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SB330 • 2026

Courts; criminal procedure, electronic means authorized to swear warrants and citations in certain circumstances, law enforcement officers authorized to administer oaths in certain circumstances

Courts; criminal procedure, electronic means authorized to swear warrants and citations in certain circumstances, law enforcement officers authorized to administer oaths in certain circumstances

Technology
Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor
Bell
Last action
2026-03-19
Official status
Pending Committee Action in Second House
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary and digest do not provide specific details about the exact technologies to be approved by the Director of Administrators of Courts, leaving this aspect uncertain.

Courts; Criminal Procedure Changes

This bill allows judges and law enforcement officers to use digital or electronic methods for certain criminal procedures, including issuing warrants and swearing oaths.

What This Bill Does

  • Allows judges and magistrates to issue warrants remotely through digital means like video calls or phone calls.
  • Permits law enforcement officers to swear facts in traffic tickets and non-traffic citations using reliable electronic methods.
  • Enables law enforcement officers to administer oaths to other officers for certain complaints via approved technology.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Judges and magistrates who issue warrants.
  • Law enforcement officers who swear facts in citations or administer oaths.
  • People involved in criminal proceedings covered by this bill.

Terms To Know

Reliable Electronic Means
Technology that meets specific standards for signing and transmitting documents securely.
Uniform Nontraffic Citation and Complaint
A document issued instead of making an arrest for non-traffic offenses, which can be in electronic form.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify the exact technologies that will be approved by the Director of Administrators of Courts.
  • It is unclear how this change will affect court procedures beyond what is explicitly stated.

Amendments

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

MS3PQW1-1

R 911 • Bell

Adopted

Plain English: MS3PQW1-1 : 3/9/2026 : GED 1ST FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AMENDMENT TO SB330 OFFERED BY SENATOR WEAVER Page 1 Replace line 44 on page 2 with the following: sheriff, deputy constable, or other official who has the Replace lines 114 through 115 on page 5 with the following: pursuant to subdivision (1).

  • MS3PQW1-1 : 3/9/2026 : GED 1ST FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AMENDMENT TO SB330 OFFERED BY SENATOR WEAVER Page 1 Replace line 44 on page 2 with the following: sheriff, deputy constable, or other official who has the Replace lines 114 through 115 on page 5 with the following: pursuant to subdivision (1).
  • The affiant shall then present the sworn complaint to the proper judicial officer for the judicial officer to determine if probable cause exists to issue an arrest warrant pursuant to Chapter 7 of Title 15, Code of Alabama 1975.
  • (3) Upon swearing to the facts contained in the complaint before a law enforcement officer who is authorized to administer oaths pursuant to subdivision (1), the law enforcement officer administering the oath shall notate on the deposition his or her name, the date, and the time of administering the oath.
  • (4) A law enforcement officer may not notarize his or 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
  • This amendment summary is using official source text because generated interpretation was skipped for this run.

Bill History

  1. 2026-03-19 House

    Pending Committee Action in Second House

  2. 2026-03-19 House

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

  3. 2026-03-17 Senate

    Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass as Amended - Adopted Roll Call 912 (Yeas 30, Nays 0)

  4. 2026-03-17 Senate

    Bell motion to Adopt - Adopted Roll Call 911 (Yeas 30, Nays 0)

  5. 2026-03-17 Senate

    Third Reading in House of Origin (Yeas 30, Nays 0)

  6. 2026-03-17 Senate

    Engrossed

  7. 2026-03-17 Senate

    Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development 1st Amendment Offered

  8. 2026-03-11 Senate

    Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar

  9. 2026-03-11 Senate

    Reported Out of Committee House of Origin

  10. 2026-03-11 Senate

    Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development 1st Amendment

  11. 2026-02-26 Senate

    Pending Committee Action in House of Origin

  12. 2026-02-26 Senate

    Read for the first time and referred to the Senate Committee on Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development

Official Summary Text

Courts; criminal procedure, electronic means authorized to swear warrants and citations in certain circumstances, law enforcement officers authorized to administer oaths in certain circumstances

