HB115 Alabama 2018 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Lynn Greer

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2018

Title

Captial offenses, enumerated capital offenses, murder on school campus, included, murder in a day care center, included, Sec. 13A-5-40 am'd.

Summary

HB 115 would add murder on a school campus and murder in a day care center as enumerated capital offenses in Alabama law and notes local-funding considerations.

What This Bill Does

The bill amends Section 13A-5-40 to add two new capital offenses: murder on the campus of a school and murder in a day care center or licensed child care facility. It defines campus to include all pre-K through 12 schools and higher education, and day care facilities to include licensed or statutorily exempted centers. As capital offenses, these crimes would be treated as among the state's most serious offenses and could involve the heightened penalties associated with capital murder. The bill also states that, although it could trigger local-funding concerns under Amendment 621, it is exempt from those requirements because it defines a new crime or amends an existing one, and it specifies an effective date after passage.

Who It Affects

• Defendants who murder a person on a school campus or in a day care center would face capital offenses and the associated severe penalties.
• School and day care communities, including students, staff, families, and the institutions themselves, would be affected through the potential for these murders to be prosecuted as capital offenses and the resulting changes in law enforcement and sentencing.

Key Provisions

• Adds 'murder by the defendant ... on the campus of a school' as a capital offense (new subsection (a)(20); campus includes public/private K-12 and higher education).
• Adds 'murder by the defendant of any person in a day care center or licensed or statutorily exempted child care facility' as a capital offense (new subsection (a)(21)).
• Maintains the broader list of existing enumerated capital offenses and related definitions for murder and accountability (Sections 13A-5-40(a)-(d)).
• Specifies that the bill is exempt from Amendment 621 local-funding requirements because it defines a new crime or amends an existing crime (Section 2).
• Effective date: the act becomes law on the first day of the third month after passage and governor approval (Section 3).

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

Subjects

Capital Offenses