---
type: "Bill"
title: "Relating to public K-12 schools; to add Section 16-39-13 to the Code of Alabama 1975; to require local boards of education to install, maintain, and operate video cameras in certain self-contained classrooms providing special education services, if the funding to do so is available; and to provide protections for the use of video recordings."
description: "Education, use of video cameras in certain special education classrooms required"
jurisdiction: "us/states/al"
legislature: "Alabama Legislature"
session: "2023rs"
identifier: "SB 56"
citation: "Alabama SB 56 (2023rs)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Education"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Arthur Orr"]
version_count: 8
action_count: 24
vote_count: 5
first_action: "2023-03-07T05:00:00+00:00"
last_action: "2023-06-14T13:30:00+00:00"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/1f4d69a9-814b-4cb1-81ce-7b7e8f766654"
source_url: "https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/bill-search"
source_hash: "7c9494047572e540b76c3e932734c836729755190021d4a06cdf4194d581cb8b"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-al"]
---

# Alabama SB 56 (2023rs) — Relating to public K-12 schools; to add Section 16-39-13 to the Code of Alabama 1975; to require local boards of education to install, maintain, and operate video cameras in certain self-contained classrooms providing special education services, if the funding to do so is available; and to provide protections for the use of video recordings.

Education, use of video cameras in certain special education classrooms required

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://www.legislature.state.al.us/pdf/SearchableInstruments/2023RS/SB56-int.pdf)
2. **Act 2023-527** (committee substitute) — [source](http://arc-sos.state.al.us/ucp/L1286197.AI1.pdf)
3. **Amendment E0ZX99-1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.legislature.state.al.us/pdf/SearchableInstruments/2023RS/E0ZX99-1.pdf)
4. **Amendment NN0CT8-1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.legislature.state.al.us/pdf/SearchableInstruments/2023RS/NN0CT8-1.pdf)
5. **Amendment XVCT7E-1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.legislature.state.al.us/pdf/SearchableInstruments/2023RS/XVCT7E-1.pdf)
6. **Education Policy Amendment 1GJ93Z-1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.legislature.state.al.us/pdf/SearchableInstruments/2023RS/1GJ93Z-1.pdf)
7. **Engrossed** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.legislature.state.al.us/pdf/SearchableInstruments/2023RS/SB56-eng.pdf)
8. **Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://www.legislature.state.al.us/pdf/SearchableInstruments/2023RS/SB56-enr.pdf)

## Votes

- Roll of the S for Vote 48 on SB56 (2023 Regular Session) — **31–0** (pass) · upper
- Roll of the S for Vote 50 on SB56 (2023 Regular Session) — **30–1** (pass) · upper
- Roll of the S for Vote 49 on SB56 (2023 Regular Session) — **30–1** (pass) · upper
- Roll of the H for Vote 1091 on SB56 (2023 Regular Session) — **101–0** (pass) · lower
- Roll of the H for Vote 1092 on SB56 (2023 Regular Session) — **103–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Arthur Orr — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2023-06-01T04:00:00+00:00** Enrolled
- **2023-06-01T04:00:00+00:00** Concur In and Adopt
- **2023-05-31T04:00:00+00:00** Read a Third Time and Pass as Amended `passage`
- **2023-05-31T04:00:00+00:00** Adopt
- **2023-05-31T04:00:00+00:00** Carry Over to the Call of the Chair
- **2023-05-31T04:00:00+00:00** On Third Reading in Second House
- **2023-04-19T04:00:00+00:00** Read Second Time in Second House
- **2023-04-19T04:00:00+00:00** Reported Out of Committee in Second House
- **2023-04-19T04:00:00+00:00** Reported Favorably (Education Policy) `committee-passage`
- **2023-04-19T04:00:00+00:00** AMD/SUB (Education Policy)
- **2023-04-04T04:00:00+00:00** Referred to Committee (Education Policy) `referral-committee`
- **2023-04-04T04:00:00+00:00** Read First Time in Second House `reading-1`
- **2023-04-04T04:00:00+00:00** AMD/SUB (Education Policy)
- **2023-03-23T04:00:00+00:00** Read A Third Time And Passed As Amended
- **2023-03-23T04:00:00+00:00** Adopt
- **2023-03-23T04:00:00+00:00** Adopt
- **2023-03-23T04:00:00+00:00** Adopt
- **2023-03-23T04:00:00+00:00** On Third Reading in House of Origin
- **2023-03-21T04:00:00+00:00** Read Second Time in House of Origin
- **2023-03-21T04:00:00+00:00** Reported Out of Committee in House of Origin
- **2023-03-21T04:00:00+00:00** Reported Favorably (Education Policy) `committee-passage`
- **2023-03-07T05:00:00+00:00** Introduced and Referred (Education Policy) `introduction, referral`
- **2023-03-07T05:00:00+00:00** Read First Time in House of Origin `reading-1`
- **2023-06-14T13:30:00+00:00** Enacted as 2023-527 `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/1f4d69a9-814b-4cb1-81ce-7b7e8f766654`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Alabama legislature records).