HB 546 Alabama House · 2026 Regular Session

Incarceration; to provide required time periods in the administration of the Lawrence County Community Corrections and Court Services Fund

This bill updates how money is managed in Lawrence County's Community Corrections and Court Services Fund by changing when surplus funds are transferred to the county's general budget and adjusting the timeline for remitting appearance bond deposits to the fund. It also clarifies when municipalities can join temporary release and related programs, requiring them to adopt a resolution that becomes effective at the start of the next fiscal quarter. The legislation repeals an older 1979 law to modernize these administrative procedures without changing the core purpose of the fund, which supports investigation, administration, and rehabilitation programs for defendants in Lawrence County.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Mar 2026
Committee Review
Mar 2026
House Passage
Mar 2026
Senate Passage
Mar 2026
Signed into Law
Mar 2026
Introduced Mar 3, 2026 Signed Mar 31, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced Enrolled · 4 edits · Mar 31, 2026
MODERATE
The bill was finalized and enrolled for signature, updating the effective date to October 1, 2026. The text was cleaned up to remove draft markings and formatting errors, while preserving the core policy of expanding funding sources for Lawrence County's corrections fund and clarifying rules for releasing defendants pending trial.
Scope change
The bill's scope remains focused on Lawrence County, but the text now explicitly clarifies that the fund can be used for federal and state grants, broadening the potential funding sources compared to the draft.
TIMELINE

The effective date for the new work release programs was set to October 1, 2026, ensuring a specific start time for implementation.

TECHNICAL

The text was cleaned of draft annotations, page headers, and formatting inconsistencies to create a final, official version ready for signing.

FISCAL

The list of allowable expenses for the corrections fund was expanded to explicitly include matching federal and state grants.

REQUIREMENT

New language was added to ensure that release decisions consider the financial status of defendants to prevent unnecessary detention.

Floor votes

How they voted

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

Actions timeline

Total actions
16
Key actions
6
Committee
4
Mar 17, 2026
Upper · Passed
Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass - Adopted Roll Call 874
upper
Mar 12, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported Out of Committee Second House
upper
Mar 10, 2026
Upper · Passed
Pending Committee Action in Second House (Local Legislation )
upper
Mar 10, 2026
Lower · Passed
Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass - Adopted Roll Call 802
lower
Mar 5, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported Out of Committee House of Origin
lower
Mar 3, 2026
Lower · Passed
Pending Committee Action in House of Origin (Local Legislation)
lower
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Ernie Yarbrough
Ernie Yarbrough
RRepublican
AL
7