HB27 Summary

• Creates the Alabama State of Emergency Consumer Protection Act by adding Section 13A-9-111.1 to establish the crime of aggravated home repair fraud as a Class C felony.

• Defines aggravated home repair fraud to include misrepresenting material facts, making false promises, using deception or coercion, damaging property to solicit repair contracts, and impersonating government or utility employees during declared state of emergency events.

• Increases criminal penalties for unlicensed home building, electrical contracting, certified contracting, and plumbing/gas fitting work to Class C felony when committed during state of emergency declarations, up from Class A misdemeanor.

• Adds exception language to Sections 13A-9-114, 34-14A-14, 34-31-32, 34-36-16, and 34-37-17 to redirect certain occupational licensing violations during emergencies to the new aggravated home repair fraud statute.

• Becomes effective on the first day of the third month following passage and gubernatorial approval.