SB 44 — Relating to court costs; to amend Section 22-52-14, Code of Alabama 1975; to further provide for an appointed attorney's compensation in a commitment proceeding.
Last action — Enacted as 2023-61
-
✓Introduced
-
✓In Committee
-
✓Passed Senate
-
✓Passed House
-
✓To Executive
-
6Enacted
This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced March 07, 2023. Enacted.
Odds of enactment
High chanceBased on the sponsor, cosponsors, and committee posture, this bill has a high chance of becoming law.
Upgrade to see the exact probability and what's driving it.
A statistical estimate from our own model of past outcomes — an insight, not a guarantee. Policymaking is volatile.
Prognosis
-
Enacted
Current position in the legislative process.
-
1 sponsor
1 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.
-
Single-party support
Sponsorship is currently within one party (1 D).
-
Cleared a recorded vote
Passed 2 recorded votes so far.
Based on stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes, and cross-state momentum — a description of the observable signals, not a prediction.
Summary
Court costs, appointed attorney's compensation in commitment proceeding, further provided for
Bill Text
What changed in the latest version
67 added · 49 removedPlain-language change summary
The proposed changes to Bill SB 44 clarify how attorneys involved in commitment proceedings are compensated. Now, attorneys appointed by a probate judge can be reimbursed for fees related to consultations and preparations that occur before their official appointment. This matters because it ensures that attorneys are fairly compensated for their time and effort, even during the early stages of a case, which can improve the quality of legal representation for individuals in these proceedings.
SB44 INTRODUCEDENROLLED 1HXILZ-11HXILZ-2 By Senators Singleton, Smitherman RFD:
07-Mar-23 Page 0 1HXILZ-1SB44 02/24/2023Enrolled GPEnrolled, (L)maAn 2023-468Act, 23 4Relating SYNOPSIS:to court costs;
Under existing law, an attorney appointed to advocate in a commitment proceeding may be compensated and reimbursed for certain fees.
This bill would allow the judge of probate to compensate or reimburse an attorney for certain fees related to the consultation and preparation of the petition that occur prior to the attorney's official appointment to the case.
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT Relating to court costs;
"§22-52-14 In any commitment proceeding, the fees of any attorney appointed by the probate judge to act as advocate for the petition and any attorney or guardian ad litem appointed by Page 1 SB44 INTRODUCED the probate judge for the person sought to be committed shall be set at the rates established by Section 15-12-21;
Fees for an attorney appointed to advocate for the petitioner may include reasonable fees related to consultation and Page 1 SB44 Enrolled preparation of the petition prior to appointment, subject to approval by the judge of probate." Section 2.
Page 2 SB44 Enrolled ________________________________________________ President and Presiding Officer of the Senate ________________________________________________ Speaker of the House of Representatives SB44 Senate 23-Mar-23 I hereby certify that the within Act originated in and passed the Senate.
Patrick Harris, Secretary.
House of Representatives Passed:
18-Apr-23 By:
Senator Singleton Page 3
Action History
-
Enrolled
Sponsors
- Bobby D. Singleton · Primary
Sponsorship breakdown
Export CSV (upgrade) →1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 139 not signed on
Sponsors (1)
Co-sponsors (0)
None.
Not signed on (139)
139 members have not signed on to this bill.
Show all 139 →"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.
Votes
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D | 25 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| R | 70 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Unaffiliated | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 100 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| % of votes cast | 98% | 0% | 0% | 2% |
How each member voted (102)
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 23 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| D | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Unaffiliated | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 29 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| % of votes cast | 85% | 0% | 0% | 15% |
How each member voted (34)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Greg J. Reed | — | Yea |
| Bobby D. Singleton | D | Yea |
| Kirk Hatcher | D | Not Voting |
| Linda Coleman-Madison | D | Yea |
| Merika Coleman | D | Not Voting |
| Robert Stewart | D | Yea |
| Rodger M. Smitherman | D | Yea |
| Vivian Davis Figures | D | Yea |
| William M. Beasley | D | Not Voting |
| Andrew Jones | R | Yea |
| April Weaver | R | Yea |
| Arthur Orr | R | Yea |
| Chris Elliott | R | Yea |
| Clyde Chambliss | R | Yea |
| Dan Roberts | R | Yea |
| David Sessions | R | Not Voting |
| Donnie Chesteen | R | Yea |
| Garlan Gudger | R | Yea |
| Gerald H. Allen | R | Yea |
| Greg Albritton | R | Yea |
| J. T. 'Jabo' Waggoner | R | Yea |
| Jack W. Williams | R | Yea |
| Jay Hovey | R | Yea |
| Josh Carnley | R | Yea |
| Keith Kelley | R | Yea |
| Lance Bell | R | Yea |
| Larry Stutts | R | Yea |
| Randy Price | R | Yea |
| Sam Givhan | R | Yea |
| Shay Shelnutt | R | Yea |
| Steve Livingston | R | Yea |
| Tim Melson | R | Yea |
| Tom Butler | R | Not Voting |
| Will Barfoot | R | Yea |
Subjects
Frequently asked questions
- What does SB 44 do?
- Court costs, appointed attorney's compensation in commitment proceeding, further provided for
- Who sponsors SB 44?
- SB 44 is sponsored by Bobby D. Singleton (D).
- What is the current status of SB 44?
- This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced March 07, 2023. Enacted.
- Where can I track SB 44?
- Track SB 44 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.
Make your voice heard on SB 44
Find the representatives who decide this bill and tell them where you stand — for yourself, or mobilize your whole list in one click with One Click Politics advocacy software.
Stay ahead of SB 44
Last checked for changes 3 months ago · updated continuously
One Click Politics tracks every bill in Congress and all 50 states.
Track this bill →