House Judiciary Committee issues favorable reports on multiple public-safety, criminal and administrative bills

The House Judiciary Committee gave favorable reports to a series of bills on Wednesday, approving changes ranging from local tax-collection transparency to tougher penalties for attacks on critical infrastructure and liability limits for off‑roading parks.

Committee members moved quickly through a set of measures, voting to send most to the next stage with favorable reports. Sponsors described the bills as technical fixes, consumer protections or criminal‑law clarifications; where amendments were offered they were adopted before the favorable report votes.

Representative Lee urged a favorable report on Senate Bill 174, a measure requiring third‑party tax collectors to report local taxes they charge to the Alabama Department of Revenue and creating state appeal rights for businesses who say they were improperly charged. “I know that sounds crazy, but that's what happened,” Representative Lee said, describing a case in which a business was billed after a vehicle merely drove through a town. The committee voted to give that bill a favorable report.

A local bill to allow Lawrence County commissioners to…