The Alabama House of Representatives passed a bill Thursday to notify parents whenever their child receives a traffic citation in the state.
House Bill 318, sponsored by state Representative Jamie Kiel, R-Russellville, would authorize the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency to create an electronic notification system that would alert a minor’s parent or legal guardian whenever the minor is cited for a traffic infraction.
Under the bill, parents and guardians would be able to enroll in the notification system by providing documentation proving that the minor is under their legal custody. The parent or guardian’s access to the system would automatically expire once the minor turns 19.
Additionally, minors would be granted the ability to remove their parent or guardian from the system if the minor provides evidence that they: are emancipated; live apart from their parents; are married or divorced; or have had a child.
Kiel explained on the House floor how the bill differs from similar legislation considered during previous legislative sessions.
“We passed this bill through the House the last couple of years—a similar bill with the same idea—but ALEA has since been able to develop a software solution to this that allows parents to opt-in online to participate in this,” Kiel said. “The law enforcement officer on the side of the road does not have to do anything in this bill, so that’s a drastic change from what we’ve passed before.”
Kiel added that the bill carries a fiscal note of $100,000.
Representatives Curtis Travis, D-Tuscaloosa, and Juandalynn Givan, D-Birmingham, both spoke favorably of Kiel’s bill on the floor, but Givan lamented that ALEA has not shown similar support for legislation to create a domestic violence registry.
The House ultimately passed HB318 by a vote of 103-1, sending it to the Senate for further consideration.
If signed into law, HB318 would take effect on October 1, 2026.
