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SB59 • 2026

Higher education, to require public colleges and universities to submit annual report on the amount of state and federal funds received and expended, and plans for operating if federal or state funding reduced

Higher education, to require public colleges and universities to submit annual report on the amount of state and federal funds received and expended, and plans for operating if federal or state funding reduced

Budget Education
Enacted

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

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

Plain English Breakdown

The bill does not specify consequences for non-compliance with reporting requirements, leaving this as an open question.

Higher Education Reporting Requirements

This act requires public colleges and universities in Alabama to report annually on state and federal funds received and spent, along with plans for operating if there is a five percent or twenty percent reduction in funding.

What This Bill Does

  • Removes reporting requirements of the Alabama Community College System regarding federal funds from state agency reports.
  • Requires public higher education institutions to submit annual reports detailing their state and federal fund receipts and expenditures.
  • Includes a plan in these reports on how institutions will operate if there is a five percent or twenty percent reduction in funding.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Public colleges and universities in Alabama
  • The Executive Budget Office

Terms To Know

Federal receipts
Money received from federal entities like grants, loans, or direct appropriations.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify the consequences if institutions do not comply with reporting requirements.
  • It only applies to public higher education institutions, excluding private colleges or universities.

Amendments

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

6YEESZ1-1

R 248 • Orr

Adopted

Plain English: 6YEESZ1-1 : 1/26/2026 : KHF 1ST FINANCE AND TAXATION EDUCATION AMENDMENT TO SB59 OFFERED BY SENATOR ORR Page 1 Replace lines 126 through 129 on page 5 with the following: (3) STATE RECEIPTS.

  • 6YEESZ1-1 : 1/26/2026 : KHF 1ST FINANCE AND TAXATION EDUCATION AMENDMENT TO SB59 OFFERED BY SENATOR ORR Page 1 Replace lines 126 through 129 on page 5 with the following: (3) STATE RECEIPTS.
  • State financial assistance received Replace line 136 on page 5 with the following: provide an annual report to the Executive Budget Office, on or before October 31, that Replace line 140 on page 5 with the following: preceding fiscal year separately listed by source and certified by the institution as being accurate based on the most recently available information.
  • Replace lines 158 through 161 on page 6 with the following: (5) The Alabama Community College System shall include Replace line 164 on page 6 with the following: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 6YEESZ1-1 : 1/26/2026 : KHF 1ST FINANCE AND TAXATION EDUCATION AMENDMENT TO SB59 OFFERED BY SENATOR ORR Page 2 Replace line 164 on page 6 with the following: (c)(1) The Executive Budget Office shall prepare a25
  • This amendment summary is using official source text because generated interpretation was skipped for this run.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-17 Senate

    Enacted

  2. 2026-04-09 House

    Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass - Adopted Roll Call 1351 (Yeas 104, Nays 0)

  3. 2026-04-09 Senate

    Delivered to Governor

  4. 2026-04-09 House

    Signature Requested

  5. 2026-04-09 Senate

    Enrolled

  6. 2026-04-09 Senate

    Ready to Enroll

  7. 2026-04-01 House

    Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar

  8. 2026-04-01 House

    Reported Out of Committee Second House

  9. 2026-02-05 Senate

    Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass as Amended - Adopted Roll Call 249 (Yeas 34, Nays 0)

  10. 2026-02-05 Senate

    Orr motion to Adopt - Adopted Roll Call 248 (Yeas 34, Nays 0)

  11. 2026-02-05 Senate

    Third Reading in House of Origin (Yeas 33, Nays 0)

