Senate Bill 203 necessary for transparency into fines and fees; greater government accountability 

Montgomery, Ala.-- Earlier today the Alabama Legislature passed Senate Bill 203, which would require all cities and municipalities in Alabama to report on the fines and fees they collect every year. That information will go to the State of Alabama, which will put it on a new state-run database that will be available for the public to view.  

The SPLC Action Fund supports this legislation and urges Alabama Governor Kay Ivey to sign it into law. There is no way to determine which cities and municipalities are abusing the use of fines and fees without making public records requests to the government entities themselves. The new database, however, will shine light on the disturbing trend of providing city services via increased fines and fees.  

The following is a statement from Jerome Dees, policy director for the SPLC Action Fund.  

“We have seen towns like Brookside use the increased use of fines and fees to fund government operations. Often those fines and fees are disproportionately assessed against people of color. This database gives us a chance to see who is abusing their power and provides transparency into the practice so citizens of these towns and municipalities know what their government, which works for them, is doing.”