HB248 Alabama 2022 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Gil Isbell

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2022

Title

Sovereign immunity, certain county officials, further provided, Sec. 36-1-12 am'd.

Summary

HB248 would extend sovereign immunity to county revenue officials by treating the county revenue commissioner, tax assessor, and tax collector as state officers for purposes of civil liability immunity.

What This Bill Does

It amends Section 36-1-12 to classify county revenue officials as officers of the state for immunity purposes. This means, when acting in their official capacity, they would be immune from civil liability. The bill also states that these changes do not diminish or alter immunities for other public officers or employees, and it preserves existing rules about personal capacity immunity with certain exceptions. The act would take effect immediately upon passage and governor's signature.

Who It Affects

• County revenue commissioner, tax assessor, and tax collector would gain state-officer immunity from civil liability when acting in their official capacity.
• Other public officers or employees covered by Section 36-1-12 would retain their existing immunities; the bill does not alter those immunities.

Key Provisions

• Adds the county revenue commissioner, tax assessor, and tax collector as officers of the state for the purpose of immunity from civil liability.
• Provides immunity from civil liability for these officials when acting in their official capacity, with personal-capacity immunity governed by existing provisions and exceptions.
• Maintains that this change does not eliminate, alter, or modify other immunities for other public officers or employees.
• Contains exceptions where personal immunity does not apply (e.g., required by US or Alabama law, or acts done willfully, maliciously, fraudulently, in bad faith, beyond authority, or under a mistaken interpretation of the law), and notes education employees have specific carve-outs.
• Effective date: immediately after passage and approval by the Governor.

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

Subjects

Sovereign Immunity