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HB160 • 2026

Tuscaloosa County; overtime compensation, public safety employees, further provided

Tuscaloosa County; overtime compensation, public safety employees, further provided

Labor
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Bolton
Last action
2026-02-24
Official status
Enacted
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Tuscaloosa County Overtime Rules for Public Safety Employees

This law changes how Tuscaloosa County and the cities of Northport and Tuscaloosa pay overtime to public safety workers like police officers and firefighters.

What This Bill Does

  • Changes the rules on paying overtime to law enforcement officers in Tuscaloosa County, allowing them to choose between extra money or time off for working more than their regular hours.
  • Allows Northport and Tuscaloosa cities to schedule four 10-hour shifts per week instead of five 8-hour shifts, with similar overtime rules applying.
  • Specifies that the Executive Director of Public Safety in Tuscaloosa is not eligible for overtime pay or time off under these new rules.
  • Updates how firefighters are paid for overtime work, requiring cities to follow federal labor laws and allowing them to choose between extra money or time off.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Law enforcement officers working in Tuscaloosa County and the cities of Northport and Tuscaloosa.
  • Firefighters employed by municipalities within Tuscaloosa County.
  • The Executive Director of Public Safety for the City of Tuscaloosa.

Terms To Know

Overtime
Extra hours worked beyond regular work time, usually requiring higher pay or extra time off.
Compensatory leave
Time off given to employees instead of overtime pay for working extra hours.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The law does not specify how the changes will be funded.
  • It is unclear if all cities in Tuscaloosa County will adopt these new rules or only Northport and Tuscaloosa.

Bill History

  1. 2026-02-24 House

    Enacted

  2. 2026-02-17 House

    Delivered to Governor

  3. 2026-02-17 Senate

    Signature Requested

  4. 2026-02-12 Senate

    Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass - Adopted Roll Call 377 (Yeas 29, Nays 0)

  5. 2026-02-12 Senate

    Third Reading in Second House (Yeas 29, Nays 0)

  6. 2026-02-12 House

    Enrolled

  7. 2026-02-12 House

    Ready to Enroll

  8. 2026-02-10 Senate

    Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar

  9. 2026-02-10 Senate

    Reported Out of Committee Second House

  10. 2026-01-22 House

    Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass - Adopted Roll Call 110 (Yeas 16, Nays 0)

  11. 2026-01-22 House

    Third Reading in House of Origin (Yeas 58, Nays 0)

  12. 2026-01-22 Senate

    Pending Committee Action in Second House

  13. 2026-01-22 Senate

    Read for the first time and referred to the Senate Committee on Local Legislation

  14. 2026-01-21 House

    Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar

  15. 2026-01-21 House

    Reported Out of Committee House of Origin

  16. 2026-01-13 House

    Pending Committee Action in House of Origin

  17. 2026-01-13 House

    Read for the first time and referred to the House Committee on Tuscaloosa County Legislation

Official Summary Text

Tuscaloosa County; overtime compensation, public safety employees, further provided

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
HB160 ENROLLED
Page 0
HB160
V7IT8VV-2
By Representative Bolton (N & P)
RFD: Tuscaloosa County Legislation
First Read: 13-Jan-26
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HB160 Enrolled
Page 1
First Read: 13-Jan-26
Enrolled, An Act,
Relating to Tuscaloosa County; to amend Section 1 of
Act 80-356 (1980 Regular Session, p. 835) and Section 1 of Act
88-317 (1988 Regular Session, p. 481); to further provide for
overtime for certain public safety employees.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
Section 1. Section 1 of Act 80-356 (1980 Regular
Session, p. 835), as last amended by Act 2022-407 (2022
Regular Session), is amended to read as follows:
"Section 1. (a) Any law enforcement officer in the
service of Tuscaloosa County or any city located in the
county, or who is employed under a L.E.A.A. or L.E.P.A. grant,
and who is assigned to duty for more than eight hours during
any one day or for more than 40 hours during any calendar
week, shall be paid time and one-half for those excess hours
worked , or he or she shall be given time and one-half
compensatory leave. It shall be at the sole option of the law
enforcement officer affected by this subsection whether he or
she shall receive overtime pay or compensatory leave.
(b) Notwithstanding subsection (a), upon adoption by
resolution of the city council of the City of Northport or the
City of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, that city may implement the
scheduling of four 10-hour shifts per week rather than five
8-hour shifts per week for certain positions in its police
department, and any affected law enforcement officer who is
assigned to duty for more than 10 hours during any one day or
for more than 40 hours during any calendar week shall be paid
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HB160 Enrolled
Page 2
for more than 40 hours during any calendar week shall be paid
time and one-half for those excess hours worked , or he or she
shall be given time and one-half compensation leave. It shall
be at the sole option of the law enforcement officer whether
he or she shall receive overtime pay or compensatory leave.
This subsection shall apply only to those City of Northport or
City of Tuscaloosa law enforcement officers who are assigned
to four 10-hour shifts per week. All other City of Northport
or City of Tuscaloosa law enforcement officers assigned to
five 8-hour shifts shall remain under subsection (a).
(c) An individual employed as the City of Tuscaloosa's
Executive Director of Public Safety shall not be eligible for
any overtime pay or compensatory leave provided under this
section. "
Section 2. Section 1 of Act 88-317 (1988 Regular
Session, p. 481) is amended to read as follows:
"Section 1. (a) Any full-time paid employee engaged in
"fire protection activities" in any municipality in Tuscaloosa
County shall receive overtime pay at a rate of time and
one-half the regular rate of pay or shall be given time and
one-half compensatory leave for hours worked in excess of 24
hours in a tour of duty or 53 hours in a calendar week.
(b)(1) Paid hours worked may be averaged according to
the United States Fair Labor Standards Act, as amended, and
the work week hours as used in this act shall decline in the
future to coincide with all succeeding United States
Department of Labor regulations.
(2) Such A municipality may institute a shorter work
week than the United States Department of Labor requires if
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HB160 Enrolled
Page 3
week than the United States Department of Labor requires if
they so desire .
(c) Gross pay received for a normal work week or work
period at the passage of this bill, shall be gross pay or base
pay for a 53 hour 53-hour work week , and all succeeding raises
shall raise such the gross pay or base pay accordingly.
(d) All paid leave of absences shall be counted as
hours worked.
(e) And, it It shall be the sole option of the employee
as to whether he or she shall receive overtime pay or
compensatory leave.
(f) An individual employed as the City of Tuscaloosa's
Executive Director of Public Safety shall not be eligible to
any overtime pay or compensatory leave provided under this
section. "
Section 3. This act shall become effective on October
1, 2026.
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HB160 Enrolled
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1, 2026.
________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Representatives
________________________________________________
President and Presiding Officer of the Senate
House of Representatives
I hereby certify that the within Act originated in and
was passed by the House 22-Jan-26.
John Treadwell
Clerk
Senate 12-Feb-26 Passed
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