HB239 Alabama 2024 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Jamie KielRepresentative

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2024

Title

Constitutional Amendment; to vest school land located in Walker County in the Franklin County Board of Education

Summary

A proposed constitutional amendment would transfer control of certain Walker County school lands used by Franklin County schools to the Franklin County Board of Education and set rules for how the land’s income and resources are managed and shared with Franklin County and Russellville City school systems.

What This Bill Does

If approved, the Franklin County Board of Education would gain management, sale, lease, and control of the specified lands and their resources. Proceeds from selling the land would be split 90% into a Franklin County trust and 10% to the Franklin County Board of Education General Fund, with interest distributed annually to the Franklin County and Russellville City school systems based on student enrollment, using enrollment data from 2023-2024 for the first five years and updated every five years thereafter; proceeds from timber, minerals, or other natural resource sales or leases would go to the Franklin County BOE General Fund. Proceeds from any pre-ratification transactions held in trust would stay with the Franklin County BOE, and the amendment would supersede conflicting constitutional provisions related to land and its resources.

Who It Affects

• Franklin County Board of Education: gains authority to manage, sell, lease, and control the Walker County lands and their resources; receives proceeds into the General Fund from resource-related activities; oversees trust distributions.
• Franklin County school system and Russellville City school system (students in these systems): receive annual interest distributions from the land proceeds based on their student enrollment, influencing funding for those systems.

Key Provisions

• Vests Walker County sixteenth section and indemnity school lands exclusive to Franklin County schools in the Franklin County Board of Education; board may manage, sell, lease, and control the lands and any timber, minerals, or other natural resources.
• Proceeds from land sales are distributed 90% to a Franklin County trust account and 10% to the Franklin County Board of Education General Fund.
• Interest earned on the trust and General Fund is distributed annually to the Franklin County school system and the Russellville City school system in proportion to student enrollment within their current boundaries, based on 2023-2024 data for the first five years and recalculated every five years thereafter.
• Proceeds from the sale or lease of timber, minerals, or other natural resources are paid to the Franklin County Board of Education General Fund.
• Proceeds from pre-ratification land transactions held in trust remain in trust, with proceeds and interest paid to the Franklin County Board of Education after ratification.
• This amendment supersedes any conflicting constitutional provisions related to land, its rights and disposition, and the sale, lease, or other disposal of the land and its resources.
• Requires voter approval at an election to ratify the amendment.

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

Subjects

Constitutional Amendments Statewide