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-SB317 INTRODUCED
-Page 0
-SB317
-I3SJ866-1
-By Senators Orr, Albritton
-RFD: Finance and Taxation Education
-First Read: 19-Feb-26
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-I3SJ866-1 02/18/2026 KHF (F)KHF 2026-685
+FN-I3IIP6Z-3
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-First Read: 19-Feb-26
-SYNOPSIS:
-This bill would recreate the Alabama Commission
-on the Evaluation of Services as a legislative
-department and substantially revise provisions
-governing the operation of the commission.
-This bill would provide for the appointment of
-the director of the commission and revise and clarify
-certain duties of the commission.
-This bill would also establish the Legislative
-Committee on the Evaluation of Services to supervise
-and control the commission.
-A BILL
-TO BE ENTITLED
-AN ACT
-Regarding the Alabama Commission on the Evaluation of
-Services; to add Chapter 2B to Title 29, Code of Alabama 1975,
-to recreate the commission as a legislative department; to
-substantially revise the provisions governing the operation of
-the commission; to provide for the appointment of a director;
-to revise and clarify duties of the commission; to create the
-Legislative Committee on the Evaluation of Services; to repeal
-Chapter 2A, Title 29, Code of Alabama 1975, the existing law
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-SB317 INTRODUCED
+FISCAL NOTE
+Senate Bill 317
+Committee: State Government Sponsor: Senator Arthur Orr
+Analyst: Hunter Lapp Date: 03/11/2026
+Senate Bill 317 as reported by the Committee on State Government would establish the
+Alabama Commission on the Evaluation of Services (ACES) as a legislative department to
+advise the Legislature regarding the evaluation of services funded by the state. This bill would
+increase the administrative obligations of ACES by requiring ACES to: (1) develop and publish
+on the ACES' website evaluation standards to be used in the performance of evaluation services;
+(2) review, approve and publish on ACES' website plans and reports submitted by state agencies
+for each new program major expansion of existing programs identified that is receiving an
+appropriation; (3) conduct preliminary studies of proposed or existing polices or programs and
+publish and report these studies pursuant to the provisions of this bill; and (4) adopt rules
+necessary to implement the provisions of this chapter.
+In addition, this bill would establish the 12 member continuing Legislative Committee on
+Evaluation Services to exercise supervision and control over the actions of ACES and would
+require the Committee to meet semiannually, which would increase the obligations of the
+Legislature to reimburse legislative members of the commission for expenses incurred for travel
+on official business, by an estimated $350 per person, per meeting attended.
+This bill would also establish the Alabama Commission on the Evaluation of Services Fund in
+the State Treasury, which may be funded through appropriations from the Legislature or through
+the ability to apply for and receive grants from other sources. The FY 2027 Education Trust
+Fund appropriation bill recommended by the Governor would appropriate $944,100, to ACES.
+Additionally, this bill would increase the administrative obligations of: (1) the Legislative
+Services Agency to annually identify each new program or major expansion of an existing
+program receiving an appropriation and notify the respective agency and ACES of the program;
+and (2) the various state agencies with new programs or major expansions of existing programs
+FN-I3IIP6Z-3
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-Chapter 2A, Title 29, Code of Alabama 1975, the existing law
-governing the commission; and to provide an effective date.
-BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
-Section 1.  Chapter 2B is added to Title 29, Code of
-Alabama 1975, to read as follows:
-Chapter 2B. Alabama Commission on the Evaluation of
-Services.
-§29-2B-1
-There is created the Alabama Commission on the
-Evaluation of Services, which shall be a legislative
-department, for the purpose of advising the Legislature
-regarding the evaluation of services funded by the state.
-§29-2B-2
-(a) The affairs of the commission shall be administered
-by the director, whose actions shall be supervised and
-controlled by the Legislative Committee on the Evaluation of
-Services. The director shall be selected and appointed by the
-committee and shall receive compensation and benefits in an
-amount established by the committee, payable in the same
-manner as is provided for other state employees.
