The Alabama Military Stability Commission pursued a wide-ranging and successful Military Bills Package in the 2025 Legislative Session, continuing to strengthen and expand support for military families, service members, and Veterans moving to and living in Alabama. 

The package consisted of 12 bills that were sponsored by a variety of Legislators from communities across the state. The full slate was approved and becomes effective on 1 July.

Lieutenant Governor Will Ainsworth, Chairman of the Commission, recently stated that “Passing these bills creates jobs, grows our economy, and protects Alabama’s military bases, but, more importantly, it fulfills what I believe is a moral obligation to support Soldiers and service members of the past, present, and future.”

A few of this year’s items directly support military spouses and families. The most impactful for those moving into Alabama with school-aged children was the Immunization Bill (ACT #2025-47). By statute, students in kindergarten through 12th grade are required “to present a certification of immunization or testing, commonly known as a Blue Card,” when enrolling in any public or private school in the State of Alabama. However, this causes unnecessary duplication of records for military dependents who already have an official immunization record. It is also an extra “to do” item that is multiplied with each child and would be completed each time a family moves back to Alabama on orders. Duplicating the official immunization records requires extra time and effort during an already stressful life change that military families experience every 1-3 years. Alleviating this task is very impactful for many of our military families.

This year’s Immunization Bill sought to remove that task for military families moving to Alabama on PCS (permanent change of station) orders, whether their children are attending public or private schools. Its successful passage is a great example of how Alabama supports its military families.

By interacting directly with military spouses, service members, and Veterans, we utilize “boots-on-the-ground” input to inform the Commission and Lieutenant Governor of items that would help military families feel welcome and heard in Alabama. In this case, the issue was discussed during an in-person meeting with a military spouse. Heather Campbell had just finished getting records duplicated for each of her three children during the third of three moves in three years – Alaska to Virginia to Alabama, after already having gone through the records transfer in a previous move to Alabama. Reflecting on the successful passage of the Immunization Bill, Mrs. Campbell stated “Streamlining the school registration process for military families by allowing them to use their existing immunization records will help ease the transition by taking one thing off the never-ending PCS to-do list. This no-nonsense legislation is how Alabama is showing the difference between being ‘military friendly’ and ‘military welcoming.’” 

Other military family related bills included Alabama joining two more Interstate Licensure Compacts that ease the transfer of industry-specific licenses for military spouses. This year’s additions were the Respiratory Care Interstate Compact and the School Psychology Interstate Compact.

Purple Star Schools, a program of the Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE) that supports military-connected students, was officially expanded to include private schools.

The full list of new laws passed as part of the 2025 Military Bills Package is as follows:

SB70, sponsored by Senator Andrew Jones and carried by Representative Ed Oliver in the House, establishes the Alabama Veterans Resource Center to assist military members entering the private sector with employment services, benefits navigation, education opportunities, and mental health services. 

SB200, sponsored by Senator Andrew Jones and carried by Representative Chad Robertson in the House, expands the use of Veterans Treatment Courts across the state and incorporates Veterans Treatment Courts into a newly established statewide Accountability Court system. 

SB59, sponsored by Senator Donnie Chesteen and carried by Representatives Patrice McClammy and Kenneth Paschal in the House, allows military families to use existing military medical records to certify age-appropriate vaccinations when enrolling their children in school. 

SB91, sponsored by Senator Keith Kelley and carried by Representative Jerry Starnes in the House, updates the Military Planning Act to further prevent the construction of tall structures near military installations and provides clarification for the approval of construction of tall structures by local governing authorities. 

SB206, sponsored by Senator Josh Carnley and carried by Representative Kenneth Paschal in the House, adopts federal standards to prevent predatory practices by private entities assisting Veterans to obtain their benefits and applies Alabama consumer protection penalties to those who violate federal protections. 

HJR22, sponsored by Representative Ben Harrison, updates the military friendly designation program known as the Purple Star Schools Program, to allow private schools to participate in the program. 

SB181, sponsored by Senator Keith Kelley and carried by Representative Kenyatte Hassell in the House, enrolls the state of Alabama in the Respiratory Care Interstate Compact to assist with military spouse occupational license reciprocity. 

SB61, Sponsored by Senator Nick Hatcher and carried by Representative Mark Gidley in the House, enrolls Alabama in the School Psychology Interstate Compact to assist with military spouse occupational license reciprocity. 

SB104, sponsored by Senator Robert Stewart and carried by Representative Parker Moore in the House, updates the membership of the Alabama Military Stability Commission. 

HRJ66, sponsored by Representative Ed Oliver, expresses the support of the Alabama Legislature for the basing of the KC-46A aircraft at the 117th Air Refueling Wing in Birmingham, AL. 

SB179, sponsored by Senator Sam Givhan and carried by Representative Cynthia Almond in the House, makes updates to the Alabama Code of Military Justice at the request of the Alabama National Guard. 

SB198, sponsored by Senator Sam Givhan and carried by Representative Cynthia Almond in the House, clarifies the ability of Judge Advocate Generals to provide legal services to a range of National Guard, civilian, and prior service personnel at the Request of the Alabama National Guard.