HB34 • 2026

Crimes and offenses; crime of giving false information to a law enforcement officer, established; crime of refusing to give a law enforcement officer information, established

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: 2026-01-21
Official status: Read Second Time in House of Origin
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official status indicates the bill passed both chambers, but the effective date is set for October 1, 2026. The provided metadata lists a 'Last action' of January 2026 which appears to be an earlier reading stage compared to the final passage noted in the summary.

New Crimes for Lying to or Refusing Police Officers

This bill creates two new crimes: knowingly giving false personal details to an officer and willfully refusing to answer specific questions during a lawful investigatory stop.

What This Bill Does

Creates the crime of 'giving false information' if someone knowingly lies about their name, address, or date of birth to deceive an officer on duty.
Sets the penalty for giving false information as a Class A misdemeanor.
Creates the crime of refusing to give information if a person willfully refuses to answer questions during an investigatory stop based on reasonable suspicion.
Requires officers to identify themselves and state the reason for the stop before asking for name, address, date of birth, or an explanation of actions.
Clarifies that people do not have to provide answers that would be self-incriminating (admitting they broke a law).
Repeals the old law about giving false names and replaces it with this new rule.

Who It Names or Affects

People who interact with police officers during official duties or investigatory stops.
Law enforcement officers, including sheriffs, deputies, constables, marshals, city police, highway patrolmen, and state troopers.
Courts that handle Class A and Class C misdemeanor cases.

Terms To Know

Class A misdemeanor: A type of crime with a specific level of punishment under Alabama law, more serious than a Class C but less than a felony.
Class C misdemeanor: The least serious category of criminal offense in this context, carrying lighter penalties than other misdemeanors.
Reasonable suspicion: A legal standard where an officer has a specific belief that someone is involved in crime based on facts they see or know.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not take effect until October 1, 2026.
People are protected from having to answer questions if the answers would prove they committed a crime (self-incrimination).
The text does not list specific fines or jail times for these new crimes.

Amendments

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

QNWKL15-1

Public Safety and Homeland Security

Reported Out of Committee House of Origin

Plain English: This amendment creates two new crimes in Alabama for lying to or refusing to give basic information to police officers during a stop, while also updating the rules that allow officers to make those stops.

It makes it a Class A misdemeanor (a minor crime) to knowingly lie about your name, address, or date of birth when talking to an officer doing their job.
It creates a new Class C misdemeanor for refusing to give your name, address, or date of birth if an officer has reasonable suspicion you committed a crime and asks for that information during a stop.
It updates the law on investigatory stops so officers can legally demand your name, address, date of birth, and an explanation of what you are doing when they suspect you broke the law.

The text does not explain exactly how much jail time or fines a person would face for these new crimes.
It is unclear from this document alone if there are any specific exceptions to giving information besides avoiding self-incrimination, such as medical emergencies.

Bill History

2026-01-21 House
Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar
2026-01-21 House
Reported Out of Committee House of Origin
2026-01-13 House
Pending Committee Action in House of Origin
2026-01-13 House
Read for the first time and referred to the House Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security

Official Summary Text

Crimes and offenses; crime of giving false information to a law enforcement officer, established; crime of refusing to give a law enforcement officer information, established

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

HB34 INTRODUCED
Page 0
HB34
TBSXT95-1
By Representative Bolton
RFD: Public Safety and Homeland Security
First Read: 13-Jan-26
PFD: 14-Aug-25
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TBSXT95-1 08/06/2025 CMH (L)CMH 2025-2342
Page 1
PFD: 14-Aug-25
SYNOPSIS:
Under existing law, giving a false name or
address to a law enforcement is a Class A misdemeanor.
This bill would re-establish the criminal
offense as giving false information to a law
enforcement officer.
Under existing law, a law enforcement officer
who has a reasonable suspicion that criminal activity
has occurred, is occurring, or is about to occur may
conduct a brief investigatory stop.
This bill would provide that if a person
willfully refuses to answer certain questions during
the course of an investigatory stop, the person is
guilty of a Class C misdemeanor.
A BILL
TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
Relating to crimes and offenses; to add Section
13A-10-9.2 to the Code of Alabama 1975, to establish the crime
of giving false information to a law enforcement officer; to
add Section 13A-10-3.1 to the Code of Alabama 1975, to
establish the crime of refusing give a law enforcement officer
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HB34 INTRODUCED
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establish the crime of refusing give a law enforcement officer
information; to provide criminal penalties for a violation; to
amend Section 15-5-30, Code of Alabama 1975, to further
provide for warrantless investigatory stops; and to repeal
Section 13A-9-18.1, Code of Alabama 1975, relating to giving
false information to a law enforcement officer.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
Section 1. Section 13A-10-9.2 is added to the Code of
Alabama 1975, to read as follows:
§13A-10-9.2
(a) A person commits the crime of giving false
information to a law enforcement officer if, during the course
of a law enforcement officer's official duties, the person
knowingly and with intent to deceive gives to the law
enforcement officer a false name, address, or date of birth.
(b) A violation of this section is a Class A
misdemeanor.
Section 2. Section 13A-10-3.1 is added to the Code of
Alabama 1975, to read as follows:
13A-10-3.1
(a) A person commits the crime of refusing to give a
law enforcement officer information if all of the following
occur:
(1) A law enforcement officer, acting within his or her
official duties, develops a reasonable suspicion that a person
has committed, is committing, or is about to commit a felony
or misdemeanor and conducts an investigatory stop.
(2) The law enforcement officer reasonably identifies
himself or herself to the person as a duly sworn law
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HB34 INTRODUCED
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himself or herself to the person as a duly sworn law
enforcement officer and provides the reason for the stop.
(3) The law enforcement officer asks the person for the
person's name, address, date of birth, or an explanation of
his or her actions.
(4) The person willfully refuses to answer the law
enforcement officer.
(b) Nothing in this section shall require a person to
give any information that would be deemed self-incriminating.
(c) A violation of this section is a Class C
misdemeanor.
Section 3. Section 15-5-30, Code of Alabama 1975, is
amended to read as follows:
"§15-5-30
A sheriff or other officer acting as sheriff, his
deputy or any constable, acting within their respective
counties, any marshal, deputy marshal or policeman of any
incorporated city or town within the limits of the county or
any highway patrolman or state trooper law enforcement officer,
acting in the course of his or her official duties, may stop
any person abroad in a public place whom hethe officer
reasonably suspects is committing, has committed , or is about
to commit a felony , misdemeanor, or other public offense and
may demand of him that the person give his or her name,
address , date of birth, and an explanation of his or her
actions."
Section 4. Section 13A-9-18.1, Code of Alabama 1975,
relating to giving false information to a law enforcement
officer, is repealed.
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HB34 INTRODUCED
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officer, is repealed.
Section 5. This act shall become effective on October
1, 2026.
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