SB370 Alabama 2011 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Cam Ward

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2011

Title

Acts of Alabama, House and Senate Journals, and other official documents, printing, guidlines and time frame established, Secs. 29-1-28 to 29-1-39, inclusive, 29-1-39.1, 29-1-39.2, 29-1-39.3 added; Secs. 29-1-12, 29-1-13 amended and renumbered as Secs. 29-1-26, 29-1-27

Summary

SB370 overhauls how Alabama prints and distributes the Legislature’s journals and acts, assigns publishing duties to key officials, and tightens timelines with penalties for delays.

What This Bill Does

It creates Division 2 for compiling, reproducing, and publishing Acts and Journals, and sets standards for the form and size of bound volumes. It assigns duties to the Clerk of the House, the Secretary of the Senate, and the Secretary of State to prepare, check, certify, and deliver journals and acts, with the Legislative Reference Service handling the index. It requires copies of bills and journals to be delivered to a state vendor within specific timeframes and imposes penalties for delays, including bonding requirements for private vendors. It sets a 16-week deadline after adjournment to complete the journal and act publication, with extensions possible in certain cases, and makes the act effective immediately upon governor approval.

Who It Affects

• Legislative branch offices (Clerk of the House, Secretary of the Senate, Secretary of State, and Legislative Reference Service) — gain new duties, deadlines, and certification requirements for journals and acts.
• Vendors/Printers and state contractors — must meet deadlines, provide bonding, and face penalties if they miss publication timelines; they handle reproduction, binding, and distribution of the acts and journals.

Key Provisions

• Establishes Division 2 within Title 29 for compiling, reproducing, and publishing of acts and journals; renumbers sections 29-1-12 and 29-1-13 to new numbers.
• Requires the Clerk of the House and the Secretary of the Senate to prepare journals in form suitable for printing and, in their discretion, to produce final bound reproductions, while meeting all time requirements.
• Directs the Secretary of State to certify the title page of the bound acts and manage the publication of acts with sponsors, governor messages, and addresses of state officials; mandates an index prepared by the Legislative Reference Service.
• Sets volume limits: acts bound in one volume unless over 1,200 pages; pamphlet acts include required preservation notes by certain officials; specifies paper/format requirements.
• Imposes delivery timelines and penalties: copies must be provided to the vendor within defined periods; includes a $20 per day delay penalty and bonding requirements for private vendors.
• Defines distribution and accessibility: 1,700 copies distributed to various government and legal offices, with local officials required to preserve pamphlet acts; the remainder goes to the Secretary of State and other recipients.
• Allocates funding and compensation: clerks/secretaries receive a fixed payment for these services from session appropriations; vendor performance is regulated by contract provisions and potential liquidated damages.
• Effective date: the act becomes effective immediately after 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

Acts and Journals, Printing