HB376 Alabama 2023 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

James LomaxRepresentative

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2023

Title

Relating to the Secretary of State; to amend Section 36-14-6, Code of Alabama 1975, to provide for a reduction of the number of bound sets of legislative acts and codes required to be retained by the Secretary of State.

Summary

HB376 would cut the Secretary of State’s required retention of bound state publications from 10 copies to five, including the Code of Alabama 1975.

What This Bill Does

It allows the Secretary of State to dispose of many publications (acts, journals, codes, departmental reports, and other books) in a manner deemed expedient. It requires that five copies of each acts series, five copies of the journals for each legislative session (House and Senate), and five copies of codes be preserved and kept on hand, including the Code of Alabama 1975. These changes reduce the total number of physical volumes the state must retain.

Who It Affects

• Secretary of State's Office: must adjust retention and disposal practices to maintain five preserved copies and manage removal of excess publications.
• Public and researchers: potentially fewer available physical copies of older legislative acts, journals, and codes, though at least five preserved copies must remain.

Key Provisions

• Section 36-14-6 is amended to require preservation of five copies of each acts series, five copies of the journals for each legislative session, and five copies of codes (including the Code of Alabama 1975).
• The Secretary of State may dispose of acts, journals, codes, department reports, and other books in custody, by public or private sale, as deemed expedient, subject to the five-copy preservation requirement.

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

Subjects

Secretary of State, reduce number of sets of legislative acts, journals, and codes to retain