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Alabama ยท Legislation

HB 265 (2026)

Unlawful use of DNA

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Status
Died
Effective date
Not stated
Last reviewed
September 2, 2026
Source review
Primary source reviewed

Summary

Alabama HB 265 did not become law. It would have created first-, second-, and third-degree offenses for intentionally collecting, retaining, testing, disclosing, selling, or transferring another person's DNA sample or genetic data without express consent in specified circumstances.

Topics: Privacy

What it requires or prohibits

The bill would have assigned different criminal penalties to unauthorized DNA sale or transfer, genetic testing or disclosure, and collection or retention. It would have used definitions from Alabama's Genetic Data Privacy Act.

In plain language

The proposal would have criminalized several intentional uses of another person's DNA without permission. Because it died, the proposed offenses and penalties never took effect.

Related records

Primary sources

Record details

Record metadata
Jurisdiction
Alabama
Record type
Legislation
Session
2026 Regular Session
Introduced
January 15, 2026
Last legislative action
February 5, 2026
Last reviewed
September 2, 2026
Record version
1.1
Source review
Primary source reviewed
Permanent URL
https://whoownsyourdna.org/records/al-hb-265-2026/
Record history
  1. January 15, 2026: Bill introduced and referred to the House Judiciary Committee. Source: Alabama Legislature.
  2. February 5, 2026: Bill read a second time and placed on the House calendar. Source: Alabama Legislature.
  3. April 9, 2026: Bill died when the 2026 regular session adjourned without final passage. Source: Alabama Legislature.
  4. August 31, 2026: Record created from the introduced bill and legislative history.
  5. September 2, 2026: Project-authored analysis revised after primary-source review.
Technical metadata

Record ID: al-hb-265-2026

Topics: privacy

Record data file: data/states/alabama/al-hb-265-2026.yaml

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Who Owns Your DNA? HB 265 (2026): Unlawful use of DNA. U.S. Genetics & Genomics Law and Policy Tracker. Record version 1.1. Accessed [date]. https://whoownsyourdna.org/records/al-hb-265-2026/

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