Senator Donnie Chesteen (R)
Profile
Bio
Senator Donnie Chesteen was elected to the Alabama Senate on November 6, 2018. Served in the House from 2010 - 2018.
He is a graduate of Troy University and is currently head football coach and athletic director at Samson High School. He is a retired pharmaceutical sales representative for Bristol-Myers Squibb.
Senator Chesteen is a past member of the Geneva City Board of Education and served as chairman in 2005.
He currently serves on the Choctawhatchee, Pea and Yellow Rivers Watershed Management Authority, Alabama Farmers Federation, Alabama Cattlemen’s Association and is a past member of the Geneva Rotary Club.
Senator Chesteen is married to Stephanie Chesteen and they have two children; Roxanna and Christopher.
He is a member of First Baptist Church of Geneva.
| Committee | Position |
|---|---|
Education Policy | Chairperson |
Veterans, Military Affairs, and Public Safety | Vice Chairperson |
Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry | Member |
Finance and Taxation Education | Member |
Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development | Member |
Healthcare | Member |
Joint Transportation Committee | Member |
Permanent Joint Legislative Committee on Finances and Budget | Member |
| Legislation | Title | Status | Last Action | Last Action Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
SB212026 Regular Session | Offices of Governor; Lieutenant Governor; Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court; judge of the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals or Court of Criminal Appeals; judge of a circuit court or district court; member of the Legislature; Attorney General; State Auditor; Secretary of State; State Treasurer; Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries; member of the State Board of Education; and local sheriff, district attorney, circuit clerk, or constable required to be held by a natural born citizen of the United States, Constitutional Amendment | Pending Committee Action in House of Origin | Pending Committee Action in House of Origin | 1/23/2026 |
SB71 (c. HB162)2026 Regular Session | Administrative rules; adopting environmental protection criteria stricter than federal requirements prohibited | Enacted | Enacted | 2/20/2026 |
SB72 (c. HB125)2026 Regular Session | Alabama Commission on Higher Education, ReEngage Alabama Grant Program, minimum age of adult learner decreased, eligibility requirements revised | Read Second Time in Second House | Read for the Second Time and Placed on the Calendar | 2/19/2026 |
SB732026 Regular Session | Public K-12 schools; membership in athletic associations with boards of certain composition, that enforce certain rules, prohibited; Legislative Council authorization of entities' rulemaking, permitted | Pending Committee Action in House of Origin | Pending Committee Action in House of Origin | 1/13/2026 |
SB74 (c. HB124)2026 Regular Session | Alabama Math and Science Teacher Education Program (AMSTEP), renamed the Loan Assistance in Support of Educators in Alabama (LASEA) Program; providing loan assistance in acute educator shortage programs as determined by the Alabama Commission on Higher Education in consultation with the State Department of Education and the Alabama Commission on the Evaluation of Services | Read Second Time in Second House | Read for the Second Time and Placed on the Calendar | 2/19/2026 |
SB752026 Regular Session | Public works contracts; exemption established for purchases made through cooperative purchasing agreements, requirements for certain public contracts to comply with applicable state or local competitive bid laws provided | Pending Committee Action in Second House | Pending Committee Action in Second House | 3/19/2026 |
SB1682026 Regular Session | Public K-12 education; to prohibit the three-cueing system of reading instruction | Enacted | Enacted | 3/5/2026 |
SB350 (c. HB605)2026 Regular Session | State Health Planning and Development Agency; collaboration among rural health care providers authorized; certification and supervision framework established, limited immunity from state and federal antitrust laws provided | Indefinitely Postponed in House of Origin | Currently Indefinitely Postponed | 4/7/2026 |
SB3632026 Regular Session | Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs; Alabama Centralized Grant Management Database, established to maintain lists of available grants | Read Second Time in Second House | Read for the Second Time and Placed on the Calendar | 4/1/2026 |
SB59 (c. HB377)2025 Regular Session | Military medical records as evidence of immunization for school admittance | Enacted | Enacted | 3/19/2025 |
SB92 (c. HB166)2025 Regular Session | Public K-12 schools, cell phone policy and Internet/social media safety | Read Second Time in Second House | Read for the Second Time and Placed on the Calendar | 4/17/2025 |
SB952025 Regular Session | Alabama Municipal Electric Authority; director compensation revised | Enacted | Enacted | 4/22/2025 |
SB184 (c. HB288)2025 Regular Session | Alabama Commission on Higher Education; authorized to award loan assistance to athletic trainers under Alabama Math and Science Teacher Education Program | Indefinitely Postponed in House of Origin | Currently Indefinitely Postponed | 5/6/2025 |
