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HB29 • 2026

Crimes and offenses; manslaughter; further provided to include certain victims of sexual extortion

Crimes and offenses; manslaughter; further provided to include certain victims of sexual extortion

Children Crime
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Bolton
Last action
2026-01-13
Official status
Pending Committee Action in House of Origin
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill text does not provide details on enforcement mechanisms or potential defenses.

Expanding Manslaughter Law to Include Victims of Sexual Extortion

This bill changes the law so that if someone under 18 is sexually extorted and dies as a result, it can be considered manslaughter.

What This Bill Does

  • Adds sexual extortion against minors (under 18) to the list of actions that can lead to manslaughter charges.
  • Requires proof beyond a reasonable doubt that the victim's death was caused by the sexual extortion.
  • States that if a minor commits suicide after being sexually extorted, it is considered a direct result of the crime and not an independent event.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People who commit sexual extortion against minors
  • Victims of sexual extortion under 18 years old

Terms To Know

Manslaughter
A crime where someone's death is caused by another person's reckless or negligent actions.
Sexual Extortion
Using threats to force someone into sexual activities or sharing private images without consent.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how it will be enforced or what resources will be provided for enforcement.
  • It is unclear if there are any exceptions or defenses against the new law.

Bill History

  1. 2026-01-13 House

    Pending Committee Action in House of Origin

  2. 2026-01-13 House

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

Official Summary Text

Crimes and offenses; manslaughter; further provided to include certain victims of sexual extortion

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
HB29 INTRODUCED
Page 0
HB29
ARHAM7S-1
By Representative Bolton
RFD: Judiciary
First Read: 13-Jan-26
PFD: 11-Aug-25
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ARHAM7S-1 07/10/2025 CMH (L)CMH 2025-1958
Page 1
PFD: 11-Aug-25
SYNOPSIS:
Under existing law, a person commits the crime
of manslaughter if he or she: (i) recklessly causes the
death of another person; (ii) causes the death of
another person under circumstances ordinarily
constituting murder but for various mitigating factors,
including heat of passion; or (iii) sells or
distributes any substance containing any amount of
fentanyl which causes the death of another.
This bill would further provide for the crime of
manslaughter to include sexual extortion of an
individual under 18 years of age which proximately
causes the victim's death.
A BILL
TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
Relating to crimes and offenses; to amend Section
13A-6-3, Code of Alabama 1975, to further provide for the
crime of manslaughter, to include death resulting from sexual
extortion; and to provide a criminal penalty for a violation.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
Section 1. Section 13A-6-3, Code of Alabama 1975, is
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HB29 INTRODUCED
Page 2
Section 1. Section 13A-6-3, Code of Alabama 1975, is
amended to read as follows:
"§13A-6-3
(a) A person commits the crime of manslaughter if he or
she does any of the following:
(1) Recklessly causes the death of another person.
(2) Causes the death of another person under
circumstances that would constitute murder under Section
13A-6-2; except, that he or she causes the death due to a
sudden heat of passion caused by provocation recognized by
law, and before a reasonable time for the passion to cool and
for reason to reassert itself.
(3)a. Knowingly sells, furnishes, gives away, delivers,
or distributes a controlled substance in violation of Section
13A-12-211, which contains fentanyl, any mixture containing
fentanyl, any synthetic controlled substance fentanyl, or any
synthetic controlled substance fentanyl analogue as described
in Sections 20-2-23 and 20-2-25, and the person to whom the
controlled substance is sold, furnished, given, delivered, or
distributed dies as a proximate result of the use of the
controlled substance; provided, nothing in this subdivision
shall be construed to apply to a licensed physician engaged in
the practice of medicine, a licensed pharmacist engaged in the
practice of pharmacy, or a licensed dentist engaged in the
practice of dentistry.
b. It is not a defense to this subdivision that the
person who sold, furnished, gave away, delivered, or
distributed the controlled substance had no knowledge that the
controlled substance contained fentanyl, any mixture
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HB29 INTRODUCED
Page 3
controlled substance contained fentanyl, any mixture
containing fentanyl, any synthetic controlled substance
fentanyl, or any synthetic controlled substance fentanyl
analogue as described in Section 20-2-23 and 20-2-25.
(4)a. Commits the crime of sexual extortion, as
provided under Section 13A-6-241, against a victim under 18
years of age, and both of the following occur:
1. The victim of the crime dies.
2. The finder of fact finds beyond a reasonable doubt
that the sexual extortion of the victim was the proximate
cause of the victim's death.
b. For purposes of this subdivision, the Legislature
finds that for purposes of determining proximate causation, a
victim's suicide shall be deemed to be a foreseeable
consequence of the crime of sexual extortion and shall not be
deemed an independent intervening cause.
(b)(1) Manslaughter Except as provided in subdivision
(2), manslaughter is a Class B felony.
(2) Manslaughter under subdivision (a)(4) is a Class A
felony. "
Section 2. This act shall become effective on October
1, 2026.
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