Legislative Summary

The Alabama Legislature met for three extraordinarily busy days this week, working into the night with packed agendas and lengthy debates. In addition to the session calendars and debates, the committees on Wednesday were again loaded with bills. The legislature will not meet next week, allowing time for constituent work at home. The introduction of new bills this week brought the total to 218 bills in the Senate and 303 bills in the House of Representatives.

A bill introduced this week proposes updates to the legal service liability act involving pleading requirements, the statute of limitations, and choice of law provisions. There was also a new data privacy bill along with many local and municipal bills.

The Senate Judiciary Committee debated bills on numerous crimes and offenses, including changes to human trafficking penalties, obscene materials, and the violation of child labor laws. The House Judiciary Committee debated changes to felony murder, parental consent for vaccines, and an exception of the statute of limitations for sex offenses to minors for members of the Boy Scouts (to allow participation in the national settlement.)  There was also a bill that would expand the jurisdiction of judges to issue ex parte orders in certain emergency situations involving children. 

Additionally, the proposed changes to Alabama Ethics law were debated in committee this week and received a favorable report.

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. 19 at 2:00 p.m.
• The House has adjourned until Tuesday, Mar. 19 at 1:00 p.m.