- (b) A vacancy in the office of director arising from
-any cause shall be filled by the committee. The committee may
-appoint a highly qualified person as its director to a
-nonmerit, conditional appointment. The director, with the
-consent and approval of the committee, shall select and
-supervise professional and clerical staff upon a full-time or
-part-time basis as necessary to assist the committee and the
-director in performing the duties assigned by this chapter.
-The director, without regard to the state Merit System Act,
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-The director, without regard to the state Merit System Act,
-may hire employees as necessary to effectuate the purposes of
-this chapter. The number of employees, their compensation, and
-other expenditures of the committee shall be within the limits
-and in compliance with the appropriation made therefor by the
-Legislature and within budgets that shall be approved from
-time to time by the commission.
-§29-2B-3
-(a) There is hereby established the Alabama Commission
-on the Evaluation of Services Fund in the State Treasury for
-the deposit of all funds received by the commission.
-(b) The commission may receive state appropriations and
-apply for and receive grant funds from other sources
-including, but not limited to, foundations, governmental
-entities, federal grants, and businesses. No public monies
-shall be expended by the director for any purpose unless the
-monies have been appropriated by the Legislature to the
-commission. Any monies appropriated shall be budgeted and
-allotted pursuant to the Budget Management Act in accordance
-with Article 4 of Chapter 4 of Title 41, and only in the
-amounts provided by the Legislature in the general
-appropriations act or other appropriation acts.
-§29-2B-4
-(a) Any department, agency, institution, and
-establishment of the executive branch of government and
-regulatory agency or regulatory commission of the state,
-excluding entities that do not receive a direct appropriation
-from the State General Fund or the Education Trust Fund, shall
-furnish to the commission any available material, subject to
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-furnish to the commission any available material, subject to
-the restrictions and limitations of federal law or regulations
-limiting the sharing of personally identifying information,
-which the commission determines to be necessary in the
-performance of the duties and functions of the commission.
-(b) Any collection of data by a department, agency,
-institution, establishment, or regulatory agency or regulatory
-commission of the state, excluding entities that do not
-receive a direct appropriation from the State General Fund or
-the Education Trust Fund, shall be furnished to the
-commission, if available, upon request by the director or an
-employee of the commission.
- (c) The commission may take application for and award
-grant funds to any department, agency, institution,
-establishment, or regulatory agency or regulatory commission
-to further the purposes, policies, recommendations, and
-objectives of the commission subject to the availability of
-funding.
-§29-2B-5
-For purposes of this chapter, the following terms have
-the following meanings:
-(1) AGENCY. Any department, board, commission, office,
-institution, or other unit of state government that receives
-appropriations from the state.
-(2) CAUSAL IMPACT EVALUATION. A rigorous evaluation
-that uses experimental or quasi-experimental methods to
-determine whether a program caused observed outcomes,
-isolating the program's effects from other factors.
-(3) EVALUATION PLAN. A written document that describes
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-(3) EVALUATION PLAN. A written document that describes
-how an agency will assess a program's implementation, outputs,
-and outcomes, including the data sources, indicators, and
-methods to be used.
-(4) LOGIC MODEL. A visual or narrative representation
-that shows the logical relationships between a program's
-resources, activities, outputs, and intended outcomes.
-(5) MAJOR EXPANSION. An increase in a program's
-appropriation of 25 percent or more compared to the prior
-fiscal year, or an expansion that significantly changes the
-program's target population, service delivery method, or
-geographic scope.
-(6) NEW PROGRAM. A program that receives an
-appropriation for the first time and that is not a
-continuation or modification of an existing program under a
-different name or organizational structure.
-(7) PRELIMINARY STUDY. An evaluation or examination of
-a proposed or existing policy or program conducted before or
-during legislative consideration, designed to inform
-legislative decisions about program design, feasibility, or
-resource requirements.
-(8) PRIORITY EVALUATION QUESTION. A significant
-question about a program's implementation, effectiveness, or
-outcomes that an agency or the commission identifies as
-warranting systematic evaluation.
-§29-2B-6
-The Alabama Commission on the Evaluation of Services
-shall develop and publish on its website the evaluation
-standards used in the performance of evaluations of services.
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-standards used in the performance of evaluations of services.
