SB328 Alabama 2011 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Cam Ward

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2011

Title

Solicitor's fee, distrib. of portion to municipal court clerk in certain cases; to provide for a solicitor's fee in civil cases in circuit and district courts, distrib. to circuit clerk and district attorney, Sec. 12-19-182 am'd.; Act 2010-438, 2010 Reg. Sess. am'd.

Summary

SB328 changes how solicitor's fees are distributed in Alabama by moving the municipal court clerk's share for criminal cases started in municipal court and by creating a civil solicitor's fee with specific distributions to circuit clerks and district attorneys.

What This Bill Does

It amends Act 2010-438 to redirect the $3 per criminal case from the circuit clerk to the municipal court clerk when the case originates in municipal court. It also adds a solicitor's fee for civil cases in the circuit and district courts, with the $3 portion going to the circuit clerk's fund and the remainder to the solicitor's fund or district attorney's fund, and the civil fee equal to the civil docket fee and distributed to the Fair Trial Tax Fund. The solicitor's fee can be used by the district attorney for expenses, and civil-fee collection does not affect criminal-fee collection under local law; the act takes effect on a future date after passage.

Who It Affects

• Municipal court clerks: receive the per-case fee share that funds the clerk's office specifically when a criminal case originates in municipal court.
• Circuit clerks and district attorneys: continue receiving the remainder of the solicitor's fee in criminal cases and, in civil cases, receive distributions to their funds as specified (including the civil fee matching docket costs and allocations to the Fair Trial Tax Fund).

Key Provisions

• In criminal cases, if the case originates in municipal court, the $3 per-case portion that would go to the circuit clerk is redirected to the municipal court clerk for their fund.
• The remainder of the criminal solicitor's fee goes to the solicitor's fund or district attorney's fund in the county, as before.
• In civil cases in the district and circuit courts, a solicitor's fee is assessed equal to the civil docket fee and is distributed with $3 to the circuit clerk's fund and the remainder to the solicitor's fund or district attorney's fund, with the civil fee also being distributed to the Fair Trial Tax Fund.
• The district attorney may use the civil solicitor's fee for expenses, and the civil-fee collection does not affect existing criminal-fee collection under local law.
• The act becomes effective on the first day of the third month after it passes into law.

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

Subjects

Solicitor's Fees