Legislative Summary

The 2023 Regular Session of the Alabama Legislature has ended. Legislators met on Tuesday for their final day. It was mainly perfunctory and non-controversial, with only one calendar of bills in each chamber. Most of these bills were those waiting to receive final passage before being sent to the governor.

Conference committees, consisting of three appointed members from each chamber, met to negotiate any bills received with executive amendments from the governor as well as bills that had been passed with amendments in their final house. The results of the conference committees were concurred upon by both houses resulting in final passage. Those bills will now be sent or returned to the governor for signature. Gov. Ivey has up to ten days to sign bills passed or they fail by “pocket veto.”

There were a total of 876 bills introduced this session – 524 in the House of Representatives and 352 in the Senate. As of the morning of June 9, 268 bills have been signed into law by the governor and another 127 are still awaiting signature. A final list and summary will be provided after the time for signature has expired.

The highlight of the session for many lawyers and judges was the passage of legislation that creates 13 new judgeships. Additionally, bills were passed that update the Uniform Commercial Code, nonprofit business entities, and adoption laws, which came from the Alabama Law Institute.

There were local bills in Marion, Marshall, Lamar, Cullman, Shelby, Pickens, Limestone and Blount counties to increase court costs.

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: civil/general, court costs, criminal, domestic relations, elections ethics and government relations (EEGR), judicial, and tax.

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

LEGISLATIVE CALENDAR

The regular session of the 2023 Legislative Session has adjourned Sine Die. The 2024 regular session begins the first Tuesday of February.