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SB194 • 2026

Ethics, eliminate certain notification requirement for candidates to Ethics Commission when otherwise in compliance with law

Ethics, eliminate certain notification requirement for candidates to Ethics Commission when otherwise in compliance with law

Elections
Enacted

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

Sponsor
Givhan
Last action
2026-04-16
Official status
Enacted
Effective date
2026-04-15

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide information on how the commission will verify compliance without notification from candidates.

Ethics Law Change for Candidates

This law changes the rules so that candidates who have already filed a statement about their financial interests do not need to tell the State Ethics Commission.

What This Bill Does

  • Removes the requirement for candidates to notify the State Ethics Commission if they have already submitted a statement of economic interests before qualifying as a candidate.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Candidates running for any level of government in Alabama.

Terms To Know

Statement of economic interests
A document that lists a candidate's financial information, such as assets and income.
State Ethics Commission
The agency responsible for enforcing ethics laws in Alabama.

Limits and Unknowns

  • Does not specify the exact penalties or consequences if candidates do not comply with filing requirements.
  • Effective immediately upon enactment on April 15, 2026.

Amendments

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

L522MYW-1

R 393 • Givhan

Adopted

Plain English: L522MYW-1 : 1/26/2026 : PMG 1ST FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AMENDMENT TO SB194 OFFERED BY SENATOR GIVHAN Page 1 Replace line 59 on page 3 with the following: section.

  • L522MYW-1 : 1/26/2026 : PMG 1ST FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AMENDMENT TO SB194 OFFERED BY SENATOR GIVHAN Page 1 Replace line 59 on page 3 with the following: section.
  • If the commission's notification indicates the candidate has not complied with this section, the election official shall immediately notify the candidate, and the candidate shall have five additional days to provide evidence to the election official that the candidate has filed a statement of economic interests in compliance with this section.
  • 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
  • This amendment summary is using official source text because generated interpretation was skipped for this run.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-16 Senate

    Enacted

  2. 2026-04-07 House

    Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass - Adopted Roll Call 1217 (Yeas 105, Nays 0)

  3. 2026-04-07 House

    Third Reading in Second House (Yeas 105, Nays 0)

  4. 2026-04-07 House

    Signature Requested

  5. 2026-04-07 Senate

    Delivered to Governor

  6. 2026-04-07 Senate

    Enrolled

  7. 2026-04-07 Senate

    Ready to Enroll

  8. 2026-03-11 House

    Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar

  9. 2026-03-11 House

    Reported Out of Committee Second House

  10. 2026-02-12 Senate

    Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass as Amended - Adopted Roll Call 394 (Yeas 30, Nays 0)

  11. 2026-02-12 Senate

    Givhan motion to Adopt - Adopted Roll Call 393 (Yeas 30, Nays 0)

  12. 2026-02-12 Senate

    Third Reading in House of Origin (Yeas 30, Nays 0)

  13. 2026-02-12 House

    Pending Committee Action in Second House

  14. 2026-02-12 House

    Read for the first time and referred to the House Committee on Ethics and Campaign Finance

  15. 2026-02-12 Senate

    Engrossed

  16. 2026-02-12 Senate

    Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development 1st Amendment Offered

  17. 2026-02-05 Senate

    Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar

  18. 2026-02-04 Senate

    Reported Out of Committee House of Origin

  19. 2026-02-04 Senate

    Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development 1st Amendment

  20. 2026-01-21 Senate

    Pending Committee Action in House of Origin

  21. 2026-01-21 Senate

    Read for the first time and referred to the Senate Committee on Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development

Official Summary Text

This act amends Section 36-25-15, Code of Alabama 1975, to: (1) eliminate the requirement that a candidate who has filed a statement of economic interests before qualifying must notify the State Ethics Commission of this fact; and (2) provide a candidate five additional days to file a statement of economic interests upon notification from the commission that the candidate has not met the initial filing requirement.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
SB194 ENROLLED
Page 0
SB194
U9IMWXG-3
By Senator Givhan
RFD: Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development
First Read: 21-Jan-26
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SB194 Enrolled
Page 1
First Read: 21-Jan-26
Enrolled, An Act,
Relating to ethics, to amend Section 36-25-15, Code of
Alabama 1975, to eliminate a requirement that a candidate who
has already filed a statement of economic interests notify the
State Ethics Commission of this fact.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
Section 1. Section 36-25-15, Code of Alabama 1975, as
last amended by Act 2025-282 of the 2025 Regular Session, is
amended to read as follows:
"§36-25-15
(a) Candidates at every level of government shall file
a completed statement of economic interests for the previous
calendar year with the State Ethics Commission: (i) not more
than five days after the deadline to file a declaration of
candidacy as provided in Section 17-13-5, or in the case of an
independent candidate, not more than five days after the date
of the first primary election; or (ii) for a candidate for
municipal office, not more than five days after the deadline
for the candidate to file his or her qualifying papers with
the appropriate election official. Nothing in this section
shall be deemed to require a second filing of the individual's
statement of economic interests if a current statement of
economic interests is on file with the commission. If a
candidate has already filed a current statement of economic
interests for a reason other than his or her candidacy, the
candidate, by the deadline provided by this subsection, shall
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SB194 Enrolled
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candidate, by the deadline provided by this subsection, shall
provide proof to the commission that a current statement has
already been submitted or file a new or amended statement.
(b) Each election official who receives a declaration
of candidacy or petition to appear on the ballot for election
from a candidate, within five days of the receipt, shall
notify the commission of the name of the candidate, as defined
in this chapter, and the date on which the individual became a
candidate. The commission, within five business days of the
filing deadline described in subsection (a), shall notify the
election official whether the candidate has complied with this
section. If the commission's notification indicates the
candidate has not complied with this section, the election
official shall immediately notify the candidate, and the
candidate shall have five additional days to provide evidence
to the election official that the candidate has filed a
statement of economic interests in compliance with this
section.
(c) Other provisions of the law notwithstanding, if a
candidate does not submit a statement of economic interests or
when applicable, an amended statement of economic interests in
accordance with the requirements of this chapter, the name of
the individual shall not appear on the ballot and the
candidate shall be deemed not qualified as a candidate in that
election. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the commission, for
good cause shown, may allow the candidate an additional five
days to file the statement of economic interests. If a
candidate is deemed not qualified, the appropriate election
official shall remove the name of the candidate from the
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SB194 Enrolled
Page 3
official shall remove the name of the candidate from the
ballot."
Section 2. This act shall become effective immediately.
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SB194 Enrolled
Page 4
Section 2. This act shall become effective immediately.
________________________________________________
President and Presiding Officer of the Senate
________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Representatives
SB194
Senate 12-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 Givhan
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