HB246 Alabama 2019 Session

Updated Feb 26, 2026

High Interest

Summary

Primary Sponsor: Corley EllisRepresentative
Republican
Session: Regular Session 2019
Title: Shelby Co., sheriff, feeding of prisoners further provided for, Discretionary Fund established, const. amend.
Summary: It would create a Shelby County constitutional amendment to put feeding-prisoner allowances into a dedicated fund and limit its use to feeding prisoners and law enforcement goals.
What This Bill Does
Starting with the sheriff's next term, all allowances for feeding prisoners would go into the Sheriff's Discretionary Fund in the county treasury. The fund would be used to feed prisoners in the county jail, and any money above that need could be used only for law enforcement by the sheriff. The sheriff would not be personally entitled to any portion of the fund, and money would carry over from year to year. If more money is needed for feeding prisoners, the sheriff would use other discretionary funds, and purchases for feeding prisoners would not be required to follow competitive bidding.

Who It Affects
Shelby County Sheriff — funding for feeding prisoners would be placed in a separate fund and restricted to feeding prisoners or law enforcement use; the sheriff cannot claim personal ownership of the funds.
Shelby County prisoners — their meals would be funded from the dedicated Sheriff’s Discretionary Fund.
Shelby County government and taxpayers — money is kept in a county treasury with year-to-year carryover and may affect budget decisions; extra feeding costs would come from other discretionary funds.
Vendors and suppliers of prison food and supplies — purchases for feeding prisoners could be exempt from the competitive bid law.

Key Provisions
Establish the Sheriff’s Discretionary Fund in the county treasury to hold all allowances for feeding prisoners, to be used for feeding prisoners in the county jail; any excess may be used only for law enforcement purposes and the sheriff is not personally entitled to the funds.
The fund carries over year to year; if additional money is needed for feeding prisoners, the sheriff may use other discretionary funds, and purchases for feeding prisoners are not subject to the competitive bidding law; the amendment becomes effective starting with the next term of the sheriff after ratification.

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