In one paragraph
Alabama's SB 97 would create the Alabama Health Command, an independent agency under a director appointed by the Governor, to designate an Alabama-headquartered business to develop a uniform virtual AI-assisted health platform for rural communities. The platform would give consumers health management services such as education, scheduling and navigation to rural providers, without diagnosis or treatment. Rural providers that contract to use it would be exempt from competitive bid laws. Referred to Senate Healthcare on January 13, 2026; the bill died when the 2026 regular session ended without final passage.
Plain-English summary, written with AI assistance. The official text controls.
What it means for business
None: the bill did not pass and is not law. Had it passed, it would have affected rural hospitals and clinics and one designated Alabama AI health platform developer.
Key provisions
- Would create the Alabama Health Command as an independent agency under a director appointed by and serving at the pleasure of the Governor
- Would require it to designate an in-state business to develop a uniform, interoperable virtual AI-assisted health platform capable of using a patented avatar-based virtual encounter system
- Would limit the platform to health management services (education, scheduling, navigation, referral, follow-up) and exclude diagnosis, treatment or prescribing
- Would require standards on patient data privacy and sharing, algorithm transparency, guardrails against misinformation, and against services that amount to practicing a licensed health profession
- Would exempt rural health care providers and state health institutions that contract to use the platform from Article 5 of Chapter 4 and Chapter 16 of Title 41 (competitive bid laws)
- Not enacted: the bill's proposed effective date was October 1, 2026, but it stayed in Senate Healthcare after first reading
Latest legislative action
Jan 13, 2026. Pending Senate Healthcare; died when the Alabama Legislature's 2026 regular session ended April 9, 2026
Sponsors (showing 5 of 10)
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Allen (G) | Primary |
| Barfoot | Primary |
| Chambliss | Primary |
| Dial | Primary |
| Holtzclaw | Primary |
Topics and industries
Related topics
Affected industries
This page is general information, not legal advice. Summaries are AI-assisted and may contain errors; read the statute for the controlling text and talk to a lawyer about your situation. Full disclaimer · Report an error