  12. 2026-02-05 House

    Pending Committee Action in Second House

  13. 2026-02-05 House

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

  14. 2026-02-05 Senate

    Engrossed

  15. 2026-02-05 Senate

    Finance and Taxation Education 1st Amendment Offered

  16. 2026-01-29 Senate

    Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar

  17. 2026-01-28 Senate

    Reported Out of Committee House of Origin

  18. 2026-01-28 Senate

    Finance and Taxation Education 1st Amendment

  19. 2026-01-13 Senate

    Pending Committee Action in House of Origin

  20. 2026-01-13 Senate

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

Official Summary Text

This act amends Section 41-4-97, Code of Alabama 1975, to remove reporting requirements of the Alabama Community College System for state agency reports regarding federal funds received. This act adds Section 41-4-98 to the Code of Alabama 1975, to: (1) require public institutions of higher education, including community and technical colleges of the Alabama Community College System, to annually report to the Executive Budget Office the state and federal funds received and expended, the amount of state and federal funds previously appropriated to the institution, what percentage of the institution's budget is comprised of these funds, and a plan for operating the institution if state or federal funding is reduced by five percent or 20 percent; and (2) require the office to compile and compare all information received and submit it to the Legislature for consideration during its budget hearings.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
SB59 ENROLLED
Page 0
SB59
JPE26FF-3
By Senator Orr
RFD: Finance and Taxation Education
First Read: 13-Jan-26
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SB59 Enrolled
Page 1
First Read: 13-Jan-26
Enrolled, An Act,
Regarding higher education; to amend Section 41-4-97,
Code of Alabama 1975, to remove the Alabama Community College
System from federal fund reporting requirements; to make
nonsubstantive, technical revisions to update existing code
language to current style; and to add a new Section 41-4-98 to
the Code of Alabama 1975, to require each public institution
of higher education in the state to submit an annual report
regarding state and federal fund receipts and expenditures,
including plans for operating the institution if state or
federal funding is reduced.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
Section 1. Section 41-4-97, Code of Alabama 1975, is
hereby amended as follows:
"§41-4-97
(a) For the purposes of this section, the following
terms shall have the following meanings:
(1) FEDERAL RECEIPTS. Federal financial assistance
received or administered from federal entities in the form of
grants, loans, loan guarantees, property, cooperative
agreements, interest subsidies, insurance, food commodities,
direct appropriations, other assistance, and amounts received
as reimbursement for services rendered to individuals, that is
reported as part of a single audit.
(2) SINGLE AUDIT. An audit, as described under 31
U.S.C. § 7502(d), of a non-federal nonfederal entity that
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SB59 Enrolled
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U.S.C. § 7502(d), of a non-federal nonfederal entity that
includes the entity's financial statements and federal awards.
(3) STATE AGENCY. An agency, department, authority,
bureau, commission, or other administrative office of the
state, including the legislative and judicial branches of
state government. This term does not include a professional
licensing board of the state.
(b) A state agency shall prepare an annual report on or
before October 31, that includes all of the following:
(1) The aggregate value of federal receipts the state
agency received and expended for the preceding fiscal year.
(2) The aggregate amount of federal funds appropriated
by the Legislature to the state agency for the preceding
fiscal year.
(3) A calculation of the percentage of the state
agency's total budget for the preceding fiscal year that
constitutes federal receipts that the state agency received
for that fiscal year.
(4) A plan for operating the state agency if either of
the following occurs:
a. A reduction of 5five percent or more in the federal
receipts that the state agency receives.
b. A reduction of 25 percent or more in the federal
receipts that the state agency receives.
(c) The state agency shall provide the report required
under subsection (b) to the Executive Budget Office by October
31.
(d)(1) The Department of Education shall include
information for each public school district in the report
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SB59 Enrolled
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information for each public school district in the report
required under subsection (a).
(2) The Alabama Community College System shall include
information for each public community or technical college or
other school or university under its supervision.
(e)(1) The Executive Budget Office, on or before
January 1 of each year, shall prepare a report that includes
the following:
a. A compilation and summary of the reports the office
receives from each state agency.
b. A comparison of the aggregate value of federal
receipts each state agency received for the previous fiscal
year to the aggregate amount of federal funds appropriated by
