This amendment requires officials to hide sensitive financial details in public records and bans using school record lists for selling goods or services.
Alabama2026Enacted
SB272
SB272: Protecting School Records and Financial Data
Last scannedAug 24, 2026, 9:06 AM
In one sentence
This law requires officials to hide financial details in public contract records and stops people from using school contact lists to sell goods or services.
What it does
- Requires government officers to remove account numbers, tax IDs, routing numbers, employee IDs, sensitive personal information, and similar data before sharing public contract records for goods or services.
- Prohibits anyone from knowingly selling, giving, or receiving school record lists containing names and addresses for the purpose of soliciting sales to those listed individuals or entities.
- Allows local boards of education to ask requesters to sign a written promise that they will not use the contact information for selling products or services if there is reasonable cause to believe it might be used that way.
- Authorizes civil penalties up to $500 per violation in actions brought by the Attorney General against those who knowingly break these rules.
Who it affects
- Public officers who hold and release government records
- Local boards of education
- People or companies that request public school records containing names and addresses
- The State Board of Education, which may create guidance and model forms for this process
Limits and unknowns
- The bill does not specify exactly how officials will determine if information is 'similar' to account numbers or tax IDs.
- It is unclear what specific guidance or model forms the State Board of Education might create in the future.
- The law protects records requested from local boards of education but may apply differently to other types of public agencies.
Plain language
Terms to know
- Redaction
- Removing specific information from a document before it is shared with the public.
- Solicitation
- The act of asking someone to buy or sell goods and services.
- Civil Penalty
- A fine paid as punishment for breaking a law, handled through the court system rather than criminal charges.
Official record
Sources
Official summary
This act: (1) requires the redaction of information that could be used to initiate a financial transaction from any requested public record regarding public contracts for goods or services; (2) prohibits the use of public records of local boards of education containing names and addresses to solicit those listed persons; (3) authorizes these boards to request written certification from a requestor that these names and addresses will not be used in violation of this prohibition; and (4) authorizes civil penalties not exceeding $500 in actions brought by the Attorney General for violations.
Official activity
Bill history
- EnactedSenate
- Signature RequestedHouse
- Delivered to GovernorSenate
- EnrolledSenate
- Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass as Amended - Adopted Roll Call 1317 (Yeas 105, Nays 0)House
- Motion to Adopt - Adopted Roll Call 1316 (Yeas 105, Nays 0)House
- Gudger Motion to Concur In and Adopt House Amendment - Adopted Roll Call 1265 (Yeas 33, Nays 0)Senate
- Ready to EnrollSenate
- Judiciary Engrossed Substitute OfferedHouse
- Third Reading in Second HouseHouse
- Read for the Second Time and placed on the CalendarHouse
- Reported Out of Committee Second HouseHouse
- Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass as Amended - Adopted Roll Call 488 (Yeas 29, Nays 0)Senate
- Orr motion to Adopt - Adopted Roll Call 487 (Yeas 29, Nays 0)Senate
- Third Reading in House of Origin (Yeas 29, Nays 0)Senate
- Pending Committee Action in Second HouseHouse
- Read for the first time and referred to the House Committee on JudiciaryHouse
- EngrossedSenate
- Orr 1st Amendment OfferedSenate
- Read for the Second Time and placed on the CalendarSenate
Changes
Amendments
2 stored
This amendment clarifies that the new rules apply specifically to public records and contracts requested from local school boards, lists specific types of private information like employee IDs that must be hidden before sharing those records, allows officials to ask for more details about a request first, and makes the law start right away.