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HB 360 Alabama House · 2025 Regular Session

Drug courts; name changed to "accountability courts," eligibility expanded to include veterans and individuals with mental illness, duties of Administrative Office of Courts further provided for

HB 360 would rename "drug courts" to "accountability courts" and expand eligibility to include veterans and individuals with mental illness or substance use disorders. The bill requires treatment programs referred by courts to be certified by the Department of Mental Health or use evidence-based practices, and it allows accountability courts to accept transferred cases from municipal courts lacking their own such courts. This change would directly affect defendants in substance use or mental health cases, treatment providers, and municipal courts. The bill is currently pending in the House Judiciary Committee (as of March 2025) and has not yet become law.
Issues: ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeExpands eligibility for rehabilitation-focused courts, mandates evidence-based treatment, and reduces punitive approaches - aligns with reform goals to reduce recidivism.95% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareExpands mental health access via court referrals, mandates certified treatment programs under Department of Mental Health, directly supporting mental health services for eligible individuals.95% confidence ✓ VeteransSupports VeteransExpands eligibility for accountability courts to include veterans, providing alternative treatment pathways instead of incarceration for veterans with substance use or mental health needs.95% confidence
Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2025
Committee Review
Apr 2025
House Passage
Mar 2025
Senate Passage
Governor
Introduced Feb 27, 2025 Last action Apr 9, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced → Engrossed · 7 edits · Mar 19, 2025
MODERATE
This bill was renamed from 'drug courts' to 'accountability courts' and expanded eligibility to include offenders with mental illness and veterans, not just drug offenders. The changes broaden the program's scope to address co-occurring mental health and substance abuse issues while maintaining the core accountability court structure.
Scope change
Expanded from drug offenders only to include veterans and individuals with mental illness, and renamed the program from 'drug courts' to 'accountability courts'
SCOPE

Renamed the program from 'drug courts' to 'accountability courts' to reflect broader eligibility beyond just drug offenses

ELIGIBILITY

Added veterans as eligible participants in the accountability court program

Added individuals with mental illness as eligible participants in the accountability court program

DEFINITION

Added new definitions for 'co-occurring' (substance abuse and mental health disorder) and 'continuum of care' to support the expanded program scope

Added 'substance abuse treatment providers' and 'any other person the chair deems appropriate' as members of the advisory committee

Added 'drug court coordinator' and additional community representatives to the accountability court team composition

REQUIREMENT

Updated the definition of accountability court to include veterans and mental health services alongside substance abuse services

Floor votes

How they voted

This bill passed the House by voice vote (no roll call recorded).
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
18
Key actions
8
Committee
4
Amendments
4
Apr 9, 2025
Upper · Passed
Reported Out of Committee Second House
upper
Apr 1, 2025
Upper · Passed
Pending Committee Action in Second House (Judiciary)
upper
Mar 19, 2025
Lower · Passed
Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass as Amended - Adopted Roll Call 489
lower
Mar 19, 2025
Lower · Passed
Motion to Adopt - Adopted Roll Call 488
lower
Mar 19, 2025
Introduced
Hill 2nd Amendment Offered
lower
Mar 19, 2025
Lower · Passed
Motion to Adopt - Adopted Roll Call 487
lower
Mar 19, 2025
Introduced
Hill 1st Amendment Offered
lower
Mar 19, 2025
Lower · Passed
Motion to Adopt - Adopted Roll Call 486
lower
Mar 19, 2025
Introduced
Judiciary Engrossed Substitute Offered (Judiciary)
lower
Mar 5, 2025
Lower · Passed
Reported Out of Committee House of Origin (Judiciary)
lower
Mar 5, 2025
Introduced
Judiciary 1st Amendment (Judiciary)
lower
Feb 27, 2025
Lower · Passed
Pending Committee Action in House of Origin (Judiciary)
lower
0 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

No sponsor information available.