Relating to the Advanced Technology and Data Exchange Fund; expenditure of monies from the fund, creation of additional advanced technology and data exchange funds
SB182 revises Alabama’s Advanced Technology and Data Exchange Fund and creates three new, separate funds for the Supreme Court, the Court of Civil Appeals, and the Court of Criminal Appeals. The bill keeps the existing Administrative Office of Courts fund in place but expands and clarifies the ways money in that fund may be spent, including electronic payment systems, electronic filing equipment, data sharing, case-management technology, training, educational materials, staff support, and other court operations that further the administration of justice.
The bill also authorizes the transfer of money currently associated with the appellate courts from the Administrative Office of Courts fund into the newly created court-specific funds. Each new fund may receive user fees, copy fees, subscriptions, service charges, appropriations, grants, gifts, and other sources tied to appellate case-management systems, and any unspent money at the end of a fiscal year remains available in the fund. The act becomes effective June 1, 2026.
SB182 amends Section 12-19-290 of the Code of Alabama 1975 and adds three new state treasury funds dedicated to court technology and data exchange for the Supreme Court and the two intermediate appellate courts. It preserves and expands the authority of court clerks and judicial administrators to collect and use convenience fees, transaction fees, and related charges for electronic payments and court technology services, while also ratifying prior surcharges collected before June 1, 2014. The bill primarily affects the Unified Judicial System, the Administrative Office of Courts, appellate courts, circuit and district court clerks, and users of court payment and filing systems.
The bill appears to have been broadly supported and noncontroversial overall, as reflected by strong passage margins in both chambers and final enactment. The vote totals suggest substantial bipartisan agreement on modernizing court technology and reorganizing fund structures to better support appellate court operations. No committee transcript was provided, so the available record shows little formal debate or public opposition in the materials supplied.
The main potential points of contention are the bill’s authorization for courts to impose and collect surcharges or convenience fees on credit, charge, and debit card payments, and the ratification of fees previously collected before June 1, 2014. Some concern could also arise from the transfer of money into newly created court-specific funds and the broad discretion given to the Administrative Director of Courts and the Supreme Court to use those funds for general court operations and technology-related purposes. However, the voting record indicates these issues did not generate significant opposition in the final legislative process.