SB1 Alabama 2016 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Paul Bussman

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2016

Title

Innocence Inquiry Commission, creation within Administrative Office of Courts, duties, review of by felony conviction upon presentation of verifiable evidence of innocence not previously presented, referral to court of original jurisdiction for review

Summary

The bill would remove the Department of Human Resources' obligation to try to preserve a family before terminating parental rights if a parent allowed a child to be around a meth lab or other illegal drug locations.

What This Bill Does

Amends Section 12-15-312 to create an exemption that city or state child welfare authorities do not have to make reasonable efforts to preserve the family when the parent has allowed a child to be in the presence of a methamphetamine laboratory or locations where illegal drugs are stored, kept, packaged, diluted, or manufactured. Keeps existing safety-focused standards and timelines for child removal orders, findings, and permanency planning in other cases, but adds the meth/drug exposure exception as a ground to skip reasonable efforts. Triggers a permanency hearing within 30 days after a determination that reasonable efforts are not required due to the meth/drug exposure, and allows concurrent pursuit of adoption or guardianship placements as part of finalizing permanent placement. Overall, the bill would make it easier to terminate parental rights in cases where a child was exposed to meth labs or illegal drug locations by removing the duty to pursue family preservation.

Who It Affects

• Parents or guardians who allowed a child to be present at a methamphetamine laboratory or at locations where illegal drugs are stored, kept, packaged, diluted, or manufactured, because the department would not be required to make reasonable preservation efforts in those cases.
• The Department of Human Resources and children in its custody, since the department’s obligation to actively preserve the family in these specific situations would be removed, potentially leading to faster termination of parental rights.

Key Provisions

• Amends Section 12-15-312 to create an exemption from the duty to make reasonable efforts to preserve the family when the parent allowed the child to be present at a methamphetamine laboratory or illegal drug location.
• Maintains the overall framework for safety concerns, required findings, and timeframes for removal orders and permanency planning in other situations.
• If reasonable efforts are not made due to this exemption, requires a permanency hearing within 30 days and allows placement options for adoption or guardianship to be pursued concurrently with other efforts.

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

Subjects

Innocence Inquiry Commission