HB67 Alabama 2017 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Chris SellsRepresentative

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2017

Title

Child abuse, aggravated, age of child raised to 12 years for purposes of charging with Class A felony, Sec. 26-15-3.1 am'd.

Summary

HB67 would raise aggravated child abuse penalties to Class A for repeated abuse or serious injury to a child under age 12.

What This Bill Does

It amends the aggravated child abuse law (Section 26-15-3.1) to make it a Class A felony when a responsible person commits repeated acts of physical or mental abuse or causes serious physical injury to a child under 12. It preserves the existing framework where aggravated child abuse is a Class B felony in other cases. It also notes local-funding rules under Amendment 621 and states the bill is exempt from those requirements because it defines a new crime or amends an existing crime.

Who It Affects

• Children under age 12 would be protected and face stronger penalties for repeated abuse or serious injury.
• Caregivers or other responsible persons (as defined in the statute) who abuse a child under 12 could be charged with a Class A felony.

Key Provisions

• Extends the Class A felony for aggravated child abuse to apply when a child under 12 is subjected to repeated abuse or serious physical injury.
• Changes the age threshold from under 6 to under 12 for the Class A penalty in aggravated child abuse, while keeping other penalties under the statute.
• Specifies that the act is exempt from local funding requirements under Amendment 621 because it defines a new crime or amends an existing crime.

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

Subjects

Crimes and Offenses