House Bill 320 Alabama 2026 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Phillip PettusRepresentative

Republican

Session

2026 Regular Session

Title

County law library fund and judicial administration fund; to require separate funds to be maintained in the county treasury

Summary

HB320 would require county law library funds and the presiding circuit judge’s judicial administration funds to be kept in separate funds within the county treasury, with related updates to the law.

What This Bill Does

The bill amends existing Alabama code to establish a dedicated County Law Library Fund and separate funds for the Presiding Circuit Judge's Judicial Administration and the Circuit Clerk's Judicial Administration inside each county treasury. It outlines what money goes into the County Law Library Fund (state, county, municipal appropriations, program proceeds, donations, and other funds) and permits using it to pay library personnel and to match grants, with library purchases exempt from certain taxes. It also revises docket fees in civil, criminal, and traffic cases, distributing two-thirds of state-collected docket fees to the State Judicial Administration Fund and allocating one-sixth each to the Presiding Circuit Judge's Judicial Administration Fund and the Circuit Clerk's Judicial Administration Fund at the county level, to be used for local court operations, with specific provisions on administration, audits, and fee waivers, and the act takes effect October 1, 2026.

Who It Affects

• Counties and county treasuries: must establish and maintain separate funds for the County Law Library Fund and the Presiding Circuit Judge's Judicial Administration Fund within the county treasury, and manage the distribution of docket fees accordingly.
• Court operations and personnel (including presiding circuit judges, circuit clerks, and county law libraries): receive designated funding to support local court operations, salaries/benefits, and library personnel, with restrictions on fund use and requirements for audits.

Key Provisions

• Creates the County Law Library Fund within the county treasury and may create a separate fund for each county law library; funds come from state/county/municipal appropriations, law-provided funds, grant proceeds, donations, and other sources; used to pay library personnel and may be used to match library grants; library purchases are tax-exempt.
• Establishes the Presiding Circuit Judge's Judicial Administration Fund and the Circuit Clerk's Judicial Administration Fund within the county treasury; funds are funded by one-sixth of docket fees collected in each circuit and county, respectively.
• Docket fee structure: civil cases in circuit/district courts (excluding special categories) add $45; small claims $15; criminal cases $40; traffic cases $26; with distributions as described to state and local funds.
• Local funds are to be used for operating local courts (salaries, benefits, and other necessary expenses) and are not to reduce payments to the presiding circuit judge or circuit clerk; expenditures are subject to audit.
• One-sixth of docket fees to the Presiding Circuit Judge's Fund and one-sixth to the Circuit Clerk's Fund are to be maintained within the county treasury; two-thirds of docket fees go to the State Judicial Administration Fund.
• Fee waivers are limited; docket fees cannot be waived unless all fees in the case are waived.
• Effective date: October 1, 2026.
• Nonsubstantive, technical revisions to update language to current style.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 12, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Counties & Municipalities