-§29-2B-7
-(a) Each year, within 30 days of the conclusion of the
-regular session of the Legislature, or any special session
-where an appropriations act is enacted, the Legislative
-Services Agency shall identify each new program or major
-expansion of an existing program for which an agency received
-an appropriation and notify the agency and the Alabama
-Commission on the Evaluation of Services of the programs
-subject to the provisions of this chapter.
-(b) Each agency shall prepare an evaluation plan for
-each new program and each major expansion of an existing
-program that is enacted in an appropriations act, as follows:
-(1) The evaluation plan shall, at a minimum, describe
-the program's objectives, target population, key activities,
-expected inputs, outputs, intended outcomes, and benchmarks
-for intended outcomes. These variables shall be incorporated
-into a logic model in the plan.
-(2) The evaluation plan shall identify the indicators
-the agency will use to track inputs, outputs, and key
-outcomes; and for each, describe the data sources and explain
-how the measures will be calculated for each indicator.
-(3) The evaluation plan shall classify the planned
-level of evaluation (for example, monitoring, outcome
-evaluation, or causal impact evaluation) consistent with the
-typology in the standards issued under Section 29-2B-6.
-(4) For programs meeting criteria established in
-guidance under Section 29-2B-6, the evaluation plan shall
-include a proposal for a causal impact evaluation or a
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-include a proposal for a causal impact evaluation or a
-justification for why such an evaluation is not feasible or
-appropriate.
-(5) Evaluation plans shall be submitted to the Alabama
-Commission on the Evaluation of Services for approval and
-publication on its website, per the standards and guidance
-issued under Section 29-2B-6, before data is analyzed.
-§29-2B-8
-(a) For each program subject to this chapter, the
-agency shall prepare and submit evaluation reports to the
-Alabama Commission on the Evaluation of Services on a schedule
-specified in the standards issued under Section 29-2B-6, which
-shall include at a minimum:
-(1) A description of the program as implemented,
-including any material deviations from the original evaluation
-plan;
-(2) Results on the agreed-upon input, output, and
-outcome indicators, including baseline values and trends over
-time;
-(3) For programs with a causal impact evaluation, a
-summary of the evaluation design, key findings, and
-limitations; and
-(4) The agency's interpretation of the findings and
-planned actions in response (for example, continuation,
-expansion, modification, or termination).
-(b) The Alabama Commission on the Evaluation of
-Services shall publish submitted evaluation reports on its
-website.
-§29-2B-9
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-§29-2B-9
-The Legislature, by language in an appropriations act
-or other act, may require an evaluation of a specific program
-or line item. Such a provision may:
-(1) Specify that no more than a stated percentage of
-funds may be expended until the agency has submitted an
-evaluation plan meeting the standards of this chapter;
-(2) Require that an evaluation report be submitted by a
-certain date and that continuation, renewal, or expansion of
-funding in a subsequent fiscal year shall consider the
-findings; or
-(3) Identify any additional or different indicators or
-evaluation questions that are particularly important for the
-program in question.
-§29-2B-10
-(a) The Legislature, by request of the Joint
-Legislative Committee on Finances and Budget or by language in
-an appropriations act or other act, may direct the Alabama
-Commission on the Evaluation of Services to conduct a
-preliminary study of proposed or existing policies or
-programs.
-(b) Any action directing a preliminary study shall
-specify:
-(1) The policy or program to be examined; and
-(2) The questions or issues the study should address.
-(c) The Alabama Commission on the Evaluation of
-Services shall coordinate with the respective agencies or
-entities impacted by the study to:
-(1) Confirm the scope and objectives of the study;
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-(1) Confirm the scope and objectives of the study;
-(2) Establish a timeline for completion based on study
-complexity and available resources;
-(3) Identify necessary resources, including estimated
-costs and staffing needs; and
-(4) Determine the content and format of the final
-report.
-(d) If the Alabama Commission on the Evaluation of
-Services determines that completing a preliminary study as
-specified would require resources or time periods that exceed
-available capacity of the commission or agency, the commission
-may propose to the Legislature modifications to the study
-scope, timeline, or resource allocation.
