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House approves dozens of bills on wide-ranging calendar; key measures include parking, braiding and pilot enforcement program
Summary
The Alabama House passed a large bundle of bills during a long floor session, including a new disabled-parking enforcement measure, an exemption for natural hair braiders, and a pilot program for automated work-zone speed enforcement. Several other education, tax and appropriations measures were concurred with Senate changes.
The Alabama House of Representatives voted on a broad set of bills on the special order calendar, approving measures on disabled-parking enforcement, natural-hair braiding licensure, education and a one-time pilot for automated work-zone speed enforcement.
The session recorded final passage for multiple bills that had been debated on the floor earlier in the day. Notable outcomes included passage of SB94 (changed rules for handicap placard use), SB183 (exemption for natural hair braiding from cosmetology licensure), and SB341 (a pilot program to test automated speed enforcement in construction zones). The House also adopted or concurred in Senate changes to many budget and policy bills and assigned conference committees where the chambers disagreed.
Why this matters: lawmakers said the measures address distinct problems—SB94 to reduce placard abuse and reserve spaces for eligible disabled drivers; SB183 to open a path for cultural small-business owners to operate legally without costly full cosmetology hours; and SB341 to attempt to reduce construction-zone fatalities through technology where trooper presence is limited.
Votes at a glance (selected items recorded on the floor): - SB94 (disabled-parking): adopted and passed on the floor (recorded on the House floor as 82 yays, 1 nay). The measure requires that a handicap placard holder either be driving the vehicle or be in the vehicle when parked in designated spaces and adds electronic scanning (QR/barcode) for placard validation in future implementation. - SB183 (natural hair braiding): passed as substituted (House recorded vote reported on the floor as 91 yays, 2 nays). The law removes braiding and similar natural hairstyling from mandatory cosmetology licensure and leaves health/sanitation and business licensing requirements intact. - SB341 (work-zone automated enforcement pilot): advanced and passed as amended after lengthy debate and amendments about appeal and administrative procedures; the pilot permits photo-based notices tied to vehicle registration with an administrative appeal process.
Other items: the House also moved and concurred with Senate changes on a wide range of bills—education appropriations, tax and licensing bills, and several smaller policy measures. Where the House and Senate did not agree, the House named conferees and sent bills to conference committees.
What’s next: measures that passed move to enrollment and enrollment to the governor where required; some items containing disagreements were sent to conference committees. Several of the bills carry implementation instructions (for example, the QR code system for placards and administrative rules for an automated enforcement pilot) that will require work by state agencies.