the Legislature to that state agency for that fiscal year.
c. A list of state agencies that did not submit a
report as required by this subsection.
(2) The Executive Budget Office shall submit the report
required under subdivision (1) to the Legislative Council by
January 1.
(3) Upon receipt of the report, the Legislative Council
shall place the report on the agenda for review and
consideration. Upon consideration of the report, the committee
may elect to do any of the following:
a. Recommend that the Legislature revise appropriations
for a state agency.
b. Take no action.
c. Take any other action upon majority approval of the
committee members."
Section 2. A new Section 41-4-98 is added to the Code
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Section 2. A new Section 41-4-98 is added to the Code
of Alabama 1975, as follows:
§41-4-98
(a) For the purposes of this section, the following
terms have the following meanings:
(1) FEDERAL RECEIPTS. Federal financial assistance
received or administered from federal entities in the form of
grants, loans, loan guarantees, property, cooperative
agreements, interest subsidies, insurance, food commodities,
direct appropriations, other assistance, and amounts received
as reimbursement for services rendered to individuals, that is
reported as part of a single audit.
(2) PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION. Those
public educational institutions in Alabama which have been
authorized by the Legislature or by the constitution to
provide formal education, including vocational, technical,
collegiate, professional, or any other form of education,
above the secondary school level.
(3) STATE RECEIPTS. State financial assistance received
from direct appropriations, or other assistance, from the
Education Trust Fund, the Education Trust Fund Advancement and
Technology Fund, Educational Opportunities Reserve Fund, or
from other state sources. The term does not include tuition
revenues or other self-generated funds.
(b) Each public institution of higher education shall
provide an annual report to the Executive Budget Office, on or
before October 31, that includes all of the following:
(1) The amount of state and federal funds received and
expended by the public institution of higher education for the
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SB59 Enrolled
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expended by the public institution of higher education for the
preceding fiscal year separately listed by source and
certified by the institution as being accurate based on the
most recently available information.
(2) The amount of state and federal funds appropriated
by the Legislature to the public institution of higher
education for the preceding fiscal year separately listed by
source.
(3) A calculation of the percentage of the public
institution of higher education's total budget for the
preceding fiscal year that constitutes state and federal
receipts that the public institution of higher education
received for that fiscal year.
(4) A plan for operating the public institution of
higher education if either of the following occurs:
a. A reduction of 5 percent or more in the state or
federal receipts that the public institution of higher
education receives.
b. A reduction of 20 percent or more in the state or
federal receipts that the public institution of higher
education receives.
(5) The Alabama Community College System shall include
information for each public community or technical college or
other school or university under its supervision.
(c)(1) The Executive Budget Office shall prepare a
report that includes the following:
a. A compilation and summary of the reports the office
receives from each public institution of higher education.
b. A comparison of the aggregate value of state and
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SB59 Enrolled
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b. A comparison of the aggregate value of state and
federal receipts each public institution of higher education
received for the previous fiscal year to the aggregate amount
of state and federal funds appropriated by the Legislature to
that public institution of higher education for that fiscal
year.
c. A list of public institutions of higher education
that did not submit a report as required by this subsection.
(2) The Executive Budget Office shall submit the report
required under subdivision (1) to the Legislature by January
1.
(3) The House Ways and Means Education Committee and
the Senate Finance and Taxation Education Committee, referred
to in this subsection as committees, shall conduct hearings on
the report every even-numbered year as part of their budget
hearings. The committees shall utilize the information in the
report when considering revised appropriation levels for the
public institutions of higher education.
Section 3. This act shall become effective on October
1, 2026.
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SB59 Enrolled
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1, 2026.
________________________________________________
President and Presiding Officer of the Senate
________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Representatives
SB59
Senate 05-Feb-26
I hereby certify that the within Act originated in and passed
the Senate, as amended.
Patrick Harris,
Secretary.
House of Representatives
Passed: 09-Apr-26
By: Senator Orr
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