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
SB330 ENGROSSED
Page 0
SB330
XDYL4ZZ-2
By Senator Bell
RFD: Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development
First Read: 26-Feb-26
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SB330 Engrossed
Page 1
First Read: 26-Feb-26
A BILL
TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
Relating to criminal procedure; to authorize the use of
certain digital, electronic, or telephonic means to obtain a
warrant for certain violations subject to citation in lieu of
arrest procedures; to authorize the use of certain digital,
electronic, or telephonic means to swear to the facts
contained in citations issued for certain violations; to
provide that the physical presence of the affiant in such
circumstances is not required; and to authorize law
enforcement officers to administer oaths to other law
enforcement officers in certain circumstances.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
Section 1. (a) For purposes of this section, the
following terms have the following meanings:
(1) LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER. A police officer, deputy
sheriff, deputy constable, or other official who has the
authority to make arrests; is employed by the state, county,
or municipality; and is certified by the Alabama Peace
Officers' Standards and Training Commission. The term includes
enforcement officers of the Alabama State Law Enforcement
Agency, the Department of Corrections, and the Board of
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SB330 Engrossed
Page 2
Agency, the Department of Corrections, and the Board of
Pardons and Paroles.
(2) RELIABLE ELECTRONIC MEANS. Means compliant with
criminal justice information system measures by which a
document may be signed and transmitted.
(3) UNIFORM NONTRAFFIC CITATION AND COMPLAINT. The
complaint and summons issued in lieu of arrest for any
nontraffic offense enumerated in Rule 20, Appendix B of the
Alabama Rules of Judicial Administration, as adopted by the
Supreme Court of Alabama, or an electronic version of the
citation containing substantially the same information found
on the citation.
(4) UNIFORM TRAFFIC TICKET AND COMPLAINT. The complaint
and summons used in all non-felony traffic cases filed in all
courts of the state or an electronic version of the ticket
containing substantially the same information found on the
ticket.
(b)(1) Warrants for any of the following offenses may
be sworn and issued by a judge or magistrate remotely,
digitally, via video link, or by telephone:
a. Misdemeanor violations.
b. Traffic violations.
c. Municipal ordinance violations.
(2) The physical presence of the affiant before the
judge or magistrate is not required. Other methods of
technology not specifically described in subdivision (1) may
be used to facilitate the oath and issuance of a criminal
warrant pursuant to this subsection upon approval of the
technology by the Director of the Administrators of the
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SB330 Engrossed
Page 3
technology by the Director of the Administrators of the
Courts.
(c)(1) Upon the issuance of a Uniform Traffic Ticket
and Complaint, a law enforcement officer may swear to the
facts contained in the Uniform Traffic Ticket and Complaint
before any person within the judicial branch of government who
is authorized by the state to administer oaths. Both the law
enforcement officer and the person administering the oath may
complete this swearing through remote or digital means, via
video link, by telephone, or through any other technology that
has been approved by the Director of the Administrators of the
Courts.
(2) Upon the issuance of a Uniform Nontraffic Citation
and Complaint, a law enforcement officer may swear to the
facts contained in the Uniform Nontraffic Citation and
Complaint before any person within the judicial branch of
government who is authorized by the state to administer oaths.
Both the law enforcement officer and the person administering
the oath may complete this swearing through remote or digital
means, via video link, by telephone, or through any other
technology that has been approved by the Director of the
Administrators of the Courts.
(d)(1) A law enforcement officer, when engaged in the
performance of his or her official duties, may administer
oaths to other law enforcement officers to swear to the facts
contained in a complaint for a misdemeanor offense, a Uniform
Traffic Ticket and Complaint, or a Uniform Nontraffic Citation
and Complaint through the following means:
a. Reliable electronic means.
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SB330 Engrossed
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a. Reliable electronic means.
b. In the physical presence of an affiant.
(2) Upon the issuance of a complaint for a misdemeanor
offense, a Uniform Traffic Ticket and Complaint, or a Uniform
Nontraffic Citation and Complaint, a law enforcement officer
may swear to the facts contained in the complaint for a
misdemeanor, the Uniform Traffic Ticket and Complaint, or the
Uniform Nontraffic Citation and Complaint before any law
enforcement officer who is authorized to administer oaths
pursuant to subdivision (1). The affiant shall then present
the sworn complaint to the proper judicial officer for the
judicial officer to determine if probable cause exists to
issue an arrest warrant pursuant to Chapter 7 of Title 15,
Code of Alabama 1975.
(3) Upon swearing to the facts contained in the
complaint before a law enforcement officer who is authorized
to administer oaths pursuant to subdivision (1), the law
enforcement officer administering the oath shall notate on the
deposition his or her name, the date, and the time of
administering the oath.
(4) A law enforcement officer may not notarize his or
her own signature.
Section 2. This act shall become effective on October
1, 2026.
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SB330 Engrossed
Page 5
1, 2026.
Senate
Read for the first time and referred
to the Senate committee on Fiscal
Responsibility and Economic
Development
................26-Feb-26
Read for the second time and placed
on the calendar:
1 amendment
................11-Mar-26
Read for the third time and passed
as amended
Yeas 30
Nays 0
Abstains 0
................17-Mar-26
Patrick Harris,
Secretary.
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