SB 241 Alabama Senate · 2026 Regular Session

Walker County; temporary probate judges, authorized

SB 241 authorizes Walker County's elected probate judge to appoint temporary lawyers from the county to handle probate court duties during periods of high caseloads, complex cases, or scheduling delays. Temporary judges can serve up to 90 days per appointment (with a yearly maximum of 200 days) and have full authority to make decisions that are legally binding like those of the elected judge. The bill specifies they must be paid $50 per hearing from the judge's discretionary funds, with no additional pay if they are already court employees. It also clarifies that the elected judge and their bond are not liable for actions taken by temporary judges during their service.

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2026

Committee Review

Feb 2026

Senate Passage

Feb 2026

House Passage

Mar 2026

Signed into Law

Mar 2026

Introduced Feb 3, 2026 Signed Mar 31, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced → Enrolled · 3 edits · Mar 31, 2026

MINOR

The bill transitioned from an introduced draft to its final enrolled version, primarily updating the document title and page numbers to reflect official legislative status. The substantive policy content regarding the appointment of temporary probate judges, their 90-day term limits, and the $50 per hearing compensation remains identical to the original draft.

TECHNICAL

The document header was updated from 'SB241 INTRODUCED' to 'SB241 ENROLLED', and the internal bill number was changed from W1JTX95-1 to W1JTX95-2 to match the final enrolled version.

Page numbering and header text were adjusted to align with the official enrolled format, replacing draft page markers with 'SB241 Enrolled'.

Signatures and certification blocks for the President of the Senate and Speaker of the House were added to finalize the bill's passage.

Floor votes

How they voted

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

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Mar 17, 2026

Lower · Passed

Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass - Adopted Roll Call 925

lower

Feb 17, 2026

Lower · Passed

Reported Out of Committee Second House

lower

Feb 12, 2026

Lower · Passed

Pending Committee Action in Second House (Local Legislation)

lower

Feb 12, 2026

Upper · Passed

Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass - Adopted Roll Call 379

upper

Feb 10, 2026

Upper · Passed

Reported Out of Committee House of Origin

upper

Feb 3, 2026

Upper · Passed

Pending Committee Action in House of Origin (Local Legislation )

upper

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors