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HB456 INTRODUCED
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HB456
5V8NT66-1
By Representative Hulsey
RFD: Children and Senior Advocacy
First Read: 17-Feb-26
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5V8NT66-1 02/17/2026 GP (L)lg 2026-343
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First Read: 17-Feb-26
SYNOPSIS:
This bill would create the Youth Athlete
Protection Act.
This bill would require each local government
that provides an opportunity for youth athletes to
participate in organized sports to develop a Youth
Athlete Protection Policy to prevent the abuse of youth
athletes, set standards for appropriate conduct between
coaches and youth athletes, and educate parents and
coaches about mandatory reporter laws.
This bill would require each local government to
require coaches who are employees of or volunteers of
the local government to comply with the Youth Athlete
Protection Policy and undergo a criminal history
background check.
This bill would authorize a criminal history
background check to be conducted by the Alabama State
Law Enforcement Agency or a consumer reporting agency
accredited by the Professional Background Screening
Association.
This bill would require local governments to
conduct a search of the State Department of Education's
Teacher Education and Certification web portal for any
prospective coach who is, or has ever been, employed by
a local board of education or the State Board of
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a local board of education or the State Board of
Education.
This bill would require each coach to annually
renew his or her criminal history background check.
This bill would also provide immunity to local
governments relating to the hiring of a coach or
acceptance of a coach as a volunteer, with exceptions.
A BILL
TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
Relating to local youth sports organizations; require
certain local governments to develop a Youth Athlete
Protection Policy for youth sports coaches; to provide
standards for the policy and training relating to the
prevention of child abuse; to require coaches employed by or
volunteering for a local government to undergo an annual
criminal history background check; and to limit liability for
local governments.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as
the Youth Athlete Protection Act.
Section 2. For the purposes of this act, the following
terms have the following meanings:
(1) CHILD ABUSE. Physical abuse, sexual abuse or
exploitation, negligent treatment, or mental or emotional
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exploitation, negligent treatment, or mental or emotional
abuse of an individual under 18 years of age.
(2) COACH. An individual employed by or volunteering
for a local government as a coach, manager, or supervisor of a
youth athletic activity. The term does not include:
a. Any individual who occasionally assists with or
supports a youth athletic activity; or
b. Any employee or volunteer of a local government who
provides passing, general, or nominal assistance with or
support of a youth athletic activity.
(3) LOCAL GOVERNMENT. A city, county, or other local
government that operates a program to provide youth athletes
the opportunity to participate in organized, scheduled
competitive or recreational sporting activities. The term does
not include any local government that has only incidental
involvement with a youth athletic activity, such as through
the provision of a playing field or activity space.
(4) YOUTH ATHLETE. An individual under 18 years of age
participating in a youth sporting activity.
Section 3. (a) No later than January 1, 2027, each
local government shall adopt a Youth Athlete Protection
Policy. Local governments may consider national standards
relating to the prevention of child abuse, such as those
developed by the U.S. Center for SafeSport, when developing
the policy. The policy shall include, but not be limited to,
the following:
(1) Standards for prohibited conduct in youth sports.
The policy shall include a list of prohibited conduct by
parents, spectators, coaches, and youth athletes to prevent
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parents, spectators, coaches, and youth athletes to prevent
the abuse of youth athletes. Prohibited conduct shall include,
but not be limited to, sexual abuse or misconduct, physical
abuse or misconduct, emotional abuse or misconduct, bullying,
harassment, hazing, grooming behaviors, and any other
behaviors that risk the safety of youth athletes.
(2) A code of conduct for parents, spectators, coaches,
and youth athletes to follow. The code of conduct shall
include appropriate one-on-one interactions between players
and coaches and shall address topics including, but not
limited to, appropriate use of electronic communications
between adults and youth athletes, travel supervision
policies, and appropriate use of locker rooms and restrooms.
(3) A mandatory reporting policy for adults who have
knowledge of an act of prohibited conduct. The policy shall
describe who is a mandatory reporter under state law, the
circumstances that must be reported, and the responsibilities
of coaches as it relates to the reporting of suspected child
abuse.
(b) Each local government shall:
(1) Provide a copy of the Youth Athlete Protection
Policy to all coaches employed by or volunteering for the
local government and parents of youth athletes participating
in a sport offered by that local government; and
(2) Require each coach employed by or volunteering for
the local government to comply with the local government's
Youth Athlete Protection Policy established pursuant to
subsection (a) and the criminal history background check
requirement provided in Section 4.
