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HB132 • 2026

Crimes and offenses; assault in the second degree, revised

Crimes and offenses; assault in the second degree, revised

Children Crime Education Firearms
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Estes
Last action
2026-04-08
Official status
Enacted
Effective date
2026-10-01

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide additional details about what happens if someone under 19 causes injury with the intent to harm a child in an educational setting.

Revised Law on Second Degree Assault

This law changes the definition of second degree assault to include causing physical injury to anyone if someone over 19 years old intends to hurt a child at school and is not employed or enrolled there.

What This Bill Does

  • Adds new rules for when someone can be charged with second degree assault.
  • Includes situations where a person older than 19 hurts anyone, not just a child in an educational setting, if they intended to harm the child while at school.
  • Requires that the person causing injury is neither employed nor enrolled in the educational environment.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People who are at least 19 years old and not employed or enrolled in an educational institution.
  • Anyone who could be charged under the new rules for second degree assault.

Terms To Know

educational environment
A place where children go to learn, such as a school building or classroom.
second degree assault
An act of violence that is less severe than first-degree assault but more serious than simple assault.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The law only applies to people who are at least 19 years old and not employed or enrolled in the educational environment.
  • It does not specify what happens if someone under 19 causes injury with intent to hurt a child in an educational setting.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

5VBSN66-1

R 550

Adopted

Plain English: 5VBSN66-1 01/28/2026 THR (H) HSE 2025-3660 House Judiciary Reported Substitute for HB132 Page 1 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT Relating to crimes and offenses; to amend Section 13A-6-21, Code of Alabama 1975; to revise the crime of assault in the second degree.

  • 5VBSN66-1 01/28/2026 THR (H) HSE 2025-3660 House Judiciary Reported Substitute for HB132 Page 1 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT Relating to crimes and offenses; to amend Section 13A-6-21, Code of Alabama 1975; to revise the crime of assault in the second degree.
  • BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA: Section 1.
  • Section 13A-6-21, Code of Alabama 1975, is amended to read as follows: "§13A-6-21 (a) A person commits the crime of assault in the second degree if the person does any of the following: (1) With intent to cause serious physical injury to another person, he or she causes serious physical injury to any person.
  • (2) With intent to cause physical injury to another person, he or she causes physical injury to any person by means of a deadly weapon or a dangerous instrument.
  • This amendment summary is using official source text because generated interpretation was skipped for this run.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-08 House

    Enacted

  2. 2026-04-01 Senate

    Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass - Adopted Roll Call 1042 (Yeas 34, Nays 0)

  3. 2026-04-01 Senate

    Third Reading in Second House (Yeas 34, Nays 0)

  4. 2026-04-01 Senate

    Signature Requested

  5. 2026-04-01 House

    Delivered to Governor

  6. 2026-04-01 House

    Enrolled

  7. 2026-04-01 House

    Ready to Enroll

  8. 2026-03-11 Senate

    Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar

  9. 2026-03-11 Senate

    Reported Out of Committee Second House

  10. 2026-02-25 Senate

    Pending Committee Action in Second House

  11. 2026-02-25 Senate

    Read for the first time and referred to the Senate Committee on Judiciary

  12. 2026-02-24 House

    Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass as Amended - Adopted Roll Call 551 (Yeas 102, Nays 0)

  13. 2026-02-24 House

    Motion to Adopt - Adopted Roll Call 550 (Yeas 104, Nays 0)

  14. 2026-02-24 House

    Third Reading in House of Origin (Yeas 104, Nays 0)

