Allen Treadaway

Action: Treadaway sponsored HB29, which became law in 2023. It prohibits certain dangerous driving activities, including street racing, donuts, burnouts, and stunt events for spectators. The law covers public roads and parking areas, as well as other property used without the owner's consent.

Who may be affected: Drivers, spectators, nearby residents, and other road users may be affected. Penalties increase for repeat offenses and when driving causes property damage, injury, or death.

Supporters say: Sen. Rodger Smitherman, who presented the bill in the Senate, cited deaths and injuries at Birmingham driving events. He said residents were asking for safety rather than a party-political response. The Senate passed the bill unanimously.

Details: A first violation is a misdemeanor. Causing serious injury or death can lead to a felony charge and a longer loss of driving privileges. A separate 2023 law on vehicle seizure was sponsored by Rep. Juandalynn Givan, not Treadaway.

Final law text: HB29
Alabama Reflector: Senate vote and safety concerns
CBS 42: two separate driving laws

Action: Treadaway presented SB143 in the House; Sen. Will Barfoot sponsored it. It became law and took effect September 1, 2023. It increases sentences when a member commits a felony to benefit a "criminal enterprise," meaning a group of at least three people engaged in a pattern of crime.

Who may be affected: Crime victims, defendants, young people, and communities may be affected by longer sentences and how group membership is established. The law also adds firearm penalties and requires people age 16 or older to be tried as adults for covered violations.

Supporters say: Treadaway and Attorney General Steve Marshall said the law gives prosecutors more tools against organized criminal activity. Some Democratic lawmakers supported the revised bill after changes to its wording and penalties.

Critics say: Rep. Patrick Sellers raised concerns that clothing, hand signs, tattoos, and associations could be used to target people unfairly. He also called for more prevention, mental-health care, and rehabilitation rather than relying on longer sentences.

Details: The law uses at least three listed criteria to identify a member. Longer felony sentences require proof beyond a reasonable doubt that the charged crime was committed to benefit the criminal enterprise. A tattoo or association alone does not establish that requirement.

Final law text: SB143
Attorney General's office: enactment and start date
Alabama Reflector: revised bill, supporters, and critics

Action: Treadaway sponsored the House proposal on retail theft and helped advance the enacted Senate version, SB206, sponsored by Sen. Clyde Chambliss. The Retail Theft Crime Prevention Act took effect September 1, 2023. It created retail-theft offenses and an organized-retail-theft offense.

Who may be affected: Store owners, employees, customers, and people accused of theft may be affected by prosecution and penalties. The law covers conduct such as intentionally taking merchandise without paying, changing price tags, or deliberately not scanning items at checkout.

Supporters say: The Alabama Retail Association argued that theft raises business costs and can threaten stores' ability to stay open. It supported stronger penalties and tools for pursuing organized theft.

Critics say: During debate on Treadaway's earlier House proposal, Reps. Matt Simpson and Chris England questioned whether small thefts involving two people could bring overly severe felony penalties. Their comments concerned the earlier HB288 proposal; SB206 was the bill that became law.

Details: The final law defines several kinds of coordinated theft and allows the value of multiple thefts to be combined over time. Organized retail theft is a felony. Ordinary retail-theft penalties depend on value and prior convictions. The final law is linked below so readers can distinguish it from the earlier proposal.

Final law text: SB206
Alabama Retail Association: law, Treadaway's role, and supporters' views
Alabama Reflector: concerns about the earlier House proposal

Action: Treadaway sponsored HB224 in 2025. It did not become law; the House indefinitely postponed it on May 6. The revised proposal addressed people who remained within 25 feet after an instruction to leave or stay back and interfered with or threatened a first responder.

Who may be affected: Police, firefighters, paramedics, bystanders, reporters, and people observing or recording emergency responses could have been affected by the distance rule and its enforcement.

Supporters say: Treadaway and police representatives said first responders need room to work without people blocking emergency care or disrupting arrests.

Critics say: Free-speech advocates warned that the original wording could restrict criticism of police and the ability to observe or record officials. After revisions, lawmakers still questioned how the public would know where the 25-foot boundary was.

What changed: Treadaway reduced the proposed distance from 100 feet to 25 feet and removed language about abusive comments and gestures. The committee approved the revised proposal, but it did not pass the Legislature.

HB224: bill history and postponement
Alabama Reflector: original proposal and free-speech concerns
Alabama Reflector: changes and remaining concerns