SB215 (c. HB344)2025 Regular Session | Provisional release from educational intervention | Indefinitely Postponed in House of Origin | Currently Indefinitely Postponed | 5/6/2025 |
SB257 (c. HB461)2025 Regular Session | Alabama Educational Television Foundation Authority, authorized to secure additional funds | Indefinitely Postponed in House of Origin | Currently Indefinitely Postponed | 5/6/2025 |
SB212026 Regular Session
State & State Officers
Offices of Governor; Lieutenant Governor; Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court; judge of the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals or Court of Criminal Appeals; judge of a circuit court or district court; member of the Legislature; Attorney General; State Auditor; Secretary of State; State Treasurer; Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries; member of the State Board of Education; and local sheriff, district attorney, circuit clerk, or constable required to be held by a natural born citizen of the United States, Constitutional Amendment
Status: Pending Committee Action in House of Origin
Last Action: 1/23/2026 Pending Committee Action in House of Origin
SB712026 Regular Session
Administrative Law and Procedures
Administrative rules; adopting environmental protection criteria stricter than federal requirements prohibited
Status: Enacted
Last Action: 2/20/2026 Enacted
Companion: HB162 - Stubbs
SB722026 Regular Session
Education
Alabama Commission on Higher Education, ReEngage Alabama Grant Program, minimum age of adult learner decreased, eligibility requirements revised
Status: Read Second Time in Second House
Last Action: 2/19/2026 Read for the Second Time and Placed on the Calendar
Companion: HB125 - Collins
SB732026 Regular Session
Education
Public K-12 schools; membership in athletic associations with boards of certain composition, that enforce certain rules, prohibited; Legislative Council authorization of entities' rulemaking, permitted
Status: Pending Committee Action in House of Origin
Last Action: 1/13/2026 Pending Committee Action in House of Origin
SB742026 Regular Session
Education
Alabama Math and Science Teacher Education Program (AMSTEP), renamed the Loan Assistance in Support of Educators in Alabama (LASEA) Program; providing loan assistance in acute educator shortage programs as determined by the Alabama Commission on Higher Education in consultation with the State Department of Education and the Alabama Commission on the Evaluation of Services
Status: Read Second Time in Second House
Last Action: 2/19/2026 Read for the Second Time and Placed on the Calendar
Companion: HB124 - Collins
SB752026 Regular Session
Competitive Bidding
Public works contracts; exemption established for purchases made through cooperative purchasing agreements, requirements for certain public contracts to comply with applicable state or local competitive bid laws provided
Status: Pending Committee Action in Second House
Last Action: 3/19/2026 Pending Committee Action in Second House
SB1682026 Regular Session
Education
Public K-12 education; to prohibit the three-cueing system of reading instruction
Status: Enacted
Last Action: 3/5/2026 Enacted
SB3502026 Regular Session
Health
State Health Planning and Development Agency; collaboration among rural health care providers authorized; certification and supervision framework established, limited immunity from state and federal antitrust laws provided
Status: Indefinitely Postponed in House of Origin
Last Action: 4/7/2026 Currently Indefinitely Postponed
Companion: HB605 - Kiel
SB3632026 Regular Session
State Government
Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs; Alabama Centralized Grant Management Database, established to maintain lists of available grants
Status: Read Second Time in Second House
Last Action: 4/1/2026 Read for the Second Time and Placed on the Calendar
SB592025 Regular Session
Education
Military medical records as evidence of immunization for school admittance
Status: Enacted
Last Action: 3/19/2025 Enacted
Companion: HB377 - McClammy (P)
SB922025 Regular Session
Education
Public K-12 schools, cell phone policy and Internet/social media safety
Status: Read Second Time in Second House
Last Action: 4/17/2025 Read for the Second Time and Placed on the Calendar
Companion: HB166 - Hulsey
SB952025 Regular Session
Authorities, Boards, & Commissions
Alabama Municipal Electric Authority; director compensation revised
Status: Enacted
Last Action: 4/22/2025 Enacted
SB1842025 Regular Session
Education
Alabama Commission on Higher Education; authorized to award loan assistance to athletic trainers under Alabama Math and Science Teacher Education Program
Status: Indefinitely Postponed in House of Origin
Last Action: 5/6/2025 Currently Indefinitely Postponed
Companion: HB288 - Mooney
SB2152025 Regular Session
Education
Provisional release from educational intervention
Status: Indefinitely Postponed in House of Origin
Last Action: 5/6/2025 Currently Indefinitely Postponed
Companion: HB344 - Collins
SB2572025 Regular Session
Telecommunications & Utilities
Alabama Educational Television Foundation Authority, authorized to secure additional funds
Status: Indefinitely Postponed in House of Origin
Last Action: 5/6/2025 Currently Indefinitely Postponed
Companion: HB461 - Almond