Criminal law; crime scene photos of human remains, prohibitions on transmission or release, provided; penalties for violations, provided

Children Crime

Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor: Givan
Last action: 2026-03-05
Official status: Read Second Time in House of Origin
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Rules for Keeping Crime Scene Photos Private

This law makes it illegal to share or use crime scene photos of dead people without permission, except for official police work. It also sets penalties for breaking this rule.

What This Bill Does

Makes it against the law to show or send pictures taken during a death investigation unless they are needed for official police work.
Says that anyone who breaks this rule can be punished with fines and jail time.
Increases the punishment if someone shares these photos for money, goods, or services.

Who It Names or Affects

People who take or have access to crime scene photos of dead people.
Law enforcement officers and coroners involved in death investigations.

Terms To Know

Class B misdemeanor: A type of minor criminal offense that can result in fines and up to six months in jail.
Class A misdemeanor: A more serious criminal offense than a Class B misdemeanor, which can lead to higher fines and longer jail time.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify how the law will be enforced or what happens if someone accidentally shares these photos.
It is unclear who exactly would face penalties under this law beyond those directly involved in death investigations.

Amendments

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

NR4W6TT-1

Judiciary

Reported Out of Committee House of Origin

Plain English: NR4W6TT-1 03/04/2026 CMH (H) HSE 2026-921 House Judiciary Reported Substitute for HB503 Page 1 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT Relating to crimes; to prohibit the disclosure or transmission of certain images of deceased individuals taken as part of a coroner or law enforcement investigation; and to provide criminal penalties for a violation.

NR4W6TT-1 03/04/2026 CMH (H) HSE 2026-921 House Judiciary Reported Substitute for HB503 Page 1 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT Relating to crimes; to prohibit the disclosure or transmission of certain images of deceased individuals taken as part of a coroner or law enforcement investigation; and to provide criminal penalties for a violation.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA: Section 1.
(a) Any photograph or image of a deceased individual or human remains that is taken as part of a coroner death investigation or law enforcement investigation, regardless of whether the investigation is active or not, and regardless of whether the photograph or image was taken by use of a personal electronic device or device belonging to a state or local agency, is prohibited from being disclosed, transmitted, or used for any purpose other than an official coroner or law enforcement purpose or as otherwise authorized by law or civil proceedings .
(b)(1) Any person who violates subsection (a) is guilty of a Class B misdemeanor.

This amendment summary is using official source text because generated interpretation was skipped for this run.

Bill History

2026-03-05 House
Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar
2026-03-04 House
Reported Out of Committee House of Origin
2026-02-24 House
Pending Committee Action in House of Origin
2026-02-24 House
Read for the first time and referred to the House Committee on Judiciary

Official Summary Text

Criminal law; crime scene photos of human remains, prohibitions on transmission or release, provided; penalties for violations, provided

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

HB503 INTRODUCED
Page 0
HB503
MS2SKHW-1
By Representative Givan
RFD: Judiciary
First Read: 24-Feb-26
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MS2SKHW-1 02/18/2026 CMH (L)CMH 2026-921
Page 1
First Read: 24-Feb-26
SYNOPSIS:
This bill would prohibit the disclosure or
transmission of images taken as a part of a death
investigation, except for official law enforcement
purposes.
This bill would provide criminal penalties for a
violation, and would provide a heightened criminal
penalty if the violation was committed for a
consideration or other gain.
A BILL
TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
Relating to crimes; to prohibit the disclosure or
transmission of certain images of deceased individuals taken
as part of a coroner or law enforcement investigation; and to
provide criminal penalties for a violation.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
Section 1. (a) Any photograph or image of a deceased
individual or human remains that is taken as part of a coroner
death investigation or law enforcement investigation,
regardless of whether the investigation is active or not, and
regardless of whether the photograph or image was taken by use
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HB503 INTRODUCED
Page 2
regardless of whether the photograph or image was taken by use
of a personal electronic device or device belonging to a state
or local agency, is prohibited from being disclosed,
transmitted, or used for any purpose other than an official
coroner or law enforcement purpose or as otherwise authorized
by law.
(b)(1) Any person who violates subsection (a) is guilty
of a Class B misdemeanor.
(2) Any person who, for a consideration or other gain,
including money, goods, or services, discloses or transmits
any photograph or image described in subsection (a) is guilty
of a Class A misdemeanor.
Section 2. This act shall become effective on October
1, 2026.
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