SJR74 Alabama 2022 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

J.T. WaggonerSenator

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2022

Title

Municipal Fees and Fines Study Task Force, created

Summary

SJR74 creates a study task force to review how Alabama municipalities impose and collect costs, fees, and fines and to recommend changes for fair administration.

What This Bill Does

It establishes the Alabama Municipal Fees and Fines Study Task Force to examine current state and municipal laws and court decisions on imposing and enforcing fines and fees. The task force will determine what changes are needed to ensure fair and nondiscriminatory administration. It includes a diverse group of appointees from the governor, judiciary, legislature, municipal officials, and the Alabama Law Institute, and must report findings and recommendations to the Legislature by the third legislative day of the 2023 Regular Session, after which it will be dissolved.

Who It Affects

• Municipal governments and officials (including municipal judges, prosecutors, police chiefs, and court clerks) who administer or enforce fines and fees, because the study may propose changes to how charges are set and collected.
• Alabama residents and taxpayers who may be subject to municipal fines and fees, because the study aims to ensure fair and nondiscriminatory enforcement.

Key Provisions

• Creates the Alabama Municipal Fees and Fines Study Task Force with the explicit duty to study current Alabama statutes and case law related to municipal authority for imposing and enforcing costs, fees, and fines for violations of state laws and municipal ordinances.
• Requires the task force to determine what changes, if any, are needed to laws governing municipal costs, fees, and fines to ensure fair administration.
• Defines the task force composition: one member each appointed by the Governor, the Chief Justice, the Lieutenant Governor, the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, the Speaker of the House, the chairs or designees of the Senate and House Judiciary Committees, and eight members from the Alabama League of Municipalities (municipal judge, municipal prosecutor, municipal police chief, and municipal court clerk magistrate) plus a representative of the Alabama Law Institute (who serves as chair and reports findings).
• Includes a diversity requirement to ensure membership reflects racial, gender, geographic, urban/rural, and economic diversity.
• Requires the organizational meeting within 60 days of passage.
• Legislative members receive compensation, per diem, and travel expenses for meeting attendance; non-legislative members serve without compensation but may be reimbursed for reasonable expenses.
• Provides administrative support from the Legislative Services Agency, the Clerk of the House, and the Secretary of the Senate.
• Mandates a final report of findings, conclusions, and recommendations to the Legislature no later than the third legislative day of the 2023 Regular Session; the task force is dissolved after submitting the report.
• Note: The resolution creates a study rather than directly changing existing law and instructs the task force to report proposed changes for legislative action.

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

Subjects

Resolutions, Legislative