This amendment updates Alabama state law to give extra points on job tests for military spouses, veterans, and disabled service members when applying for government jobs.
Alabama2026Enacted
HB307
Hiring and Promotion Preferences for Military Spouses
Last scannedAug 24, 2026, 9:06 AM
In one sentence
This law adds points to test scores for military spouses applying for state jobs in Alabama and allows local governments and private companies to choose whether to give hiring preferences to veterans and their families.
What it does
- Adds five points to the competitive test ratings of spouses of active duty service members or veterans when they apply for state government jobs.
- Adds ten points to the competitive test ratings of surviving spouses whose partners died while serving on active duty in line-of-duty situations.
- Allows counties, cities, and other local governments to create their own rules giving hiring preferences to eligible veterans and military families if they choose to do so.
- Permits private employers to adopt written policies that give job preference to veterans and military spouses after submitting certain documents.
- Requires the Alabama Department of Workforce Development to list on its website any private companies that have adopted these veteran preference policies.
Who it affects
- Spouses of active duty service members, including those in the National Guard or reserves.
- Spouses and surviving spouses of veterans who were honorably discharged.
- State government agencies responsible for hiring employees through competitive tests.
- Local governments that choose to adopt these preference policies.
Limits and unknowns
- The law only requires state agencies to give these points; local governments and private companies are allowed but not required to offer preferences.
- Private employers must submit certain documents to adopt a preference policy, though the specific list of documents is not detailed in this summary text.
Plain language
Terms to know
- Active duty service member
- A person currently serving in the National Guard, a reserve unit, or an active branch of the U.S. Armed Forces.
- Veteran (Eligible Veteran)
- A person who has served in any component of the U.S. Armed Forces and received an honorable discharge.
- Political subdivision
- Local government groups such as counties, cities, or municipalities within Alabama.
Official record
Sources
Official summary
This act amends Section 36-26-15, Code of Alabama 1975, to: (1) require the spouses of veterans and active duty service members to have 5 points, and the spouses of active duty service members who died in the line of duty to have 10 points, added to their competitive tests for state service; (2) authorize local governments to grant a hiring preference to veterans, spouses of living and dead veterans, and spouses of active duty service members; (3) authorize private employers to adopt a written and uniformly applied veterans' preference employment policy for veterans, spouses of veterans, and spouses of active duty service members upon submitting certain documents to the employer; and (4) require the Alabama Department of Workforce to publish on their website a registry of private employers with such policies.
Official activity
Bill history
- EnactedHouse
- Signature RequestedSenate
- EnrolledHouse
- Ready to EnrollHouse
- Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass - Adopted Roll Call 1325 (Yeas 29, Nays 0)Senate
- Delivered to GovernorHouse
- Read for the Second Time and placed on the CalendarSenate
- Reported Out of Committee Second HouseSenate
- Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass as Amended - Adopted Roll Call 712 (Yeas 103, Nays 0)House
- Motion to Adopt - Adopted Roll Call 711 (Yeas 104, Nays 0)House
- Third Reading in House of Origin (Yeas 105, Nays 0)House
- Pending Committee Action in Second HouseSenate
- Read for the first time and referred to the Senate Committee on Veterans, Military Affairs and Public SafetySenate
- EngrossedHouse
- Military and Veterans' Affairs Engrossed Substitute OfferedHouse
- Read for the Second Time and placed on the CalendarHouse
- Reported Out of Committee House of OriginHouse
- Pending Committee Action in House of OriginHouse
- Read for the first time and referred to the House Committee on Military and Veterans' AffairsHouse
Changes
Amendments
1 stored