HB4 Alabama 2012 1st Special Session

Updated Feb 27, 2026

High Interest

Summary

Primary Sponsor: Randy Davis
Republican
Co-Sponsors: Harry Shiver Steve McMillan
Session: First Special Session 2012
Title: Baldwin Co., Stockton Landmark District, boundaries defined, annexation by local law prohibited, Act 2011-316, 2011 Reg. Sess., repealed, const. amend
Summary: HB4, known as Caylee's Law, creates new crimes for failing to report missing or dead children and for false reporting to police, sets specific penalties, and includes a local-funding constitutional consideration.
What This Bill Does
It establishes criminal offences for failing to report a missing child who is 12 or younger (within 24 hours) and for failing to report the death of such a child (within 1 hour of learning), with the missing-child offences classified as Class B (first degree) or Class C (second degree) felonies and the death-report offence as a Class C felony. It also creates new penalties for false reporting to law enforcement in the first degree (Class C felony) and reclassifies second-degree false reporting to a Class A misdemeanor, while designating the existing second-degree false reporting as a separate level. Additionally, it amends the state constitution-related provision to require a new or increased local expenditure only if certain exceptions apply, and it specifies the act’s effective date and name (Caylee's Law).

Who It Affects
Parents or guardians of children age 12 or younger, who would have new reporting duties and potential felony charges if they fail to report or improperly report a missing or dead child.
Local governments and law enforcement agencies (and by extension taxpayers), who would bear new enforcement responsibilities and potential local funding requirements under the constitutional provisions.

Key Provisions
Created crimes: failure to report a missing child in the first degree (Class B felony) and in the second degree (Class C felony) with a 24-hour reporting/verification requirement for children 12 and younger; failure to report the death of a child (Class C felony) within one hour of learning of death or corpse location.
Created crimes: false reporting to law enforcement in the first degree (Class C felony) for knowingly providing false information to an officer during investigations; the second-degree false reporting is designated under existing law as a separate offense, with second-degree false reporting reclassified as a Class A misdemeanor.
Defined Caylee's Law with an age limit of 12 years or younger for the child involved and specified strict timelines for reporting missing or dead children.
Amended Section 13A-10-9 to classify second-degree false reporting as a Class A misdemeanor.
Amendment 621 of the Alabama Constitution referenced to require a new or increased local expenditure for local entities, with exceptions that allow the bill to proceed without a local 2/3-vote approval.
Effective date: the act becomes law on the first day of the third month after its passage and governor's approval.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 24, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.
Subjects: Baldwin County