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requirement provided in Section 4.
(3) If the prospective coach is, or has ever been,
employed by a local board of education or the State Board of
Education, conduct a search for the prospective coach in the
State Department of Education's Teacher Education and
Certification web portal. The local government may rely on any
information obtained as a result of the search when making
hiring or volunteer decisions, as provided in Section 4(c).
Section 4. (a) Each local government shall require each
coach to obtain, prior to his or her employment or acceptance
as a volunteer, a criminal history background check through
either of the following:
(1) The Alabama State Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA),
which shall be a statewide check including fingerprints. ALEA
may provide the results of the criminal history background
check directly to the local government where the coach is
seeking to be employed or volunteer. The local government may
use the criminal history background check only for purposes of
making hiring or volunteer decisions, and the results of the
criminal history background check are otherwise confidential.
(2) A consumer reporting agency accredited by the
Professional Background Screening Association (PBSA), which
shall include an expanded criminal history check. If this type
is used, local governments shall obtain the expanded criminal
history background check, provided the local government
obtained the prospective coach's written consent to obtain the
check. The expanded criminal history check must include, at a
minimum, all of the following:
a. Collection of the applicant's identifying
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a. Collection of the applicant's identifying
information from a valid government-issued identification.
b. A search to identify all names and aliases
associated with the applicant.
c. The following searches, using all identified legal
names and aliases of the applicant:
1. Publicly available Alabama statewide court records
through the Alacourt ACCESS system.
2. Criminal records maintained by all counties or
similar governmental units in any other state in which the
applicant has resided.
3. United States District Court records from the
districts in which the applicant has resided.
4. Sex offender registries in every state, or the
national sex offender registry maintained by the United States
Department of Justice.
5. A multistate criminal database search.
(b)(1) ALEA or the criminal reporting agency may
provide the results of the criminal history background check
directly to the local government where the coach is seeking to
be employed or volunteer. Results of any criminal history
background check conducted pursuant to this act may only be
used for the purposes described in this act and are otherwise
confidential and may not be shared with a separate entity for
any reason.
(2) Use of criminal history background check
information conducted by ALEA is subject to all state and
federal laws and the rules adopted by the Alabama Justice
Information Commission for the use, dissemination, and
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Information Commission for the use, dissemination, and
maintenance of such information, including any sanctions which
may be imposed by those laws or rules relating to improper use
of criminal history background check information.
(c) Local governments may rely on the results of a
criminal history background check and the State Department of
Education's Teacher Education and Certification search when
making hiring and volunteer decisions. Local governments are
immune from any civil liability relating to the hiring of a
coach or acceptance of a coach as a volunteer, except where
the local government fails to exercise reasonable care in
reviewing and relying upon information in the criminal history
background check or the State Department of Education's
Teacher Education and Certification search.
(d) No local government may hire or accept as a
volunteer a coach if a criminal history background check
performed on that individual shows that he or she has been
convicted of, pled nolo contendere to, or has received a
deferred sentence or deferred prosecution for:
(1) Any felony under Chapter 15 of Title 26, Code of
Alabama 1975;
(2) Any sex offense under Section 15-20A-5, Code of
Alabama 1975;
(3) Any felony assault or sexual offense under Title
13A, Code of Alabama 1975, or any other offense involving
child abuse; or
(4) Any comparable offense provided in this subsection
which was committed in any other state.
(e) Each coach shall annually renew the criminal
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(e) Each coach shall annually renew the criminal
history background check required by subsection (a), not later
than 30 days after the prior year's criminal history
background check expires.
(f)(1) Each local government shall:
a. Determine whether renewals may be obtained using a
different method as the initial criminal history background
check;
b. Prohibit any coach who has failed to timely renew
his or her criminal history background check from continuing
in their role until the renewal is completed; and
c. Maintain records of each coach's compliance with
this section.
(2) Each local government may:
a. Determine whether the cost of obtaining the criminal
history background check shall be the responsibility of the
coach or prospective coach or the local government; and
b. Authorize a third party acting on behalf of a coach
or prospective coach to pay for any criminal history
background check.
(3) Nothing in this act may be construed to waive any
the background check fee assessed by ALEA.
Section 5. This act shall become effective on October
1, 2026.
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