HB594 Alabama 2015 Session

Updated Feb 24, 2026

Summary

Primary Sponsor: Tim WadsworthRepresentative
Republican
Session: Regular Session 2015
Title: Winston Co., state lands, sixteenth section lands, and school lands, distrib. to trust account for schools and county board of education, const. amend.
Summary: HB594 would amend the Alabama Constitution to give Winston County's sixteenth section and school lands to the Winston County Board of Education, letting them manage and monetize the land and its resources.
What This Bill Does
It would transfer ownership and management of Winston County's sixteenth section and school lands from state control to the Winston County Board of Education, and authorize the board to manage, sell, lease, and control the land and its resources. Proceeds from land sales would go to a Winston County trust account with interest distributed annually to the local school system; proceeds from timber, minerals, or leases would go directly to the Winston County Board of Education's General Fund. The change would supersede conflicting parts of the state constitution for Winston County, and pre-ratification proceeds held in trust would remain there with distributions to the local board. An election would be held to ratify the amendment.

Who It Affects
Winston County Board of Education: gains authority to manage, sell, lease, and control the lands and resources and to receive and direct related proceeds.
Winston County school system: eligible to receive annual interest distributions from the trust and funds generated by land-related activities, affecting local education funding.

Key Provisions
All sixteenth section and school lands in Winston County are vested in the Winston County Board of Education, which may manage, sell, lease, and control the land and any timber, minerals, or other resources.
Proceeds from the sale of sixteenth section or school land are deposited into a Winston County trust account.
Interest earned on funds in the trust account is annually distributed to the Winston County school system.
Proceeds from the sale of timber, minerals, or other resources or from leasing the land go directly to the Winston County Board of Education General Fund.
The amendment supersedes any conflicting constitutional provisions related to these lands and resources for Winston County.
Proceeds from pre-ratification transactions remain in trust, with revenue and interest paid to the custodian of funds for the Winston County Board of Education.

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