Legislative Summary

The second week of the 2024 Regular Session of the Alabama Legislature was a three-day work week. In addition to Tuesday and Thursday’s session days, lawmakers went into session after finishing committee meetings on Wednesday. There were 188 bills introduced in the House of Representatives and 110 in the Senate.

Bills moving through committees and debates included agenda and policy legislation proposing changes to the Alabama Archives board, education, and gambling. Some of the bills introduced related to asbestos actions, ad valorem taxes, child sex abuse laws, internet filters, and consumer protection issues.

The House Judiciary Committee met for the first time, debating changes to numerous crimes and punishments; please see the criminal tracking link below for more information. There were also bills introduced relating to the privacy of information in genetic testing. The Senate Judiciary Committee did not meet this week.

Many attorneys will be interested in two bills that passed out of the Senate this week. One involves the waiving/removal of fees on certain types of qualified domestic orders, and another involves a long-awaited change to the hourly rate and caps for indigent defense attorneys. These bills now move to the House and are expected soon in committee.

All criminal bills may be found in the criminal tracking report found below.

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 about pending legislation of interest to our members, with direct links to the actual legislation. The reports divide legislation into these 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, Feb. 20 at 2:00 p.m.
• The House has adjourned until Tuesday, Feb. 20 at 1:00 p.m.