HB437 Alabama 2020 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Tommy Hanes

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2020

Title

Jackson Co., law library, co. commission to maintain, add'l court costs to fund, presiding circuit judge to admin.

Summary

HB437 would establish a Jackson County law library funded by a $2 per-case law library fee in the county's circuit and district courts, with administration by the presiding circuit judge.

What This Bill Does

It requires a $2 law library fee in every case filed in Jackson County courts, collected by the circuit clerk and deposited into the County Law Library Fund by the tenth day of the month following collection. The Jackson County Commission must maintain the county law library, and the presiding circuit judge will administer it and approve expenditures from the fund. It repeals prior local laws about the Jackson County law library and sets an effective date three months after passage and governor approval.

Who It Affects

• Litigants and others filing cases in Jackson County Circuit Court or District Court: must pay a $2 law library fee per case, increasing court costs.
• Jackson County government and court staff (County Commission, presiding circuit judge, circuit clerk, and county treasury): responsible for maintaining the library, administering the fund, collecting the fee, and depositing funds.

Key Provisions

• Section 2: The Jackson County Commission shall maintain a county law library.
• Section 3: In each case filed in the Circuit Court and District Court of Jackson County, there shall be assessed a law library fee of $2; the fee shall be collected as other court costs by the circuit clerk; by the tenth day of the month, fees collected during the preceding month shall be deposited in the County Law Library Fund.
• Section 4: The presiding circuit judge of the Thirty-eighth Judicial Circuit (Jackson County) shall administer the county law library and may authorize expenditures from the County Law Library Fund as provided in Section 11-25-13.
• Section 5: This act supersedes all prior local laws relating to the county law library in Jackson County (repealing Acts from 1965, 1973, and 1976).
• Section 6: This act becomes effective on the first day of the third month following its passage and approval by the Governor (or otherwise becoming law).
• Section 1: This act shall apply only in Jackson County.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 22, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Jackson County