HB295 would allow foreign-state pleas of nolo contendere/no contest to be used for impeachment and sentencing in Alabama, while barring such pleas from being entered in Alabama itself.
Allows a conviction in another state based on a plea of nolo contendere or no contest to be admissible for impeachment in Alabama, to the same extent as other criminal convictions. Requires that such foreign-state pleas be counted under the Habitual Offender Act for sentence enhancement. Allows such pleas to be used as an aggravating circumstance in capital murder cases if the plea was for a capital offense or a violent felony. Makes nolo contendere/no contest pleas unavailable in Alabama for anyone charged with a crime; directs courts to apply the law of the state where the plea was made.
Source: Alabama Legislature