  15. 2026-02-24 House

    Engrossed

  16. 2026-02-24 House

    Judiciary Engrossed Substitute Offered

  17. 2026-01-29 House

    Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar

  18. 2026-01-28 House

    Reported Out of Committee House of Origin

  19. 2026-01-13 House

    Pending Committee Action in House of Origin

  20. 2026-01-13 House

    Read for the first time and referred to the House Committee on Judiciary

Official Summary Text

This act amends Section 13A-6-21, Code of Alabama 1975, to add to the actions giving rise to the crime of assault in the second degree when a person who is at least 19 years of age, with the intent to cause physical injury to a child located in an educational environment, causes physical injury to any individual so long as the person is not employed by or enrolled in an entity associated with the educational environment.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
HB132 ENROLLED
Page 0
HB132
5VBSN66-3
By Representative Estes
RFD: Judiciary
First Read: 13-Jan-26
PFD: 07-Jan-26
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HB132 Enrolled
Page 1
PFD: 07-Jan-26
Enrolled, An Act,
Relating to crimes and offenses; to amend Section
13A-6-21, Code of Alabama 1975; to revise the crime of assault
in the second degree.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
Section 1. Section 13A-6-21, Code of Alabama 1975, is
amended to read as follows:
"§13A-6-21
(a) A person commits the crime of assault in the second
degree if the person does any of the following:
(1) With intent to cause serious physical injury to
another person, he or she causes serious physical injury to
any person.
(2) With intent to cause physical injury to another
person, he or she causes physical injury to any person by
means of a deadly weapon or a dangerous instrument.
(3) He or she recklessly causes serious physical injury
to another person by means of a deadly weapon or a dangerous
instrument.
(4)a. With intent to prevent a peace officer, as
defined in Section 36-21-60, a detention or correctional
officer at any municipal or county jail or state penitentiary,
emergency medical personnel, a utility worker, or a
firefighter from performing a lawful duty, he or she intends
to cause physical injury and he or she causes physical injury
to any person.
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to any person.
b. For the purpose of this subdivision, a person who is
a peace officer who is employed or under contract while off
duty by a private or public entity is a peace officer
performing a lawful duty when the person is working in his or
her approved uniform while off duty with the approval of his
or her employing law enforcement agency. Provided, however,
that nothing Nothing contained in this subdivision shall be
deemed or construed as amending, modifying, or extending the
classification of a peace officer as off-duty off duty for
workers' compensation purposes or any other benefits to which
a peace officer may otherwise be entitled to under law when
considered on-duty on duty . Additionally, nothing contained in
this subdivision shall be deemed or construed as amending,
modifying, or extending the tort liability of any municipality
as a result of any action or inaction on the part of an
off-duty police officer.
(5) With intent to cause physical injury to a teacher
or to an employee of a public educational institution during
or as a result of the performance of his or her duty, he or
she causes physical injury to any person.
(6) With intent to cause physical injury to a health
care worker, including a nurse, physician, technician, or any
other person employed by or practicing at a hospital as
defined in Section 22-21-20; a county or district health
department; a long-term care facility; a physician's office,
clinic, or outpatient treatment facility during the course of
or as a result of the performance of the duties of the health
care worker or other person employed by or practicing at the
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care worker or other person employed by or practicing at the
hospital; the county or district health department; any health
care facility owned or operated by the State of Alabama; the
long-term care facility; the physician's office, clinic, or
outpatient treatment facility; or a pharmacist, pharmacy
technician, pharmacy intern, pharmacy extern, or pharmacy
cashier; he or she causes physical injury to any person. This
subdivision shall apply to assaults on home health care
workers while they are in a private residence. This
subdivision shall not apply to assaults by patients who are
impaired by medication.
(7) For a purpose other than lawful medical or
therapeutic treatment, he or she intentionally causes stupor,
unconsciousness, or other physical or mental impairment or
injury to another person by administering to him or her,
without his or her consent, a drug, substance , or preparation
capable of producing the intended harm.
(8) With intent to cause physical injury to a
Department of Human Resources employee or any employee
performing social work, as defined in Section 34-30-1, during
or as a result of the performance of his or her duty, he or
she causes physical injury to any person.
(9) With intent to cause physical injury to a letter
carrier, as defined in Section 32-6-380, during or as a result
of the performance of his or her duty, he or she causes
physical injury to any person.
(10) With intent to cause physical injury to a child,
as defined in Section 16-22A-3, located in an educational
environment, as defined in Section 16-22A-3, he or she: (i) is
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environment, as defined in Section 16-22A-3, he or she: (i) is
at least 19 years of age; (ii) is not employed by or enrolled
in the entity associated with the educational environment, as
defined in Section 16-22A-3; and (iii) causes physical injury
to any person.
(b) Assault in the second degree is a Class C felony.
(c) For the purposes of this section, "utility worker"
means any person who is employed by an entity that owns,
operates, leases, or controls any plant, property, or facility
for the generation, transmission, manufacture, production,
supply, distribution, sale, storage, conveyance, delivery, or
furnishing to or for the public of electricity, natural or
manufactured gas, water, steam, sewage, or telephone service,
including two or more utilities rendering joint service."
Section 2. This act shall become effective on October
1, 2026.
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1, 2026.
________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Representatives
________________________________________________
President and Presiding Officer of the Senate
House of Representatives
I hereby certify that the within Act originated in and
was passed by the House 24-Feb-26, as amended.
John Treadwell
Clerk
Senate 01-Apr-26 Passed
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