Code of Alabama - Title 36: Public Officers and Employees - Chapter 25 - Code of Ethics for Public Officials, Employees, Etc

• Section 36-25-1 Definitions
  Whenever used in this chapter, the following words and terms shall have the following meanings: (1) BUSINESS. Any corporation, partnership, proprietorship, firm, enterprise, franchise, association,...
• Section 36-25-1.1 Lobbying
  Lobbying includes promoting or attempting to influence the awarding of a grant or contract with any department or agency of the executive, legislative, or judicial...
• Section 36-25-1.2 (Repealed by Act 2018–541, §3(e), effective April 1, 2019) Economic development professionals
  (a) Notwithstanding any provision of law, including, but not limited to, this chapter, a person acting as an economic development professional is not a lobbyist,...
• Section 36-25-1.3 Economic development professionals
  (a) Notwithstanding any provision of law, including, but not limited to, this chapter, an individual acting as an economic development professional is not a lobbyist,...
• Section 36-25-2 Legislative findings and declarations; purpose of chapter
  (a) The Legislature hereby finds and declares: (1) It is essential to the proper operation of democratic government that public officials be independent and impartial....
• Section 36-25-3 State Ethics Commission - Creation, composition; annual reports; compensation; political activities; director; personnel
  (a) There is hereby created a State Ethics Commission composed of five members, each of whom shall be a fair, equitable citizen of this state...
• Section 36-25-4 State Ethics Commission - Duties; complaint; investigation; hearings; fees; finding of violation
  (a) The commission shall do all of the following: (1) Prescribe forms for statements required to be filed by this chapter and make the forms...
• Section 36-25-4.1 State Ethics Commission - Public access to complaint, investigation, and disposition
  Notwithstanding any other law, regulation, or rule, no complaints shall be made available to the public or available on the Internet until the disposition of...
• Section 36-25-4.2 State Ethics Commission - State Ethics Law training programs
  (a) At the beginning of each legislative quadrennium, the State Ethics Commission shall provide for and administer training programs on the State Ethics Law for...
• Section 36-25-4.3 Ethics Commission - Electronic database filing and access
  (a) The commission, by April 1, 2012, shall implement and maintain each of the following: (1) A system for electronic filing of all statements, reports,...
• Section 36-25-5 Use of official position or office for personal gain
  (a) No public official or public employee shall use or cause to be used his or her official position or office to obtain personal gain...
• Section 36-25-5.1 Limitation on actions of lobbyists, subordinates of lobbyists, and principals
  (a) No lobbyist, subordinate of a lobbyist, or principal shall offer or provide a thing of value to a public employee or public official or...
• Section 36-25-5.2 Public disclosure of information regarding officials, candidates, or spouses employed by or contracting with the state or federal government
  (a) For purposes of this section, the term state shall include the State of Alabama and any of its agencies, departments, political subdivisions, counties, colleges...
• Section 36-25-6 Use of contributions
  Contributions to an office holder, a candidate, or to a public official's inaugural or transitional fund shall not be converted to personal use.
• Section 36-25-7 Offering, soliciting, or receiving anything for purpose of influencing official action; money solicited or received in addition to that received in official capacity
  (a) No person shall offer or give to a public official or public employee or a member of the household of a public employee or...
• Section 36-25-8 Use or disclosure of confidential information for private financial gain
  No public official, public employee, former public official or former public employee, for a period consistent with the statute of limitations as contained in this...
• Section 36-25-9 Service on regulatory boards and commissions regulating business with which person associated; members who have financial interest in matter prohibited from voting
  (a) Unless expressly provided otherwise by law, no person shall serve as a member or employee of a state, county, or municipal regulatory board or...
• Section 36-25-10 Representation of client or constituent before board, regulatory body, department, etc
  If a public official or public employee, or family member of the public employee or family member of the public official, or a business with...
