05 February 2026 :
February 3, 2026 - Alabama. Bill extending death penalty to child sexual assault (HB 41) passes Senate committee
An Alabama Senate committee approved a bill that would allow prosecutors to seek the death penalty for those convicted of sexual assault of a child under the age of 12.
HB 41, sponsored by Rep. Matt Simpson, R., passed the Senate Judiciary Committee in an uncommon Tuesday afternoon meeting on a vote of 12-1 with no changes.
The bill is part of a broader national effort to overturn Kennedy v. Louisiana, a 2008 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that prohibited capital punishment for child rape. Writing for the majority, Justice Anthony Kennedy said that imposing the death penalty in those cases could discourage reporting, increase the risk that a victim could be murdered by an abuser, and expose victims to trauma through testimony through the death penalty process.
Last year, the bill passed in the House but did not make it to the Senate floor.
This year, Simpson’s bill (HB 41) passed the House on Jan. 27 on a vote of 73-6.
The bill moves to the full Senate.
