Governor Kay Ivey on Thursday signed the “Back the Blue” police immunity bill into law.
HB202, sponsored by State Sen. Lance Bell (R-Pell City) and State Rep. Rex Reynolds (R-Huntsville), provides law enforcement with enhanced legal protections.
“I was very proud to have two former law enforcement agents sponsoring this important bill in the House and the Senate," Ivey said in a statement. "Rep. Rex Reynolds, a former police chief in Huntsville, and Sen. Lance Bell, a former deputy sheriff in St. Clair County, both did an excellent job moving the bill through the legislative process. I couldn’t agree more with Senate-sponsor Lance Bell’s remarks from the Senate floor yesterday when he so rightly stated, ‘this is about protecting them while they’re protecting us.’
"And as far as Backing the Blue goes, Rep. Reynolds was spot on with his comments yesterday when he said this bill will, ‘restore some faith among our officers and show them that we have their backs in Alabama.’ With HB202 signed into law, I am proud Alabama is now the most pro-law enforcement state in the country."
Ivey also signed HB199, the Juvenile Accountability and Monitoring Act, sponsored by Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton (D-Greensboro) and State Rep. Travis Hendrix (D-Birmingham). The bill enhances pretrial detention and pretrial electronic monitoring of dangerous juveniles.
"I am pleased that our Safe Alabama public safety package passed with bipartisan support, and I am confident that each of these bills will help protect communities across our state. In Alabama, unfortunately, juveniles are part of the crime problem, and HB199 is an important step to addressing this very real issue,” Ivey said.
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