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HB191 • 2026

Escambia County; district court, location of holding court for cases arising under ordinances of certain municipalities authorized, constitutional amendment

Escambia County; district court, location of holding court for cases arising under ordinances of certain municipalities authorized, constitutional amendment

Elections
Enacted

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

Sponsor
Baker (A)
Last action
2026-03-17
Official status
Enacted
Effective date
Effective

Plain English Breakdown

The official source does not provide details on the specific process or requirements for ratification beyond mentioning an election will occur.

Escambia County Court Location Amendment

This bill proposes a constitutional amendment that allows the district court in Escambia County to hold court sessions for cases arising under ordinances of municipalities without their own courthouses at the county courthouse.

What This Bill Does

  • Proposes an amendment to Alabama's Constitution allowing the district court in Escambia County to hear cases from municipalities without their own courthouses.
  • Specifies that these cases must arise under local ordinances made by those municipalities.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People involved in legal cases arising from municipal ordinances in Escambia County without their own courthouse.
  • The district court and county officials in Escambia County.

Terms To Know

Constitutional Amendment
A change to the main rules of a country or state, like Alabama's Constitution, that needs special approval from voters.
Ordinances
Local laws made by cities or towns within their own areas.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify what happens if the county courthouse is full and cannot handle additional cases.
  • It's unclear how this amendment will affect court operations in Escambia County once it becomes law.

Bill History

  1. 2026-03-17 House

    Delivered to Governor

  2. 2026-02-17 House

    Enacted

  3. 2026-02-17 House

    Sent to Secretary of State

  4. 2026-02-17 House

    Delivered to Governor

  5. 2026-02-17 Senate

    Signature Requested

  6. 2026-02-12 Senate

    Chambliss Local Certification Resolution - Adopted Roll Call 364 (Yeas 29, Nays 0)

  7. 2026-02-12 Senate

    Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass - Adopted Roll Call 363 (Yeas 29, Nays 0)

  8. 2026-02-12 Senate

    Third Reading in Second House (Yeas 29, Nays 0)

  9. 2026-02-12 House

    Enrolled

  10. 2026-02-12 House

    Ready to Enroll

  11. 2026-02-10 Senate

    Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar

  12. 2026-02-10 Senate

    Reported Out of Committee Second House

  13. 2026-01-21 House

    LocalCertificationResolutionAdopted (Yeas 50, Nays 0)

  14. 2026-01-21 House

    Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass - Adopted Roll Call 92 (Yeas 65, Nays 0)

  15. 2026-01-21 House

    Third Reading in House of Origin (Yeas 67, Nays 0)

  16. 2026-01-21 Senate

    Pending Committee Action in Second House

  17. 2026-01-21 Senate

    Read for the first time and referred to the Senate Committee on Local Legislation

  18. 2026-01-20 House

    Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar

  19. 2026-01-20 House

    Reported Out of Committee House of Origin

  20. 2026-01-13 House

    Pending Committee Action in House of Origin

  21. 2026-01-13 House

    Read for the first time and referred to the House Committee on Local Legislation

Official Summary Text

This act proposes an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama of 2022, relating to Escambia County, to authorize the district court to hold court in the county courthouse for cases arising under ordinances of a municipality with no municipal courthouse.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
HB191 ENROLLED
Page 0
HB191
5V1IA3M-2
By Representative Baker (Constitutional Amendment)
RFD: Local Legislation
First Read: 13-Jan-26
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HB191 Enrolled
Page 1
First Read: 13-Jan-26
Enrolled, An Act,
To propose an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama
of 2022, relating to Escambia County, to further provide for
where the district court may hold court in certain cases.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
Section 1. The following amendment to the Constitution
of Alabama of 2022, is proposed:
PROPOSED AMENDMENT
In Escambia County, the district court may hold court
in the county courthouse for cases arising under the
ordinances of any municipality in the county in which there is
no municipal court.
Upon ratification of this constitutional amendment, the
Code Commissioner shall number and place this amendment as
appropriate in the constitution omitting this instructional
paragraph and may make the following nonsubstantive revisions:
change capitalization, hierarchy, spelling, and punctuation
for purposes of style and uniformity; correct manifest
grammatical, clerical, and typographical errors; revise
internal or external citations and cross-references; harmonize
language; and translate effective dates.
END PROPOSED AMENDMENT
Section 2. An election upon the proposed amendment
shall be held in accordance with Sections 284, 284.01, and 285
of the Constitution of Alabama of 2022, and the election laws
of this state. The appropriate election official shall assign
a ballot number for the proposed constitutional amendment on
the election ballot and shall set forth the following
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HB191 Enrolled
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the election ballot and shall set forth the following
description of the substance or subject matter of the proposed
constitutional amendment:
"Relating to Escambia County, proposing an amendment to
the Constitution of Alabama of 2022, to further provide for
where the district court may hold court in certain cases.
Proposed by Act ____."
This description shall be followed by the following
language:
"Yes( ) No( )."
Section 3. The proposed amendment shall become valid as
part of the Constitution of Alabama of 2022, when approved by
a majority of the qualified electors voting thereon.
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HB191 Enrolled
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a majority of the qualified electors voting thereon.
________________________________________________
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 21-Jan-26.
John Treadwell
Clerk
Senate 12-Feb-26 Passed
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