HB599 Alabama 2017 Session

Updated Feb 26, 2026

Low Interest

Summary

Primary Sponsor: Richard Lindsey
Democrat
Session: Regular Session 2017
Title: Cherokee Co., court costs, increased for law library, operation of law library, duties to district court judge, Sec. 45-10-81 am'd.
Summary: Cherokee County can create a public law library funded by new court costs, with the District Court Judge in charge of operating it.
What This Bill Does
The bill authorizes Cherokee County to establish and maintain a public law library and to spend county funds for its setup and ongoing operation. It creates a Law Library Fund funded by added court costs in many types of cases to finance the library. The funds are kept in a separate fund and paid to the county, then used by the District Court Judge to maintain the library, with warrants drawn from the fund as needed. The District Court Judge has exclusive authority to operate the Cherokee County Law Library.

Who It Affects
Litigants and court users in Cherokee County (in civil, criminal, and appellate proceedings) who will pay the added law library costs as part of their court filings or actions.
The Cherokee County District Court Judge and county government, who will oversee, administer, and fund the library through the Law Library Fund.

Key Provisions
Authorizes the Cherokee County governing body to establish and maintain a public law library and to spend county funds for facilities, maintenance, and library materials.
Imposes a special court cost (described in the bill as amounts of $1.50 and $5.50 per relevant case) to create a Law Library Fund for library purposes.
Requires the costs to be collected as in other court costs, paid to the county, and kept in a separate fund titled 'Law Library Fund'.
directs the District Court Judge to expend from the Law Library Fund for maintaining the library and to draw warrants on the fund; the District Court Judge has exclusive authority to operate the library.
Amends Section 45-10-81 of the Code of Alabama 1975 to implement these changes; the act becomes effective on the first day of the third month after passage and governor 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: Cherokee County