Back to Alabama

SB149 • 2026

Teacher certification; Military Veteran Temporary Teaching Certificate established

Teacher certification; Military Veteran Temporary Teaching Certificate established

Education Healthcare
Enacted

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

Sponsor
Woods
Last action
2026-03-03
Official status
Enacted
Effective date
2026-10-01

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details on additional requirements needed to obtain a professional teaching certificate after the temporary one expires.

Military Veteran Temporary Teaching Certificate

This act creates a one-time Military Veteran Temporary Teaching Certificate for veterans who meet certain requirements, allowing them to teach in fields that usually require a bachelor's degree.

What This Bill Does

  • Creates the Military Veteran Temporary Teaching Certificate for teaching positions requiring a bachelor’s degree.
  • Requires applicants to have served at least 48 months of active duty with an honorable discharge or medical separation.
  • Requires applicants to complete 60 college credits and pass a Praxis content test.
  • Requires local school administrators to recommend veterans for certification.
  • Mandates that certified veterans receive mentoring from the employing superintendent for two years.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Veterans who meet the specified requirements can apply for temporary teaching certificates.
  • Local superintendents and private K-12 school administrators must recommend eligible veterans for certification.
  • The State Board of Education is responsible for implementing this program.

Terms To Know

Military Veteran Temporary Teaching Certificate
A one-time certificate allowing military veterans to teach in positions that usually require a bachelor's degree, valid for five years.
Praxis content test
An exam assessing the knowledge and skills required for teaching specific subjects.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The certificate is only available once per veteran.
  • Veterans must complete additional requirements to receive a professional teaching certificate after their temporary certificate expires.
  • Local boards of education that participate in the Alabama Teacher Mentor Program are required to assign mentors to certified veterans.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

W1NQH9E-1

R 132 • Woods

Adopted

Plain English: W1NQH9E-1 : 1/21/2026 : OW 1ST WOODS AMENDMENT TO SB149 OFFERED BY SENATOR WOODS Page 1 Replace line 67 on page 3 with the following: (d) Time served as a teacher pursuant to a temporary certificate under this section shall not be counted in determining continued service status.

  • W1NQH9E-1 : 1/21/2026 : OW 1ST WOODS AMENDMENT TO SB149 OFFERED BY SENATOR WOODS Page 1 Replace line 67 on page 3 with the following: (d) Time served as a teacher pursuant to a temporary certificate under this section shall not be counted in determining continued service status.
  • (e) Individuals who receive a temporary certificate under this section shall not be available to receive an emergency certificate pursuant to Section 16-23-3(f).
  • (f) When notifying the individual of his or her Replace line 72 on page 3 with the following: (g) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules to 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
  • This amendment summary is using official source text because generated interpretation was skipped for this run.

Bill History

  1. 2026-03-03 Senate

    Enacted

  2. 2026-02-25 Senate

    Delivered to Governor

  3. 2026-02-25 House

    Signature Requested

  4. 2026-02-25 Senate

    Enrolled

  5. 2026-02-25 Senate

    Ready to Enroll

  6. 2026-02-25 Senate

    Ready to Enroll

  7. 2026-02-24 House

    Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass - Adopted Roll Call 543 (Yeas 103, Nays 1)

  8. 2026-02-24 House

    Third Reading in Second House (Yeas 103, Nays 0)

  9. 2026-02-05 House

    Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar

  10. 2026-02-04 House

    Reported Out of Committee Second House

  11. 2026-01-29 House

    Re-referred to Committee in Second House

  12. 2026-01-29 House

    Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar

  13. 2026-01-28 House

    Reported Out of Committee Second House

  14. 2026-01-22 Senate

    Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass as Amended - Adopted Roll Call 133 (Yeas 32, Nays 0)

  15. 2026-01-22 Senate

    Woods motion to Adopt - Adopted Roll Call 132 (Yeas 32, Nays 0)

  16. 2026-01-22 Senate

    Third Reading in House of Origin (Yeas 32, Nays 0)

