SB543 Summary

• Amends Alabama Code sections governing the Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center (ACJIC) to clarify operations, powers, and duties of the commission and center.

• Establishes the crime of "misuse of ACJIC information" as a Class B felony with penalties of $5,000-$10,000 fine or up to five years imprisonment for falsifying or unauthorized access to criminal records.

• Authorizes any governmental licensing entity to conduct background checks through ACJIC as part of licensing requirements and establishes a fee structure capped at $25 per background check.

• Ratifies the National Crime Prevention and Privacy Compact (42 U.S.C. § 14616) to facilitate interstate exchange of criminal history information for noncriminal justice purposes including employee screening and background checks.

• Creates an Alabama Statistical Analysis Center within ACJIC to compile crime statistics, provide data to government agencies, and make public crime information available at least annually without identifying individuals.