service members on state classified-service employment tests. It also authorizes counties, municipalities, and private employers to grant hiring and promotion preferences to veterans, their spouses, spouses of active-duty members, and surviving spouses of veterans, with active-duty spouses eligible during service and up to 180 days after discharge. Private employers that adopt a voluntary veterans' preference policy must notify the Alabama Department of Workforce, which will maintain a public registry of participating employers. The bill includes nonsubstantive technical updates to current code language and sets an effective date of October 1, 2026.

Who It Affects

• Spouses of active-duty service members would receive a five-point boost in state employment ratings and may be eligible for time-limited private-employer preferences related to active-duty status.
• Counties, municipalities, and private employers may adopt and apply veteran and family hiring/promotion preferences, with oversight and registry maintained by the Alabama Department of Workforce.

Key Provisions

• Provision 1: Adds five points to ratings for spouses of active-duty service members on state classified-service exams.
• Provision 2: Allows political subdivisions and private employers to grant veteran and family hiring/promotion preferences, including for the spouse of a veteran, the spouse of an active-duty member, and surviving spouses of veterans; active-duty spouses' time-limited eligibility is during service and up to 180 days after discharge; some veterans/spouses may receive ten-point preferences in certain cases.
• Provision 3: Requires private employers who adopt a voluntary veterans' preference policy to notify the Alabama Department of Workforce and participate in a state registry, with an online submission mechanism.
• Provision 4: Provides for nonsubstantive, technical revisions to update code language and defines terms such as Active Duty Service Member and Veteran; allows local ordinances to implement the preferences.

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

Subjects

Military