---
type: "Bill"
title: "Administrative rules; adopting environmental protection criteria stricter than federal requirements prohibited"
description: "Administrative Law and Procedures"
jurisdiction: "us/states/al"
legislature: "Alabama Legislature"
session: "2026rs"
identifier: "SB 71"
citation: "Alabama SB 71 (2026rs)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Administrative Law and Procedures"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Chesteen"]
version_count: 8
action_count: 33
vote_count: 0
first_action: "2026-01-13T05:00:00+00:00"
last_action: "2026-02-20T05:00:00+00:00"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/02b23c0d-de7f-46c6-a407-9417b8aa8d86"
source_url: "https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/bill-search"
source_hash: "85bac86e926cec4ce099421b6ffb212e2fa21cdff3c6d447193e4bcebefb25e1"
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 71 (2026rs) — Administrative rules; adopting environmental protection criteria stricter than federal requirements prohibited

Administrative Law and Procedures

## Version chain

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

1. **Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/files/pdf/SearchableInstruments/2026RS/SB71-int.pdf)
2. **Chesteen motion to Adopt - Adopted Roll Call 206** (committee substitute) — [source](https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/files/pdf/SearchableInstruments/2026RS/TBXN415-1.pdf)
3. **Coleman-Madison motion to Adopt - Lost Roll Call 207** (committee substitute) — [source](https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/files/pdf/SearchableInstruments/2026RS/U9HPTGX-1.pdf)
4. **Engrossed** (committee substitute) — [source](https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/files/pdf/SearchableInstruments/2026RS/SB71-eng.pdf)
5. **Stubbs motion to Table - Adopted Roll Call 443** (committee substitute) — [source](https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/files/pdf/SearchableInstruments/2026RS/L5NK7YA-1.pdf)
6. **Stubbs motion to Table - Adopted Roll Call 444** (committee substitute) — [source](https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/files/pdf/SearchableInstruments/2026RS/HG5ZL88-1.pdf)
7. **Stubbs motion to Table - Adopted Roll Call 445** (committee substitute) — [source](https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/files/pdf/SearchableInstruments/2026RS/HGVT266-1.pdf)
8. **Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/files/pdf/SearchableInstruments/2026RS/SB71-enr.pdf)

## Sponsors

- Chesteen — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2026-02-20T05:00:00+00:00** Enacted `became-law`
- **2026-02-19T05:00:00+00:00** Signature Requested
- **2026-02-19T05:00:00+00:00** Delivered to Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2026-02-18T05:00:00+00:00** Enrolled
- **2026-02-18T05:00:00+00:00** Ready to Enroll
- **2026-02-18T05:00:00+00:00** Ready to Enroll
- **2026-02-17T05:00:00+00:00** Wilcox intended to vote "Abstain"
- **2026-02-17T05:00:00+00:00** Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass - Adopted Roll Call 447 `passage`
- **2026-02-17T05:00:00+00:00** Brown motion to Previous Question - Adopted Roll Call 446
- **2026-02-17T05:00:00+00:00** Stubbs motion to Table - Adopted Roll Call 445
- **2026-02-17T05:00:00+00:00** Lands 1st Amendment Offered `amendment-introduction`
- **2026-02-17T05:00:00+00:00** Stubbs motion to Table - Adopted Roll Call 444
- **2026-02-17T05:00:00+00:00** Clarke 1st Amendment Offered `amendment-introduction`
- **2026-02-17T05:00:00+00:00** Stubbs motion to Table - Adopted Roll Call 443
- **2026-02-17T05:00:00+00:00** Jones 1st Amendment Offered `amendment-introduction`
- **2026-02-17T05:00:00+00:00** Third Reading in Second House
- **2026-02-05T05:00:00+00:00** Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar (Agriculture and Forestry)
- **2026-02-05T05:00:00+00:00** Reported Out of Committee Second House
- **2026-02-03T05:00:00+00:00** Pending Committee Action in Second House (Agriculture and Forestry)
- **2026-02-03T05:00:00+00:00** Read for the first time and referred to the House Committee on Agriculture and Forestry `reading-1, referral-committee`
- **2026-02-03T05:00:00+00:00** Engrossed
- **2026-02-03T05:00:00+00:00** Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass as Amended - Adopted Roll Call 229 `passage`
- **2026-02-03T05:00:00+00:00** Carried Over to the Call of the Chair
- **2026-02-03T05:00:00+00:00** Coleman-Madison motion to Adopt - Lost Roll Call 207
- **2026-02-03T05:00:00+00:00** Coleman-Madison 1st Amendment Offered `amendment-introduction`
- **2026-02-03T05:00:00+00:00** Chesteen motion to Adopt - Adopted Roll Call 206
- **2026-02-03T05:00:00+00:00** County and Municipal Government 1st Amendment Offered (County and Municipal Government) `amendment-introduction`
- **2026-02-03T05:00:00+00:00** Third Reading in House of Origin
- **2026-01-20T05:00:00+00:00** Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar (County and Municipal Government)
- **2026-01-20T05:00:00+00:00** Reported Out of Committee House of Origin
- **2026-01-20T05:00:00+00:00** County and Municipal Government 1st Amendment (County and Municipal Government)
- **2026-01-13T05:00:00+00:00** Pending Committee Action in House of Origin (County and Municipal Government)
- **2026-01-13T05:00:00+00:00** Read for the first time and referred to the Senate Committee on County and Municipal Government `reading-1, referral-committee`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/02b23c0d-de7f-46c6-a407-9417b8aa8d86`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Alabama legislature records).