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HB508 • 2026

Etowah County, repeals local constitutional amendment prohibiting municipalities not located wholly within the boundaries of the county on January 1, 1986, from annexing territory without approval at an election

Etowah County, repeals local constitutional amendment prohibiting municipalities not located wholly within the boundaries of the county on January 1, 1986, from annexing territory without approval at an election

Elections
Enacted

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

Sponsor
Butler (M)
Last action
2026-03-19
Official status
Enacted
Effective date
Effective

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide details on what happens if voters do not approve the amendment, leaving this as an open question.

Repealing Annexation Rules in Etowah County

This law proposes to remove a constitutional requirement for voter approval when certain municipalities want to annex territory within Etowah County.

What This Bill Does

  • Proposes an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama of 2022, which would repeal Section 28-11.20 requiring voter approval for annexation by municipalities not located wholly within Etowah County's boundaries before January 1, 1986.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Municipalities not located entirely inside Etowah County's boundaries before January 1, 1986
  • Residents of Etowah County who vote on this constitutional change

Terms To Know

Constitutional Amendment
A change to a state or country’s main set of laws called the Constitution.
Annexation
The process by which one area is added to another, usually for administrative purposes.

Limits and Unknowns

  • Does not specify what happens if voters do not approve the amendment.
  • Only affects municipalities that existed before January 1, 1986 and were not fully within Etowah County's boundaries at that time.

Bill History

  1. 2026-03-19 House

    Enacted

  2. 2026-03-17 Senate

    Chambliss Local Certification Resolution - Adopted Roll Call 870 (Yeas 34, Nays 0)

  3. 2026-03-17 Senate

    Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass - Adopted Roll Call 869 (Yeas 34, Nays 0)

  4. 2026-03-17 Senate

    Third Reading in Second House (Yeas 33, Nays 0)

  5. 2026-03-17 Senate

    Signature Requested

  6. 2026-03-17 House

    Enrolled

  7. 2026-03-17 House

    Ready to Enroll

  8. 2026-03-12 Senate

    Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar

  9. 2026-03-12 Senate

    Reported Out of Committee Second House

  10. 2026-03-05 House

    LocalCertificationResolutionAdopted (Yeas 39, Nays 0)

  11. 2026-03-05 House

    Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass - Adopted Roll Call 742 (Yeas 63, Nays 0)

  12. 2026-03-05 House

    Third Reading in House of Origin (Yeas 64, Nays 0)

  13. 2026-03-05 Senate

    Pending Committee Action in Second House

  14. 2026-03-05 Senate

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

  15. 2026-03-03 House

    Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar

  16. 2026-03-03 House

    Reported Out of Committee House of Origin

  17. 2026-02-24 House

    Pending Committee Action in House of Origin

  18. 2026-02-24 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 Etowah County, to repeal Section 28-11.20, requiring voter approval to annex any territory within the county into any municipality not located wholly within the boundaries of the county before January 1, 1986.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
HB508 ENROLLED
Page 0
HB508
MSXB31H-2
By Representative Butler (Constitutional Amendment)
RFD: Local Legislation
First Read: 24-Feb-26
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HB508 Enrolled
Page 1
First Read: 24-Feb-26
Enrolled, An Act,
To propose an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama
of 2022, relating to Etowah County; to repeal Section 28-11.20
of the Constitution of Alabama of 2022, requiring voter
approval to annex any territory within the county into any
municipality not located wholly within the boundaries of the
county before January 1, 1986, with certain exceptions.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
Section 1. The following amendment to the Constitution
of Alabama of 2022, is proposed:
PROPOSED AMENDMENT
Section 28-11.20 of the Constitution of Alabama of
2022, relating to Etowah County and requiring voter approval
to annex any territory within the county into any municipality
not located wholly within the boundaries of the county before
January 1, 1986, is repealed.
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
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HB508 Enrolled
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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
description of the substance or subject matter of the proposed
constitutional amendment:
"Relating to Etowah County, proposing an amendment to
the Constitution of Alabama of 2022, to repeal Section
28-11.20 of the Constitution of Alabama of 2022, requiring
voter approval before annexing any territory within the county
into a municipality not located wholly within the boundaries
of the county before January 1, 1986.
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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HB508 Enrolled
Page 3
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 05-Mar-26.
John Treadwell
Clerk
Senate 17-Mar-26 Passed
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