House Bill 543 Alabama 2026 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Ernie YarbroughRepresentative

Republican

Session

2026 Regular Session

Title

Lawrence County; sheriff, use of credit card or debit card authorized

Summary

The bill authorizes the Lawrence County Sheriff to use a credit or debit card for approved purchases, with required procedures and limits to keep spending controlled.

What This Bill Does

It lets the Lawrence County Sheriff establish procedures to use a credit or debit card for approved purchases of tangible property or services. The bill requires a written policy with limits on per-purchase and monthly spending, ensures the sheriff or designee has sole access to card numbers and security codes, keeps purchase records, reviews bills monthly for unauthorized charges, and pays bills on time. It requires the sheriff to pick a card provider based on fees, rewards, interest, and penalties, with any rewards deposited into the sheriff's discretionary fund. Purchases would be paid from the Sheriff's Discretionary Fund (with travel expenses coming from the sheriff's general fund budget under the county's travel policy), and nothing in the bill authorizes spending beyond lawful appropriations or creating county debt; the act takes effect October 1, 2026.

Who It Affects

• Lawrence County Sheriff's Office (the Sheriff and designee): allowed to use a credit/debit card for approved purchases, must follow the new policy, and maintain records.
• Lawrence County government, including the Sheriff’s Discretionary Fund and the Sheriff’s general fund travel budget: funding and accounting for card purchases and travel expenses; rewards from card use go to the discretionary fund.

Key Provisions

• The Sheriff may establish procedures to use a credit or debit card for approved purchases of tangible property or services.
• The Sheriff must adopt a written policy with per-purchase limits, monthly spending limits, sole access to card numbers and security codes, and record-keeping/audit requirements.
• The Sheriff must select a card provider considering fees, rewards, interest rates, service charges, penalties, and other relevant factors.
• Rewards or rebates earned from card use shall be deposited into the Lawrence County Sheriff’s discretionary fund.
• Purchases with the card shall be paid from the Sheriff’s Discretionary Fund, except travel expenses paid from the sheriff’s general fund budget under the county’s travel policy, and spending cannot exceed lawful appropriations or create county debt.
• The act becomes effective on October 1, 2026.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano-2025-08-07 on Mar 3, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Lawrence County