  17. 2026-01-22 House

    Pending Committee Action in Second House

  18. 2026-01-22 House

    Read for the first time and referred to the House Committee on Education Policy

  19. 2026-01-22 Senate

    Engrossed

  20. 2026-01-22 Senate

    Woods 1st Amendment Offered

  21. 2026-01-21 Senate

    Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar

  22. 2026-01-21 Senate

    Reported Out of Committee House of Origin

  23. 2026-01-14 Senate

    Pending Committee Action in House of Origin

  24. 2026-01-14 Senate

    Read for the first time and referred to the Senate Committee on Education Policy

Official Summary Text

This act adds Section 16-23-3.2 to the Code of Alabama 1975, to: (1) require the State Board of Education to establish a one-time Military Veteran Temporary Teaching Certificate valid for five years for a teaching field otherwise requiring a bachelor's degree, subject to limitations; (2) provide criteria that veterans must satisfy to receive a certificate including serving a minimum length of time in the military, completing a minimum number of college credits, achieving a minimum Praxis content test score, receiving a recommendation from a public or private K-12 school administrator, and passing a criminal background check; and (3) require these veterans to be mentored for the initial two years of service.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
SB149 ENROLLED
Page 0
SB149
5VGB936-3
By Senators Woods, Williams, Figures, Coleman, Roberts, Bell,
Jones, Kitchens, Carnley, Weaver, Elliott, Allen, Hovey,
Kelley, Price, Orr, Barfoot, Albritton, Stutts
RFD: Education Policy
First Read: 14-Jan-26
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
SB149 Enrolled
Page 1
First Read: 14-Jan-26
Enrolled, An Act,
Relating to K-12 teacher certification; to add Section
16-23-3.2 to the Code of Alabama 1975; to establish the
Military Veteran Temporary Teaching Certificate, to authorize
the State Board of Education to grant temporary teaching
certificates to veterans who meet certain requirements for
providing instruction in certain teaching fields for which the
state board otherwise requires a bachelor's degree.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
Section 1. Section 16-23-3.2 is added to the Code of
Alabama 1975, to read as follows:
§16-23-3.2
(a) The State Board of Education shall establish a
Military Veteran Temporary Teaching Certificate. A Military
Veteran Temporary Teaching Certificate shall be available for
a teaching field for which the state board otherwise requires
a bachelor's degree. The department may issue a temporary
certificate pursuant to this section to any applicant who:
(1) Documents 48 months of active duty military service
with an honorable discharge or a medical separation;
(2) Submits to the state board the required application
forms and fees and satisfactorily completes a criminal history
background information check pursuant to the Alabama Child
Protection Act of 1999;
(3) Is recommended for certification by a local
superintendent of education or private K-12 school
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
SB149 Enrolled
Page 2
superintendent of education or private K-12 school
administrator; and
(4) Verifies compliance with all of the following
admission criteria:
a. Completion of 60 college credits with a minimum
cumulative grade point average of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale, as
evidenced by one or more accredited institutions of higher
education.
b. A passing score on the appropriate Praxis content
test of the Alabama Educator Certification Assessment Program
(AECAP).
c. Any other admission criteria established by the
State Board of Education.
(b) After receiving temporary certification, the
individual shall be assigned a mentor by the employing
superintendent for a minimum of two school years after
commencing employment, or participate in the Alabama Teacher
Mentor Program if hired by a local board of education that
participates in the program.
(c) A temporary certificate issued pursuant to this
section is valid for five school years, is limited to a
one-time issuance, and is nonrenewable.
(d) Time served as a teacher pursuant to a temporary
certificate under this section shall not be counted in
determining continued service status.
(e) Individuals who receive a temporary certificate
under this section shall not be available to receive an
emergency certificate pursuant to Section 16-23-3(f).
(f) When notifying the individual of his or her
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
SB149 Enrolled
Page 3
(f) When notifying the individual of his or her
temporary certificate approval, the department shall also
inform the individual of the certificate's expiration date and
provide a list of methods to complete the qualifications for a
professional certificate.
(g) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules to
implement this section.
Section 2. This act shall become effective on October
1, 2026.
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
SB149 Enrolled
Page 4
1, 2026.
________________________________________________
President and Presiding Officer of the Senate
________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Representatives
SB149
Senate 22-Jan-26
I hereby certify that the within Act originated in and passed
the Senate, as amended.
Patrick Harris,
Secretary.
House of Representatives
Passed: 24-Feb-26
By: Senator Woods
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97