Governor Kay Ivey Signs HB 202 and HB 199 into Law

Montgomery– Governor Kay Ivey on Thursday signed the remaining bills in the Safe
Alabama public safety package, House Bill 202 and House Bill 199.

HB202, sponsored by Sen. Lance Bell and Rep. Rex Reynolds, provides law
enforcement with enhanced legal protections that allow them to carry out
their duties courageously and effectively. The governor issued the
following comment after signing HB202:

“I was very proud to have two former law enforcement agents sponsoring
this important bill in the House and the Senate. 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.”
_– Governor Kay Ivey_

HB199, the Juvenile Accountability and Monitoring Act, was sponsored by
Sen. Bobby Singleton and Rep. Travis Hendrix to enhance pretrial
detention and pretrial electronic monitoring of dangerous juveniles.
After making it official with her signature, the governor also issued
the following comment:

“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.” _– Governor Kay Ivey_