Legislative Summary

Spirited and intense debate dominated the week in the Alabama Legislature. Lawmakers met for three session days and had the busiest committee day yet on Wednesday, with packed agendas and numerous public hearings that brought many visitors to the Statehouse.

In addition, more new bills were introduced, bringing the total to 187 bills in the Senate and 278 in the House.

Bills involving in-vitro fertilization, an amendment to the Alabama Business and Non-Profit Entity Code, as well as changes to the CON board and indigent defense boards were introduced this week. We also saw several new local bills.

The Senate Judiciary committee debated vaping regulations, the change of age involving sexually explicit conduct, and expungement of certain YO offenses. In the Children’s Advocacy committee, there is a Constitutional Amendment involving the fundamental rights of parents that would be of interest to domestic relations lawyers.

In the House Judiciary meeting, bills involving vaping, discharging a firearm into an occupied dwelling, and the bill updating indigent defense fees all received a favorable report. Additionally, the bill proposing changes to Alabama Ethics law had a public hearing in the House Ethics and Campaign Finance committee, beginning the long-awaited journey of updating Alabama Ethics laws.

HB255 was introduced this week, which impacts the costs of court and increases the service of process fees throughout the state.

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), tax, and judicial.

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

LEGISLATIVE CALENDAR

The 2024 regular session of the Alabama Legislature will continue as follows:

• The Senate has adjourned until Tuesday, Mar. 5 at 4:00 p.m.
• The House has adjourned until Tuesday, Mar. 5 at 2:00 p.m.