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Read. Follow. Verify.Alabama Senate bill allows child-support orders entered within a child's first year to be retroactive to nine months before birth
Last action · March 12, 2026: Pending Committee Action in Second HouseSponsor: Merika Coleman
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What This Bill Would Do
Alabama courts entering a child-support order within the first year after a child's live birth may make the order retroactive up to nine months prior to the birth, under SB 47. The legislation takes effect on October 1, 2026, and also makes technical updates to existing and support statutes.
Parents involved in paternity or child-support actions initiated within a child's first year face potential liability for prenatal support dating back nine months before birth, altering financial obligations compared to the standard two-year limit for past support.
- SB 47 is introduced in the 2026 Alabama legislative session by Senator Coleman to modify child support laws regarding retroactivity. context
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
parents
Parents subject to child-support orders entered within the first year of a child's life may face prenatal support liabilities dating back nine months before birth.
Department of Human Resources
The agency brings support enforcement actions and is exempt from paying certain filing fees to the court clerk.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far back can a child-support order be backdated if issued during a child's first year?
What happens to child-support liability if an order is not entered within the first year of birth?
What else do you want to know?
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently passed chamber. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Law.
Procedural history
8 actions- Mar 12, 2026HouseCommitteePending Committee Action in Second House
- Mar 12, 2026HouseIntroducedRead for the first time and referred to the House Committee on Judiciary
- Mar 12, 2026SenateFloorMotion to Read a Third Time and Pass - Adopted Roll Call 855
- Mar 12, 2026SenateThird Reading in House of Origin
- Feb 19, 2026SenateRead for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar
- Feb 18, 2026SenateCommitteeReported Out of Committee House of Origin
Show 2 earlier actions
- Jan 13, 2026SenateCommitteePending Committee Action in House of Origin
- Jan 13, 2026SenateIntroducedRead for the first time and referred to the Senate Committee on Judiciary
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Connected Entities
Sources
alison.legislature.state.al.us
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance60How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy35Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz20Current news / social attention level
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