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SB211 Alabama 2011 Session

Updated Jan 10, 2026

Summary

Primary Sponsor
Tammy Irons
Democrat
Session
Regular Session 2011
Title
Domectic violence, protection orders, violations, mandatory term of imprisonment increased, jurisdiction extended to orders issued by Indian tribes and U. S. territories, domestic Violence Protection Order Enforcement Act, Secs. 30-5A-1, 30-5A-2, 30-5A-3, 30-5A-4 amended and renumbered as 13A-6-140, 13A-6-141, 13A-6-142, 13A-6-143
Description

Existing law prescribes criminal penalties for any person who willfully violates a protection, restraining, or injunctive order, including a mandatory term of imprisonment of 48 continuous hours for a second offense and 30 days for a third offense. The mandatory term of imprisonment cannot be suspended.

This bill would designate the code sections regarding enforcement of a domestic violence protection order as Article 7A of Chapter 6 of Title 13A, Code of Alabama 1975.

This bill would increase the mandatory term of imprisonment for a person who willfully violates a domestic violence order to a minimum of 30 days imprisonment that cannot be suspended for a second offense and a minimum of 120 days imprisonment that cannot be suspended for a third offense. This bill would relocate the criminal penalties to Title 13A of the Code of Alabama 1975. This bill would extend these penalties to include violations of domestic violence orders issued by courts of Indian tribes and U.S. territories. This bill would specify that a domestic violence order not issued pursuant to this act specify that a history of violence or abuse exists in order for this act to apply. This bill would also provide that a person arrested for violation of a condition of release could be held without bail pursuant to the Alabama Rules of Criminal Procedure. This bill would also repeal existing law which provides that lack of knowledge of an order is an affirmative defense at a trial for a violation of a domestic violence order under this chapter.

Amendment 621 of the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, now appearing as Section 111.05 of the Official Recompilation of the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, as amended, prohibits a general law whose purpose or effect would be to require a new or increased expenditure of local funds from becoming effective with regard to a local governmental entity without enactment by a 2/3 vote unless: it comes within one of a number of specified exceptions; it is approved by the affected entity; or the Legislature appropriates funds, or provides a local source of revenue, to the entity for the purpose.

The purpose or effect of this bill would be to require a new or increased expenditure of local funds within the meaning of the amendment. However, the bill does not require approval of a local governmental entity or enactment by a 2/3 vote to become effective because it comes within one of the specified exceptions contained in the amendment.

Subjects
Crimes and Offenses

Bill Text

Votes

Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass

April 26, 2011 Senate Passed
Yes 33
Absent 2

Documents

Source: Alabama Legislature