FEBRUARY 16, 2018 — The sixth week of the 2018 Regular Session saw two association-backed bills take major steps toward enactment as well as the introduction of three bills that the association had been working on for some time behind-the-scenes.
On Tuesday, the Senate unanimously approved House Bill 90, a bill sponsored by Rep. Kerry Rich (R-Albertville) and managed in the Senate by Sen. Clay Scofield (R-Arab) that makes technical changes to the statutory right of redemption for homesteaded properties. Current law caps the redemption period for these properties at 180 days, while the redemption period for all other types of properties is one year. In exchange for the shorter redemption period, legislators in 2015 required that a property owner be notified via certified mail of his redemption rights. This bill merely states that even if this notice is defective, the redemption period is the same as it is for all other types of properties (i.e., one year). It also states that being able to prove the notice was mailed is a defense to a claim that the notice was never received. The bill now awaits Governor Ivey’s signature.
Late Thursday night, with the help of Majority Leader Nathanial Ledbetter (R-Rainsville), an association-backed bill, Senate Bill 60, was added to the list of bills the House of Representatives will consider next Tuesday, February 20. Sponsored by Sen. Clay Scofield (R-Arab) and managed in the House by Rep. Will Ainsworth (R-Guntersville), the bill allows county commissions, like all other public depositors, to select a public depository at any time rather than just once per year. Once the House passes the bill, it will go directly to Gov. Ivey for her signature into law.
This week also saw the introduction of three bills that the association has been working on with bill sponsors and interested parties:
- The Alabama Data Breach Notification Act of 2018, an effort spearheaded by Attorney General Steve Marshall (R) and sponsored by Arthur Orr (R-Decatur) and Rep. Phil Williams (R-Huntsville);
- The Examination of Bank Service Providers Act, an effort spearheaded by Superintendent of Banks Mike Hill and sponsored by Linda Coleman-Madison (D-Birmingham) and Rep. Chris Blackshear (R-Phenix City); and
- A bill modifying Alabama’s Uniform Condo Act, an effort spearheaded by the Alabama Law Institute and sponsored by Rodger Smitherman (D-Birmingham) and Rep. Chris England (D-Tuscaloosa).
More about these bills is included in the summaries below.
As always, Capitol Notes provides readers with a brief summary of legislation that might impact Alabama’s banking industry. Those summaries are as follows:
House Bill 90 by Rep. Kerry Rich (R-Albertville) and Senate Bill 30 by Sen. Clay Scofield (R-Arab) make technical changes to an association-supported law passed in 2015 related to the right of redemption for homesteaded properties. Current law caps the redemption period for these properties at 180 days, while the redemption period for all other types of properties is one year. In exchange for the shorter redemption period, legislators in 2015 required that a property owner be notified via certified mail of his redemption rights. These bills merely stipulate that even if this notice is defective, the redemption period is the same as it is for all other types of properties (i.e., one year). It also states that being able to prove the notice was mailed is a defense to a claim that the notice was never received. The Senate unanimously passed House Bill 90 on Tuesday. It now awaits Governor Ivey’s signature.
House Bill 100 by Rep. Will Ainsworth (R-Guntersville) and Senate Bill 60 by Sen. Clay Scofield (R-Arab) are Association-drafted bills aimed at correcting an issue in state law that was discovered last year. With the exception of county commissions, all public depositors are allowed to elect their qualified public depository at any time, meaning a local school board could theoretically deposit its public funds in Bank A on a Monday, only to draw them out and deposit them in Bank B the next day. With county commissions, however, the qualified public depository must be elected the first week of every December and used for the entirety of the subsequent year. These bills simply allow county commissions, like all other public depositors, to elect their depository at any time. Both bills await action in the full House, and Senate Bill 60 is scheduled to be considered by the House next Tuesday. If approved by the House without change, the bill will be sent to Governor Ivey for her signature.
House Bill 117 by Rep. Paul Beckman (R-Prattville) would specify that a civil action to recover debt on an open-end credit plan, including credit card or similar revolving debt, would be required to be commenced within six years. Proponents of this legislation believe that this bill merely cements current law, though opponents say that, under certain circumstances, the appropriate Statute of Limitations is three years. The House Financial Services Committee sent this bill to its Regulations Subcommittee for further study. The subcommittee met on Tuesday but made no final decisions. More than likely, the subcommittee will present a summary of its meeting to the full Financial Services Committee, which will then determine the bill’s fate.
House Bill 183 by Rep. Paul Beckman (R-Prattville) and Senate Bill 227 by Sen. Greg Albritton (R-Atmore) is the Uniform Trust Decanting Act (UTDA). Drafted by the Alabama Law Institute, the UTDA allows a trustee to reform an irrevocable trust document within reasonable limits that ensure the trust will achieve the settlor’s original intent. The act prevents decanting when it would defeat a charitable or tax-related purpose of the settlor. Approved in 2015 by the Uniform Law Commission, Alabama would be the sixth state to adopt the UTDA. The House passed House Bill 183 on Thursday night. It now awaits action by the full Senate.
House Bill 181 by Rep. Matt Fridy (R-Montevallo) and Senate Bill 152 by Sen. Rodger Smitherman (D-Birmingham) is the Uniform Voidable Transfers Act (UVTA), another Alabama Law Institute/Uniform Law Commission bill. In short, the UVTA, which would replace Alabama’s version of the Uniform Fraudulent Transfers Act, strengthens creditor protections by providing remedies for certain transactions by a debtor that are unfair to the debtor’s creditors. The Senate bill is on the list of bills the House of Representatives plans to consider next Tuesday. If approved by the House without change, the bill will be sent to Governor Ivey for her signature.
