State government; use of term "West Bank" prohibited as reference to Judea and Samaria

HB81 INTRODUCED
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HB81
QNLNH41-1
By Representative Gidley
RFD: State Government
First Read: 13-Jan-26
PFD: 17-Dec-25
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QNLNH41-1 06/18/2025 GP (L)GP 2025-2104
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PFD: 17-Dec-25
SYNOPSIS:
This bill would prohibit any government entity
from using the term "West Bank" to refer to Judea and
Samaria in any official government document.
This bill would also provide a mechanism for the
head of a government entity to waive the prohibition.
A BILL
TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
Relating to state government; to prohibit any
government entity from using the term "West Bank" to refer to
Judea and Samaria; to provide a waiver from the prohibition;
and to provide Legislative findings.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
Section 1. The Legislature finds and declares the
following:
(1) The regions known as Judea and Samaria are the
ancestral heartland of the Jewish people, comprising the
historical, spiritual, and geographical core of the Land of
Israel.
(2) The names "Judea" and "Samaria" are the
historically, biblically, and legally accurate terms for the
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HB81 INTRODUCED
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historically, biblically, and legally accurate terms for the
region. "Samaria" derives from the city established by King
Omri, as recorded in 1 Kings 16:24. "Judea" refers to the
territory of the Tribe of Judah, which included Jerusalem,
Hebron, and surrounding regions.
(3) The use of the term "West Bank" is a deliberate
attempt to erase the Jewish identity of Judea and Samaria and
to obscure the deep historical, religious, and legal
connections of the Jewish people to the land.
Section 2. (a) For the purposes of this act, the
following terms have the following meanings:
(1) GOVERNMENT ENTITY. The state, including any
subdivision, agency, or instrumentality thereof.
(2) JUDEA AND SAMARIA. The land liberated by Israel
from Jordan during the 1967 Six-Day War by its historical name
of "Judea and Samaria," with the land south of Jerusalem being
considered "Judea" and the land north of Jerusalem being
considered "Samaria."
(3) OFFICIAL GOVERNMENT MATERIAL. Any guidance, rule,
material, briefing, press release, communication, or work
product document prepared by a government entity.
(b) No government entity may:
(1) Use the term "West Bank" to refer to Judea and
Samaria in any official government material; or
(2) Use state funds to create an official government
material that refers to Judea and Samaria as "West Bank."
(c) The executive head of a government entity may waive
the prohibition provided in subsection (b) if he or she does
both of the following:
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both of the following:
(1) Determines that it is in the interests of the state
to waive the prohibition.
(2) No later than 30 days after the date on which he or
she determines it is in the interests of the state to waive
the prohibition, submits a written explanation of the waiver
to:
a. The Legislature, if the Legislature is in session;
or
b. The Legislative Council, if the Legislature is not
in session.
Section 3. This act shall become effective on October
1, 2026.
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