SB226 Alabama 2011 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Cam Ward

Republican

Co-Sponsor

Gerald O. Dial

Session

Regular Session 2011

Title

Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center Commission and the Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center, members, operation, powers, duties, fees, information relating to homeland security, crime of misuse of ACJIC information established, Statistical Analysis Center established, National Crime Prevention and Privacy Compact ratified and implemented, Secs. 41-9-590, 41-9-591, 41-9-592, 41-9-594, 41-9-595, 41-9-597, 41-9-600, 41-9-601, 41-9-621, 41-9-622, 41-9-623, 41-9-625, 41-9-630 am'd.

Summary

The bill expands Alabama's Criminal Justice Information Center system, creates new offenses and data centers, allows background-check fees and data sharing, and ratifies a federal privacy compact for noncriminal information exchange.

What This Bill Does

It enlarges the ACJIC Commission and Center, adds homeland security information duties, and creates the Alabama Statistical Analysis Center to collect and share crime statistics. It authorizes charging fees for noncriminal background checks (with a $25 cap) and lets licensing boards require background checks as part of licensing. It creates a crime of misuse of ACJIC information with penalties, and it ratifies the National Crime Prevention and Privacy Compact to allow interstate sharing of criminal history for noncriminal purposes, designating the director as compact officer. It also clarifies that licensing or permitting agencies may require background checks by rule, while addressing local-funding rules with specified exemptions.

Who It Affects

• State and local law enforcement, emergency response, and homeland security agencies: they would operate under expanded ACJIC governance, access shared data, and must follow new privacy, security, and funding rules.
• Individuals and organizations subject to background checks (job applicants, licensees, colleges, and licensing boards): background checks could be required by rule, fees (up to $25) may be charged, and misuse of ACJIC information would carry penalties.

Key Provisions

• Amends multiple ACJIC-related statutes to expand the Commission, Center, and their duties, including homeland security information sharing.
• Authorizes the Commission to charge fees for noncriminal background checks and to establish a fee schedule for services (including a $25 cap for background checks).
• Creates the crime of misuse of ACJIC information, with penalties including Class B felony status, fines up to $10,000, and up to five years in prison, with separate offenses for each record.
• Establishes the Alabama Statistical Analysis Center within ACJIC to collect, publish, and share crime statistics (non-identifying for public data) and to support research and development.
• Ratifies and implements the National Crime Prevention and Privacy Compact to facilitate interstate exchange of criminal history for noncriminal purposes; designates the director as compact officer; allows licensing/permitting agencies to require background checks by rule.
• Authorizes licensing or permitting agencies to require a criminal background check as part of licensing requirements; ACJIC designated as CJIS System Agency and NSA for federal systems to enable data sharing.
• Addresses Amendment 621 for local expenditures by noting exemptions; the act is considered to define a new crime and is excluded from the usual local-funding approval requirements.

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

Subjects

Criminal Justice Information Center