House Bill 248 by Rep. Kyle South (R-Fayette) and Senate Bill 201 by Sen. Trip Pittman (R-Montrose) is the Alabama First-time Home Buyer Savings Account Act, which allows first-time home buyers to establish a first-time home buyer savings account to save funds for a down payment and closing costs for the purchase of a home. The holder of one of these special accounts would be provided with an annual state income tax deduction of up to $6,000 (or $12,000 for joint accounts) for up to five years. The House version of the bill passed out of the House last week. It now awaits action by the Senate Finance and Taxation Education Committee.
House Bill 273 by Rep. Patricia Todd (D-Birmingham) and Senate Bill 242 by Sen. Linda Coleman-Madison (D-Birmingham) doubles the Mortgage Record Tax and allocates the revenues to the Alabama Housing Trust Fund, which has never before received funding from this tax (or from the state), as well as to the state, the counties, and the Probate Judges, each of which already received a portion of the Mortgage Record Tax. This legislation has been introduced in each of the past few sessions, but it has never advanced out of committee.
House Bill 354 by Rep. Corley Ellis (R-Columbiana) and Senate Bill 261 by Sen. Gerald Dial (R-Lineville) would make significant revisions to the tax lien sale procedures used by counties. For instance, among other things, the bill would authorize tax liens to be sold via auction to the bidder with the lowest interest rate not to exceed 12 percent. The legislation is being pushed by the Association of County Commissions of Alabama. They have agreed to work with our Association as well as the Alabama Association of Realtors on some suggested changes. The House bill was favorably reported out of committee last week, while the Senate bill was favorably reported out of committee this week. The bills now await action on the House and Senate floors.
House Bill 410 by Rep. Phil Williams (R-Huntsville) and Senate Bill 318 by Sen. Arthur Orr (R-Decatur) is the Data Breach Notification Act. Generally speaking, this legislation requires entities to provide notice to affected persons upon a breach of security that results in the unauthorized acquisition of sensitive personally identifying information. Alabama and South Dakota are the only two states without some sort of data breach notification act. Importantly, thanks to the Association’s efforts, the legislation exempts any entities, such as financial institutions, that are subject to and compliant with federal data breach notification regulations and guidance. The House version of this bill is on the agenda for the House Technology and Research Committee’s meeting next Wednesday.
House Bill 417 by Rep. Chris Blackshear (R-Phenix City) and Senate Bill 321 by Sen. Linda Coleman-Madison (D-Birmingham) is the Examination of Bank Service Providers Act. Under this bill, a company providing data processing-, “financial-,” or “internet”-related services to a bank can be subject to regulation and examination by the superintendent of banks when deemed necessary to ensure the safe and sound operation of the serviced bank or to respond to a danger or potential danger to the public welfare. In lieu of performing an examination under this bill, the superintendent may accept an examination performed on the service provider within the previous two years by another state or federal regulator. This bill is modeled after legislation drafted by the Conference of State Bank Supervisors and was introduced at the urging of the State Banking Department. The House version of this bill is on the agenda for the House Financial Services Committee’s meeting next Wednesday.
House Bill 426 by Rep. Chris England (D-Tuscaloosa) makes numerous revisions to Alabama’s Uniform Condominium Act. A legislative project spearheaded by the Alabama Law Institute, the Association was involved in crafting language relative to a lien that a condo association might place on the property. Significant questions arose over who had lien priority and what fees and costs, such as attorney’s fees, could be included in the lien. The introduced version of the bill represents significant work done by Association attorneys on behalf of ABA member banks. A companion bill is expected to be introduced next week in the Senate by Sen. Rodger Smitherman (D-Birmingham).
Senate Bill 53 by Sen. Clyde Chambliss (R-Prattville) requires the closing statement used to finalize real estate transactions to delineate, if applicable, the amount of the real estate appraisal fee that went to an appraisal management company. While the Association has no position on the fee disclosure provisions of this legislation, it strongly objects to modifying the closing statement. Sen. Chambliss understands our concerns and has agreed to work with us on a solution.
Senate Bill 92 by Sen. Arthur Orr (R-Decatur) revises Alabama law related to unemployment compensation by basing the maximum amount of unemployment benefits on a variable rate. The rate would vary based on the state’s unemployment rate, meaning a recipient would receive benefits for a longer duration during tough economic times and a shorter duration during positive economic times. According to the National Federation of Independent Businesses, Alabama would be the sixth state to pass this bill (or something similar) and the state’s unemployment compensation trust fund would likely realize a savings of over $50 million annually. The bill has passed the Senate and now awaits action by a House committee.
As of the end of the twelfth legislative day, representatives and senators have introduced 763 bills – 432 in the House and 321 in the Senate – and 285 resolutions. Of those 1.048 measures, 100 have been signed into law as of this writing.
The 2018 Regular Session can last for no more than thirty legislative days and must end on or before April 23.
The Legislature will reconvene for the 13th legislative day on Feb. 20.
Questions or comments? Contact Jason Isbell, ABA’s VP of Legal and Governmental Affairs, at jisbell@alabamabankers.com.
