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SB169 • 2026

Crimes and offenses; manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, and other motor vehicle crimes amended, restitution amended

Crimes and offenses; manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, and other motor vehicle crimes amended, restitution amended

Crime
Enacted

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

Sponsor
Sessions
Last action
2026-02-19
Official status
Enacted
Effective date
2026-10-01

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Devinee Rooney and John Wesley Holt Safe Streets Act

This act amends laws related to manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, and motor vehicle accidents in Alabama.

What This Bill Does

  • Adds causing someone's death while driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs to the crime of manslaughter.
  • Removes a higher penalty for criminally negligent homicide when it involves driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
  • Makes violations of duties owed by drivers in accidents that cause serious injuries into Class B felonies.
  • Allows victims of these violations to receive restitution (compensation) from the court.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People who drive vehicles and commit crimes under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
  • Victims of motor vehicle accidents caused by drivers violating their duties.
  • Law enforcement agencies that enforce traffic laws.

Terms To Know

Manslaughter
A crime where someone dies because another person acted recklessly or in a way that shows extreme carelessness.
Criminally Negligent Homicide
Causing someone's death through extremely careless behavior that breaks the law.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The act does not specify how much restitution victims will receive.
  • It is unclear if this act will reduce the number of accidents caused by drunk or drugged driving.

Amendments

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

YMRSZ2N-1

R 254 • Sessions

Adopted

Plain English: YMRSZ2N-1 : 1/27/2026 : THR 1ST JUDICIARY AMENDMENT TO SB169 OFFERED BY SENATOR BARFOOT Page 1 Replace line 51 on page 2 with the following: the Devinee Rooney and John Wesley Holt Safe Streets Act.

  • YMRSZ2N-1 : 1/27/2026 : THR 1ST JUDICIARY AMENDMENT TO SB169 OFFERED BY SENATOR BARFOOT Page 1 Replace line 51 on page 2 with the following: the Devinee Rooney and John Wesley Holt Safe Streets Act.
  • 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
  • This amendment summary is using official source text because generated interpretation was skipped for this run.

Bill History

  1. 2026-02-19 Senate

    Enacted

  2. 2026-02-12 House

    Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass - Adopted Roll Call 384 (Yeas 102, Nays 0)

  3. 2026-02-12 House

    Third Reading in Second House (Yeas 102, Nays 0)

  4. 2026-02-12 House

    Signature Requested

  5. 2026-02-12 Senate

    Delivered to Governor

  6. 2026-02-12 Senate

    Enrolled

  7. 2026-02-12 Senate

    Ready to Enroll

  8. 2026-02-12 Senate

    Ready to Enroll

  9. 2026-02-12 House

    Shaver intended to vote "Yea"

  10. 2026-02-10 House

    Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar

  11. 2026-02-10 House

    Reported Out of Committee Second House

  12. 2026-02-05 Senate

    Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass as Amended - Adopted Roll Call 255 (Yeas 34, Nays 0)

  13. 2026-02-05 Senate

    Sessions motion to Adopt - Adopted Roll Call 254 (Yeas 34, Nays 0)

  14. 2026-02-05 Senate

    Third Reading in House of Origin (Yeas 34, Nays 0)

  15. 2026-02-05 House

    Pending Committee Action in Second House

  16. 2026-02-05 House

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

  17. 2026-02-05 Senate

    Engrossed

  18. 2026-02-05 Senate

    Judiciary 1st Amendment Offered

  19. 2026-02-03 Senate

    Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar

  20. 2026-02-03 Senate

    Reported Out of Committee House of Origin

  21. 2026-02-03 Senate

    Judiciary 1st Amendment

  22. 2026-01-15 Senate

    Pending Committee Action in House of Origin

  23. 2026-01-15 Senate

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

Official Summary Text

This act amends Sections 13A-6-3, 13A-6-4, and 32-10-6, Code of Alabama 1975, to: (1) add causing the death of an individual while operating a motor vehicle or vessel under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance to the acts constituting the crime of manslaughter; (2) remove the increased penalty of a Class C felony for causing the death of another by criminal negligence when operating a motor vehicle or vessel under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance; and (3) provide that violations of duties owed by drivers of motor vehicles in accidents that involve serious physical injury are Class B felonies, and that victims of these violations are crime victims for purposes of restitution.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
SB169 ENROLLED
Page 0
SB169
PS8IVRR-3
By Senators Sessions, Williams
RFD: Judiciary
First Read: 15-Jan-26
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SB169 Enrolled
Page 1
First Read: 15-Jan-26
Enrolled, An Act,
Relating to crimes and offenses; to amend Sections
13A-6-3, 13A-6-4, and 32-10-6, Code of Alabama 1975; to
further provide for the crimes of manslaughter and criminally
negligent homicide; to further provide for the criminal
penalties for violations related to motor vehicle accidents;
and to further provide for restitution.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as
the Devinee Rooney and John Wesley Holt Safe Streets Act.
Section 2. Sections 13A-6-3, 13A-6-4, and 32-10-6, Code
of Alabama 1975, are 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 individual .
(2) Causes the death of another person individual 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
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SB169 Enrolled
Page 2
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 individual 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 . 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
containing fentanyl, any synthetic controlled substance
fentanyl, or any synthetic controlled substance fentanyl
analogue as described in Section Sections 20-2-23 and 20-2-25.
(4) Drives or operates a motor vehicle or vessel in
violation of Section 32-5A-191 or 32-5A-191.3, and causes the
death of another individual.
(b) Manslaughter is a Class B felony."
"§13A-6-4
(a) A person commits the crime of criminally negligent
homicide if he or she causes the death of another person
individual by criminal negligence.
(b) The jury may consider statutes and ordinances
regulating the actor's conduct in determining whether the
actor is culpably negligent under subsection (a).
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SB169 Enrolled
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actor is culpably negligent under subsection (a).
(c) Criminally negligent homicide is a Class A
misdemeanor , except in cases in which the criminally negligent
homicide is caused by the driver or operator of a vehicle or
vessel who is driving or operating the vehicle or vessel in
violation of Section 32-5A-191 or 32-5A-191.3; in these cases,
criminally negligent homicide is a Class C felony ."
"§32-10-6
(a) Every person convicted of violating Sections
32-10-1 through 32-10-5 or any of the provisions thereof, when
such violation involved only damage to property, shall be
punished the same as prescribed by law for as follows:
(1) For a violation involving only damage to property,
a Class A misdemeanor ; provided, however, that every person
convicted of violating such sections, or any provisions
thereof, when such .
(2) For a violation involved death or personal
involving physical injury, shall be punished the same as
prescribed by law for a Class C felony.
(3) For a violation involving serious physical injury
or death, a Class B felony.
(b) Any individual who suffers any damage or loss in
connection with criminal conduct that results in a conviction
for any violation of Sections 32-10-1 through 32-10-5 shall be
considered a victim for the purposes of Article 4A of Chapter
18 of Title 15. "
Section 3. This act shall become effective on October
1, 2026.
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SB169 Enrolled
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1, 2026.
________________________________________________
President and Presiding Officer of the Senate
________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Representatives
SB169
Senate 05-Feb-26
I hereby certify that the within Act originated in and passed
the Senate, as amended.
Patrick Harris,
Secretary.
House of Representatives
Passed: 12-Feb-26
By: Senator Sessions
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