News Post

Legislative Summary

The 2022 Regular Session progressed this week with three days of session as well as many committees meeting on Wednesday. While the House works through its normal calendar, the Senate worked through Special Order Calendars. As of Thursday, Feb. 10, there have been 211 bills introduced in the Senate and 337 introduced in the House.

There were many local bills of interest introduced this week as well as legislation addressing municipal court costs and fees, custody issues and human trafficking. Please see the bill tracking sheets below for any specific practice areas of interest.

In committee this week, legislation progressed that would allow wiretapping in certain instances as well as an expansion of the jurisdiction of probate judges who are lawyers. There was also a bill that created a registry for elder abuse similar to the registry for child abuse and neglect. Additionally, lawmakers debated changes in parole structures and oversight.

There was a court cost bill introduced for Baldwin County, that would add a service of process fee benefitting the sheriff’s office. This is similar to other service of process fee bills introduced this session, like the one for Cherokee County.

As always, the Alabama State Bar encourages all members to be aware of legislation that may impact court costs and fees. Access to justice is a priority. Please be aware of advertisements that may be occurring for local bills and those that may already be filed to use the courts as a fundraiser for non-court entities. We encourage you to be informed and notify us as well.

Legislative Tracking

The  Alabama State Bar provides legislative status reports concerning pending legislation that may be of interest to our members, with direct links to the actual legislation. The reports divide legislation into the following categories for your convenience: criminal, domestic relations, judicial, court costs, elections ethics and government relations (EEGR), civil/ general and tax.

You can find our comprehensive updated bill-tracking spreadsheet here.

Legislative Calendar

The regular session of the 2022 Legislative Session is proceeding as follows:

• The Senate has adjourned until Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022.
• The House has adjourned until Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022.