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SB26 ENGROSSED
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SB26
V7W3FPV-2
By Senator Elliott
RFD: County and Municipal Government
First Read: 13-Jan-26
PFD: 04-Dec-25
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PFD: 04-Dec-25
A BILL
TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
Relating to libraries; to amend Sections 11-90-2 and
11-90-4, Code of Alabama 1975; to further provide for the
appointment of county and municipal library boards; to provide
reporting requirements; and to make nonsubstantive, technical
revisions to update the existing code language to current
style.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
Section 1. Sections 11-90-2 and 11-90-4, Code of
Alabama 1975, are amended to read as follows:
"§11-90-2
(a) The government and supervision of such All
libraries shall be vested in created pursuant to this section
shall be supervised by a local library board consisting of
five members who shall be appointed by the county commission
or the governing body of the municipality .
(b) Each library board member shall be appointed by the
governing body of the county or municipality that established
the library.
(c) Each library board member shall be appointed to a
four-year term and shall serve at the pleasure of his or her
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four-year term and shall serve at the pleasure of his or her
respective appointing authority and may be removed at any time
by a two-thirds vote of the appointing authority. The terms of
membership on the library board, as first appointed, for one
member shall be for one year, for the second member shall be
for two years, for the third member shall be for three years,
and for the remaining two members the terms shall be for four
years. After the first term, all appointments shall be for
four years.
(d) The county commission or respective governing body
shall fill all vacancies , including expired and unexpired
terms.
(e) Members of the library board shall serve without
compensation.
(f) Each appointing authority shall coordinate its
appointments to assure the membership of the local library
board is inclusive and reflects the racial, gender,
geographic, urban, rural, and economic diversity of the
state. "
"§11-90-4
(a) In lieu of establishing or maintaining free public
libraries exclusively for a single county or municipality in
the manner provided in this chapter Section 11-90-2 , the
library board of any county or municipality free public
library may contract , in behalf of the political unit
represented by such local library board, to and with the
library board of another political unit or governmental agency
or instrumentality with respect to the establishment or
maintenance of establish and maintain a joint library service
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maintenance of establish and maintain a joint library service
upon such on the terms as may be agreed upon by the several
contracting parties.
(b) Where there is no existing public library, the
power thus to contract shall vest in the a county commission
of the county or the governing body of the a municipality may
contract with the governing body of another political unit to
establish and maintain a joint library . Included in the power
conferred is the determination of the basis and personnel of
representation of the local political units on the joint
library board administering the joint library service
established under this section.
(c) In establishing a joint library, the contracting
parties may determine the size and appointing authorities of
the joint library board.
(d) Such A joint library board, when appointed,
appointed pursuant to this section shall have the powers and
duties granted by this chapter to county or municipal library
boards. Each joint library board member shall serve at the
pleasure of his or her respective appointing authority and may
be removed at any time by a two-thirds vote of the appointing
authority. County and municipal library boards or joint
library boards shall have the power to cooperate with all
state and federal agencies and institutions in furtherance of
the purpose of this chapter, and all municipal, county and
joint library boards shall from time to time submit such
records and reports as may be required by the public library
service; provided, that nothing
(e) Nothing in this section shall be so construed as to
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(e) Nothing in this section shall be so construed as to
infringe upon any municipal charter provisions governing the
administration of existing free public libraries."
Section 2. This act shall become effective on October
1, 2026.
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1, 2026.
Senate
Read for the first time and referred
to the Senate committee on County
and Municipal Government
................13-Jan-26
Read for the second time and placed
on the calendar:
1 amendment
................29-Jan-26
Read for the third time and passed
as amended
Yeas 26
Nays 6
Abstains 1
................10-Feb-26
Patrick Harris,
Secretary.
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