Bill > SJR79

This joint resolution establishes the Alabama Legislative Study Commission on Child Sexual Abuse Laws and Policies to examine and evaluate the state's current laws, policies, and practices concerning child sexual abuse in all its forms and contexts. The commission will consist of legislative members, state officials like the Attorney General and Director of Human Resources, and various experts and stakeholders including law enforcement, child advocates, mental health professionals, attorneys representing survivors, and survivors themselves, with strict eligibility requirements to prevent conflicts of interest. Its broad mandate includes studying abuse within families, institutions, and online, as well as specific issues like child trafficking, exploitation, and abuse of vulnerable children, while also reviewing criminal statutes, civil remedies, reporting laws, and institutional accountability. The commission is tasked with identifying gaps, inconsistencies, and barriers to investigation, prosecution, and victim support, comparing Alabama's approach to other states, and will submit a report with findings and proposed legislation to the Governor and legislative leaders by November 1, 2026, after which it will be dissolved.