KLS Keeping Law Simple Legislation in plain English

Straight-ahead summaries built from the official bill text. We keep the source links front and center and leave the decision up to you.

Back to Alabama

SB337 • 2026

School lands; Department of Conservation and Natural Resources required to issue certain deeds upon request;

School lands; Department of Conservation and Natural Resources required to issue certain deeds upon request;

Education
Enacted

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

Sponsor
Stutts
Last action
2026-04-17
Official status
Enacted
Effective date
2026-10-01

Plain English Breakdown

The candidate explanation included details about a constitutional amendment from 2024, which is not directly supported by the official bill text.

School Lands Deed Requirement

This law requires the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to issue deeds for certain indemnity lands in Walker and Fayette counties to the Franklin County Board of Education upon request.

What This Bill Does

  • Adds a new section to Alabama's laws that tells the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources what it must do with school lands.
  • Requires the department to issue deeds to the Franklin County Board of Education when asked, for specific indemnity lands located in Walker and Fayette counties where schools in Franklin County are the sole beneficiaries.

Who It Names or Affects

  • The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
  • The Franklin County Board of Education

Terms To Know

Indemnity lands
Land given to a school or other organization as compensation for something lost.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This law only applies to specific indemnity lands in Walker and Fayette counties.
  • It does not specify what happens if other boards of education request similar deeds.

Amendments

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

FKTWXCC-1

R 859 • Stutts

Adopted

Plain English: FKTWXCC-1 03/11/2026 ZAK (L)ZAK 2026-1110 SUB SB337 EDUCATION POLICY SUBSTITUTE TO SB337 OFFERED BY SENATOR STUTTS Page 1 SYNOPSIS: Under existing law, certain school lands have been transferred to local school boards and local school boards may request school lands be sold.

  • FKTWXCC-1 03/11/2026 ZAK (L)ZAK 2026-1110 SUB SB337 EDUCATION POLICY SUBSTITUTE TO SB337 OFFERED BY SENATOR STUTTS Page 1 SYNOPSIS: Under existing law, certain school lands have been transferred to local school boards and local school boards may request school lands be sold.
  • This bill would require the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to, upon request of the relevant school board, issue a deed to certain school indemnity lands to the board.
  • A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT Relating to school lands; to add Section 16-20-10 to the Code of Alabama 1975, to require the Department of Conservation and Natural Resource, upon request of the relevant local board of education, to issue a deed to certain school indemnity lands to the board.
  • BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA: Section 1.
  • This amendment summary is using official source text because generated interpretation was skipped for this run.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-17 Senate

    Enacted

  2. 2026-04-07 House

    Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass - Adopted Roll Call 1210 (Yeas 105, Nays 0)

  3. 2026-04-07 House

    Third Reading in Second House (Yeas 105, Nays 0)

  4. 2026-04-07 House

    Signature Requested

  5. 2026-04-07 Senate

    Delivered to Governor

  6. 2026-04-07 Senate

    Enrolled

  7. 2026-04-07 Senate

    Ready to Enroll

  8. 2026-03-19 House

    Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar

  9. 2026-03-18 House

    Reported Out of Committee Second House

  10. 2026-03-12 Senate

    Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass as Amended - Adopted Roll Call 860 (Yeas 30, Nays 1)

  11. 2026-03-12 Senate

    Stutts motion to Adopt - Adopted Roll Call 859 (Yeas 30, Nays 0)

  12. 2026-03-12 Senate

    Third Reading in House of Origin (Yeas 28, Nays 0)

  13. 2026-03-12 House

    Pending Committee Action in Second House

  14. 2026-03-12 House

    Read for the first time and referred to the House Committee on State Government

  15. 2026-03-12 Senate

    Engrossed

  16. 2026-03-12 Senate

    Education Policy 1st Substitute Offered

  17. 2026-03-11 Senate

    Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar

  18. 2026-03-11 Senate

    Reported Out of Committee House of Origin

  19. 2026-03-11 Senate

    Education Policy 1st Substitute

  20. 2026-03-03 Senate

    Pending Committee Action in House of Origin

  21. 2026-03-03 Senate

    Read for the first time and referred to the Senate Committee on Education Policy

Official Summary Text

This act adds Section 16-20-10 to the Code of Alabama 1975, to require the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to issue a deed to the Franklin County Board of Education upon request to all indemnity lands located in Walker and Fayette counties for which schools in Franklin County are the sole beneficiary.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SB337 ENROLLED
Page 0
SB337
FKTWXCC-3
By Senator Stutts
RFD: Education Policy
First Read: 03-Mar-26
1
2
3
4
5
SB337 Enrolled
Page 1
First Read: 03-Mar-26
Enrolled, An Act,
Relating to school lands; to add Section 16-20-10 to
the Code of Alabama 1975, to require the Department of
Conservation and Natural Resource, upon request of the
relevant local board of education, to issue a deed to certain
school indemnity lands to the board.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
Section 1. Section 16-20-10 is added to the Code of
Alabama 1975, to read as follows:
§16-20-10
(a) It is the intent of the Legislature that this
section effectuates and carries out its intent in passing
Section 30-5.20 of the Constitution of 2022 during the 2024
Regular Session which was ratified in November of 2024
pursuant to a statewide election.
(b) Upon the request of the Franklin County Board of
Education, the Department of Conservation and Natural
Resources shall issue to the board a deed to all indemnity
lands located in Walker and Fayette counties for which schools
in Franklin County are the sole beneficiary.
Section 2. This act shall become effective on October
1, 2026.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
SB337 Enrolled
Page 2
1, 2026.
________________________________________________
President and Presiding Officer of the Senate
________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Representatives
SB337
Senate 12-Mar-26
I hereby certify that the within Act originated in and passed
the Senate, as amended.
Patrick Harris,
Secretary.
House of Representatives
Passed: 07-Apr-26
By: Senator Stutts
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57