Campaign finance; require preservation of campaign records for specified period of time

Elections

Enacted

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

Sponsor: Figures
Last action: 2026-04-17
Official status: Enacted
Effective date: 2026-10-01

Plain English Breakdown

The official source does not provide details on enforcement mechanisms or consequences for early record destruction.

Campaign Finance; Record Preservation

This law allows certain political groups to destroy their campaign records after four years.

What This Bill Does

Adds a new section to the Alabama Code that permits political action committees, principal campaign committees, and other persons required to file reports or statements under the Fair Campaign Practices Act to destroy any record, account, report, or statement required by this act, as well as all relevant records thereto, after four years.

Who It Names or Affects

Political action committees
Principal campaign committees
Other people required to file reports or statements

Terms To Know

Fair Campaign Practices Act: A law that sets rules for how campaigns should be run and reported.
Principal campaign committee: The main group responsible for managing a candidate's campaign finances.

Limits and Unknowns

Does not specify what happens if records are destroyed before the four-year period.
Does not explain how compliance with this law will be enforced.

Amendments

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

EJK7UCC-1

R 224 • Givhan

Adopted

Plain English: EJK7UCC-1 : 2/3/2026 : CMH 1ST GIVHAN AMENDMENT TO SB166 OFFERED BY SENATOR GIVHAN Page 1 Replace line 28 on page 1 with the following: to the Code of Alabama 1975, to allow persons that are Replace line 30 on page 2 with the following: Campaign Practices Act to destroy records after a Replace lines 38 through 40 on page 2 with the following: statement under this chapter may destroy any records after the expiration of four years.

EJK7UCC-1 : 2/3/2026 : CMH 1ST GIVHAN AMENDMENT TO SB166 OFFERED BY SENATOR GIVHAN Page 1 Replace line 28 on page 1 with the following: to the Code of Alabama 1975, to allow persons that are Replace line 30 on page 2 with the following: Campaign Practices Act to destroy records after a Replace lines 38 through 40 on page 2 with the following: statement under this chapter may destroy any records after the expiration of four years.
For Replace lines 44 through 45 on page 2 with the following: relevant to the report or statement.
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This amendment summary is using official source text because generated interpretation was skipped for this run.

Bill History

2026-04-17 Senate
Enacted
2026-04-08 Senate
Delivered to Governor
2026-04-08 House
Signature Requested
2026-04-08 Senate
Delivered to Governor
2026-04-08 Senate
Enrolled
2026-04-08 Senate
Ready to Enroll
2026-04-07 House
Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass - Adopted Roll Call 1233 (Yeas 105, Nays 0)
2026-04-07 House
Third Reading in Second House (Yeas 105, Nays 0)
2026-02-19 House
Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar
2026-02-18 House
Reported Out of Committee Second House
2026-02-03 Senate
Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass as Amended - Adopted Roll Call 225 (Yeas 34, Nays 0)
2026-02-03 Senate
Givhan motion to Adopt - Adopted Roll Call 224 (Yeas 33, Nays 0)
2026-02-03 Senate
Third Reading in House of Origin (Yeas 33, Nays 0)
2026-02-03 House
Pending Committee Action in Second House
2026-02-03 House
Read for the first time and referred to the House Committee on Constitution, Campaigns and Elections
2026-02-03 Senate
Engrossed
2026-02-03 Senate
Givhan 1st Amendment Offered
2026-01-29 Senate
Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar
2026-01-28 Senate
Reported Out of Committee House of Origin
2026-01-14 Senate
Pending Committee Action in House of Origin
2026-01-14 Senate
Read for the first time and referred to the Senate Committee on Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development

Official Summary Text

This act adds Section 17-5-6.1 to the Code of Alabama 1975, to authorize political action committees, principal campaign committees, and other persons required to file reports or statements under the Fair Campaign Practices Act to destroy any record, account, report, or statement required under the act, and all relevant records thereto, after four years.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

SB166 ENROLLED
Page 0
SB166
YMVMV6N-3
By Senators Figures, Coleman, Stewart, Kelley,
Coleman-Madison, Smitherman, Sessions, Chesteen, Kitchens,
Williams, Melson, Hatcher
RFD: Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development
First Read: 14-Jan-26
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SB166 Enrolled
Page 1
First Read: 14-Jan-26
Enrolled, An Act,
Relating to campaign finance; to add Section 17-5-6.1
to the Code of Alabama 1975, to allow persons that are
required to file any report or statement under the Fair
Campaign Practices Act to destroy records after a period of
four years.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
Section 1. Section 17-5-6.1 is added to the Code of
Alabama 1975, to read as follows:
§17-5-6.1
Each political action committee, principal campaign
committee, or other person required to file any report or
statement under this chapter may destroy any records after the
expiration of four years. For purposes of this section,
records include: (i) any record or account required under this
chapter; and (ii) a copy of each report or statement filed
under this chapter and all records relevant to the report or
statement.
Section 2. This act shall become effective on October
1, 2026.
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SB166 Enrolled
Page 2
1, 2026.
________________________________________________
President and Presiding Officer of the Senate
________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Representatives
SB166
Senate 03-Feb-26
I hereby certify that the within Act originated in and passed
the Senate, as amended.
Patrick Harris,
Secretary.
House of Representatives
Passed: 07-Apr-26
By: Senator Figures
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