• Section 36-25-11 Public officials or employees entering into contracts which are to be paid out of government funds
  Unless exempt pursuant to Alabama competitive bid laws or otherwise permitted by law, no public official or public employee, or a member of the household...
• Section 36-25-12 Offering, soliciting, etc., thing of value to or by member of regulatory body
  No person shall offer or give to a member or employee of a governmental agency, board, or commission that regulates a business with which the...
• Section 36-25-13 Actions of former public officials or public employees prohibited for two years after departure
  (a) No public official shall serve for a fee as a lobbyist or otherwise represent clients, including his or her employer before the board, agency,...
• Section 36-25-14 Filing of statement of economic interests
  (a) A statement of economic interests shall be completed and filed in accordance with this chapter with the commission no later than April 30 of...
• Section 36-25-15 Candidates required to file statements of economic interests; notification requirements; failure to submit statement
  (a) Candidates at every level of government shall file a completed statement of economic interests for the previous calendar year with the State Ethics Commission...
• Section 36-25-16 Reports by persons who are related to public officials or public employees and who represent persons before regulatory body or contract with state
  (a) When any citizen of the state or business with which he or she is associated represents for a fee any person before a regulatory...
• Section 36-25-17 Reports of violations; cooperation of agency heads
  (a) Every governmental agency head shall within 10 days file reports with the commission on any matters that come to his or her attention in...
• Section 36-25-18 Registration of lobbyists required; filing of supplemental registration
  (a) Every lobbyist shall register by filing a form prescribed by the commission no later than January 31 of each year or within 10 days...
• Section 36-25-19 Registered lobbyists and other persons required to file quarterly reports
  (a) Every person registered as a lobbyist pursuant to Section 36-25-18 and every principal employing any lobbyist shall file with the commission a report provided...
• Section 36-25-20 Filing of notice of termination of lobbying activities; effect of notice as to requirement for filing of reports
  (a) A person who ceases to engage in activities requiring registration pursuant to Section 36-25-18 shall file a written, verified statement with the commission acknowledging...
• Section 36-25-21 Reports constitute public records; reports available for public inspection
  All reports filed pursuant to Sections 36-25-18 to 36-25-20, inclusive, are public records and shall be made available for public inspection during regular business hours.
• Section 36-25-22 Sections 36-25-18 to 36-25-21 not to be construed as affecting certain professional services
  Sections 36-25-18 to 36-25-21, inclusive, shall not be construed as affecting professional services in drafting bills or in advising clients and in rendering opinions as...
• Section 36-25-23 Lobbying activities prohibited during elected term of office; floor privileges of former members of Legislature; solicitation of lobbyists by public officials or employees; contracts to provide lobbying services contingent upon legislative action
  (a) No public official elected to a term of office shall serve for a fee as a lobbyist or otherwise represent a client, including his...
• Section 36-25-24 Supervisor prohibited from discharging or discriminating against employee where employee reports violation
  (a) A supervisor shall not discharge, demote, transfer, or otherwise discriminate against a public employee regarding such employee's compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment...
• Section 36-25-26 False reporting for purpose of influencing legislation
  No person, for the purpose of influencing legislation, may do either of the following: (1) Knowingly or willfully make any false statement or misrepresentation of...
• Section 36-25-27 Penalties; enforcement; jurisdiction, venue, judicial review; limitations period
  (a)(1) Except as otherwise provided, any person subject to this chapter who intentionally violates any provision of this chapter other than those for which a...
• Section 36-25-28 Chapter not to deprive citizens of constitutional right to communicate with members of Legislature
  Nothing in this chapter shall be construed as to deprive any citizen, not lobbying, of the citizen's constitutional right to communicate with members of the
• Section 36-25-29 Appropriations
  (a) The Legislature shall appropriate such sums as it deems necessary to implement the provisions of and administer this chapter. (b) Notwithstanding any other provision...
• Section 36-25-30 Construction of chapter
  This chapter shall be construed in pari materia with other laws dealing with the subject of ethics.

Last modified: May 3, 2021