Alabama · legislation
HB 265 (2026)
Unlawful use of DNA
DiedTopics: Genetic privacy · Consent · Data sharing · Data sale · Law enforcement
Related records
- Reintroduction of the 2025 proposal: HB 449 (2025), Unlawful use of DNA
Summary
Alabama HB 265 renewed a proposal to create first-, second-, and third-degree offenses for specified intentional collection, retention, testing, disclosure, sale, or transfer of another person's DNA sample or genetic data without express consent.
What the law or policy does
The bill would have assigned different criminal penalties to unauthorized DNA sale or transfer, genetic testing or disclosure, and specified collection or retention. It used definitions from Alabama's Genetic Data Privacy Act and included stated exceptions.
What this means
This 2026 proposal revisited the criminal DNA-use protections considered in 2025. It reached the House calendar but did not receive a House floor vote and did not become law.
Primary sources
- HB 265 introduced bill. Alabama Legislature. Accessed August 31, 2026.
Record details
Record history
- January 15, 2026: Bill introduced and referred to the House Judiciary Committee. Source: Alabama Legislature.
- February 5, 2026: Bill read a second time and placed on the House calendar. Source: Alabama Legislature.
- April 9, 2026: Bill died when the 2026 regular session adjourned without final passage. Source: Alabama Legislature.
- August 31, 2026: Record created from the introduced bill and legislative history. Source: Project review.
Technical metadata
Record ID: al-hb-265-2026
Topics: genetic-privacy, consent, data-sharing, data-sale, law-enforcement
Canonical source file: data/states/alabama/al-hb-265-2026.yaml
Cite this record
Who Owns Your DNA? HB 265 (2026): Unlawful use of DNA. U.S. Genetics & Genomics Law and Policy Tracker. Record version 1.0. Accessed [date].