HB437 Alabama 2010 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Jay Love

Republican

Co-Sponsors

David GrimesGreg Wren

Session

Regular Session 2010

Title

Courts, municipal, court costs, levy of additional equal to district court, deposit in Corrections Fund, use for purchase of land and equipment, retroactive effect, Sec. 11-47-7.1 am'd.

Summary

HB437 lets municipalities add extra court costs to fund municipal jails and related facilities, with funds used for land, construction, equipment, and maintenance, and it retroactively validates past fund use.

What This Bill Does

It authorizes municipal governing bodies to levy and assess additional court costs or fees in municipal courts, up to an amount not exceeding the district court costs for similar cases. The money collected goes into a designated Corrections Fund and must be used only for purchasing land and for constructing, equipping, operating, and maintaining municipal jails, other correctional facilities, juvenile detention centers, or court complexes. Municipalities may also accept gifts or grants, contract for services, and cooperate with other government entities to build and manage joint facilities. The act is retroactive, validating prior uses of funds in the Corrections Fund, and takes effect immediately after governor approval.

Who It Affects

• Municipalities and their governing bodies: gain authority to levy additional court costs and manage the Corrections Fund for correctional facilities and related construction/maintenance.
• Residents and defendants in municipal courts: may face higher per-case costs (up to district court levels) that fund jail and facility operations, with costs only waivable if all other costs are waived.

Key Provisions

• Allows municipal governing bodies to levy and assess additional court costs and fees up to the amount of district court costs for similar cases, by majority vote.
• Collected costs go into a special 'Corrections Fund' and must be used solely for land purchase, construction, equipment, operation, and maintenance of municipal jails, correctional facilities, juvenile detention centers, or court complexes.
• Municipalities may appropriate other funds, accept gifts or grants, contract for services, and may form joint facilities with other governmental entities with shared rules.
• The act is remedial and curative with retroactive effect to validate prior fund uses in the Corrections Fund.
• Effective immediately after passage and governor approval.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 25, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Municipalities