Prevent immediate family members from acting in a fiduciary capacity for the same governmental authority

Added new requirements allowing county officials to use mechanical or electrical devices to sign payment orders, with specific security protocols for storing these devices.

Added requirements for designating alternate signatories when two or more required signatories are family or household members to prevent conflicts of interest.

Modified penalty provisions for forgery, changing from a general felony description to specific language about knowingly uttering forged warrants, orders, or checks.

Added a definition for 'family or household member' by referencing an existing code section.

Removed detailed requirements about county treasury payment procedures, including rules for mechanical or electrical signature devices and alternate signatories for family members.

Added language inserting the word 'tax' after two references to 'chief' in section 4, line 20 of the committee substitute.

Removed felony penalty provisions for unauthorized use of mechanical or electrical signature devices on warrants, orders, or checks.

Changed the amendment structure from a full committee amendment to a more targeted amendment by specific delegates.

Changed the alternate signatory for the sheriff from 'chief deputy' to 'chief tax deputy' if the chief deputy is a family member of another signatory.

Simplified the language regarding alternate signatory designation from a multi-step process to a single vote by the county commission.

Removed the requirement that alternate signatories must be designated by vote for the sheriff's position, making the process more streamlined.

Corrected several grammatical errors and clarified ambiguous phrasing throughout the bill text.

Document format changed from official enrolled bill text to a website interface with navigation links, search functionality, and footer information.

Some phrasing in the legislative text was slightly altered for readability, such as changing 'county commission president' to 'president of the county commission' and adding clarifying phrases like 'as provided in this section of the code'.

New explanatory note added at the end clarifying the bill's purpose is to prevent immediate family members from acting in a fiduciary capacity for the same governmental authority.

Header information updated to reflect final enrolled status with passage date (April 9, 2025) and effective date (90 days from passage, July 8, 2025)

Minor wording refinements in section (a) regarding mechanical/electrical signature devices and access restrictions

Section (d) penalty language slightly rephrased for clarity while maintaining the same two-to-ten year felony confinement requirement

Added specific procedures for designating alternate signatories when family or household members are among the required signatories for treasury orders.

Established that the county clerk cannot be substituted under the family conflict provisions.

Added requirement that alternate signatories must be designated by county commission vote.

Included a definition of 'family or household member' by referencing existing code section §48-27-204.

Clarified the penalty for forgery of treasury orders remains a felony with 2-10 year imprisonment.