-(e) Preliminary studies may examine:
-(1) The feasibility of proposed programs or policies;
-(2) Estimated costs and potential fiscal impacts;
-(3) Experiences with similar programs in other
-jurisdictions;
-(4) Available data and evidence related to the policy
-area;
-(5) Evaluation design options if the policy or program
-is enacted; or
-(6) Expected implementation challenges and resource
-requirements.
-(f) Each preliminary study report shall include:
-(1) A description of the policy or program examined;
-(2) The study methodology and data sources used;
-(3) Key findings addressing the questions specified in
-the directing act;
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-the directing act;
-(4) Limitations of the analysis; and
-(5) Implications for policy design or implementation,
-if applicable.
-(g) Upon completion, the Alabama Commission on the
-Evaluation of Services shall publish the preliminary study
-report on the agency's website and submit the report to the
-Senate Finance and Taxation Committees, the House Ways and
-Means Committees, the Legislative Committee on the Evaluation
-of Services, and the Legislative Fiscal Officer.
-§29-2B-11
-The commission shall adopt rules necessary to implement
-this chapter pursuant to the Alabama Administrative Procedure
-Act, Chapter 22 of Title 41.
-§29-2B-12
-(a) There is hereby created a continuing legislative
-committee to be known as the Legislative Committee on the
-Evaluation of Services to exercise general supervision and
-control over the actions of the Alabama Commission on the
-Evaluation of Services.
-(b) The committee shall be led by the Chair of the
-Senate Finance and Taxation General Fund Committee, the Chair
-of the House Ways and Means General Fund Committee, the Chair
-of the Senate Finance and Taxation Education Committee, and
-the Chair of the House Ways and Means Education Committee who
-shall alternate as the chair of the committee each year.
-(c) The Alabama Legislative Committee on the Evaluation
-of Services shall have 12 members. The membership of the
-committee shall include the following:
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-committee shall include the following:
-(1) The Chair and Vice-chair of the Senate Finance and
-Taxation Education Committee.
-(2) The Chair and Vice-chair of the Senate Finance and
-Taxation General Fund Committee.
-(3) The Chair and Vice-chair of the House Ways and
-Means Education Committee.
-(4) The Chair and Vice-chair of the House Ways and
-Means General Fund Committee.
-(5) One member of the Senate, appointed by the
-President Pro Tempore of the Senate.
-(6) One member of the House of Representatives,
-appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
-(7) One member of the Senate, appointed by the Minority
-Leader of the Senate.
-(8) One member of the House of Representatives,
-appointed by the Minority Leader of the House of
-Representatives.
-(d) The committee shall meet at the call of the chair
-or any two members, provided that the committee shall meet at
-least once every six months. A majority of the members of the
-committee shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of
-business at meetings. Members of the committee shall be
-entitled to their regular legislative compensation, per diem,
-and travel expenses each day they attend a meeting of the
-commission in accordance with Section 49 of the Constitution
-of Alabama of 2022. These payments shall be paid out of any
-funds appropriated for the use of the Legislature by means of
-warrants drawn by the Comptroller on the State Treasury.
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-warrants drawn by the Comptroller on the State Treasury.
-(e) Members of the committee may participate in a
-meeting of the committee by means of telephone conference,
-video conference, or similar communications equipment by means
-of which all persons participating in the meeting may hear
-each other at the same time. Participation by such means shall
-constitute presence in person at a meeting for all purposes.
-Section 2.  (a) Chapter 2A of Title 29, Code of Alabama
-1975, related to the Alabama Commission on the Evaluation of
-Services, is repealed.
-(b) Any reference in any law to the Alabama Commission
-on the Evaluation of Services under Chapter 2A of Title 29,
-Code of Alabama 1975, shall be deemed a reference to the
-Alabama Commission on the Evaluation of Services created by
-Section 1.
-Section 3.  This act shall become effective on January
-1, 2027.
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+and (2) the various state agencies with new programs or major expansions of existing programs
+to prepare and submit to ACES on a scheduled basis or specific programs or line items as
+requested by the Legislature.