House Bill 410 Alabama 2026 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Danny CrawfordRepresentative

Republican

Session

2026 Regular Session

Title

Limestone County; sheriff's compensation further provided for

Summary

HB410 changes Limestone County Sheriff’s pay from a percentage of a judge’s salary to a fixed base of $149,000 per year starting in 2027, and adds rules about the prisoners’ food funds and cost-of-living increases.

What This Bill Does

It amends Section 45-42-230 to begin with a pay rule based on 85% of the highest-paid judge’s salary for the next term, then establishes a fixed base pay of $149,000 starting January 18, 2027, replacing the 85% formula. The fixed salary is in lieu of the prior provision and the old method becomes void. The sheriff will still receive cost-of-living and other county-wide increases as approved by the county commission. The bill also prohibits the sheriff from personally benefiting from the food account used to feed prisoners.

Who It Affects

• Limestone County Sheriff — salary changes to fixed $149,000 starting 1/18/2027; retains COLA and other increases; cannot personally benefit from the prisoners’ food fund.
• Limestone County government and taxpayers — budgeting impact from moving to a fixed salary rather than a percentage of a judge’s salary; COLA and uniform increases continue to apply to the sheriff.
• Prison operations oversight — sheriff barred from personal financial gain from the prisoners’ food account.

Key Provisions

• Amends 45-42-230(a) to set the sheriff’s pay at 85% of the top Thirty-ninth Judicial Circuit Judge’s salary for the next term.
• Adds (b) starting 1/18/2027, a base annual salary of $149,000 for the Limestone County Sheriff, replacing the 85% provision.
• Preserves cost-of-living and other uniform increases for the sheriff as granted to all county employees by the county commission.
• Prohibits the sheriff from personally benefiting from the food account used to feed county and state prisoners.
• Effective date: October 1, 2026.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano-2025-08-07 on Mar 13, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Limestone County