House Bill 257 Alabama 2026 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Donna GivensRepresentative

Republican

Session

2026 Regular Session

Title

Crimes and procedure; crime of authority figure sexual abuse, established; crimes of indecent exposure and other sex crimes further provided to include additional victims; crime of inpatient custodial sexual misconduct, established; domestic violence offenses, further provided to include additional victims and criminal penalties

Summary

HB257 broadens Alabama’s sexual-offense laws, raises protections for child victims, creates new crimes (inpatient custodial sexual misconduct), expands definitions (including voyeurism), and adds court-related provisions and procedures.

What This Bill Does

Raises the age thresholds and expands protections for child victims across several crimes (e.g., indecent exposure and offenses involving directing a child to engage in sex acts or sexual contact, and traveling to meet a child for an unlawful sex act). Creates the new offense of inpatient custodial sexual misconduct, making it illegal for an employee at inpatient or residential facilities to engage in sexual conduct with a patient, and states that consent is not a defense; establishes criminal penalties. Expands the definition of sex offenses to include voyeurism and requires courts to consider sexual motivation in certain offenses, including special verdicts and written findings of whether sexual motivation was present. Updates and clarifies various offenses related to online and cross-jurisdiction conduct (e.g., transmitting obscene material to a child by electronic means with broader technology, including cellular devices, and travel to meet a child), and removes an affirmative defense to kidnapping in the first degree.

Who It Affects

• Minors and their families, because the bill increases protections and penalties when a child is involved as a victim in several offenses and adds new ways to charge sexual-crime cases.
• Inpatient/residential treatment facilities, their employees, law enforcement, prosecutors, and the courts, due to the new offense (inpatient custodial sexual misconduct), new evidentiary rules (such as sexual-motivation findings), and the use of certified facility dogs in court proceedings.

Key Provisions

• Expand age-based thresholds for child victims in offenses like indecent exposure and offenses directing a child to engage in sexual acts or sexual contact, and for traveling to meet a child for unlawful sex acts.
• Create inpatient custodial sexual misconduct as a new crime; eliminate consent as a defense and set criminal penalties.
• Add voyeurism to the defined list of sex offenses and require admissibility and consideration of sexual motivation in convictions/adjudications with specific findings and verdict forms.
• Broaden the scope of transmitting obscene material to a child to include cellular devices and other electronic means; provide that a defendant’s belief that they were contacting a child is not a defense and that undercover officers cannot be used to negate prosecution.
• Delete an affirmative defense to kidnapping in the first degree and make related conforming revisions to multiple code sections.
• Allow certified facility dogs and trained handlers to accompany victims or witnesses in court to aid testimony, with court discretion and procedural notices for their use.
• Establish administrative hearing processes and agency rules for people subject to the new chapter, and designate certain offenses from other jurisdictions as criminal sex offenses for purposes of Alabama law.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 11, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Crimes & Offenses