MONTGOMERY — The Alabama House of Representatives on Tuesday unanimously passed a two-bill package that would create “Aniah’s Law,” an expansion of the criminal offenses where a judge could deny a defendant bail.
The legislation was sponsored by Rep. Chip Brown (R-Hollinger’s Island) and is named in honor of Aniah Blanchard, a 19-year-old Homewood resident who was kidnapped and killed in 2019. A suspect in the case, Ibraheem Yazeed, has been indicted on capital murder charges.
Yazeed was out on bond when he is alleged to have murdered Blanchard. He had been charged with kidnapping, robbery and murder before being let out on bond. Currently, only those charged with capital murder can be denied bail in Alabama.
Under the proposed law, after a hearing in court, a judge would be able to deny bail for 13 charges including kidnapping, rape, arson and robbery. The full list of charges for which a judge could deny bail is listed in the text of HB130.
A version of Aniah’s Law passed the House in March 2020 but was not able to pass the Senate after the coronavirus pandemic shortened the session.
Aniah’s Law now heads to the Alabama Senate for consideration. The legislation exists as a package of two bills: HB 130, which Brown called the “enabling legislation,” and HB 131 which contains the constitutional amendment that the law requires.
Both bills passed the House with unanimous support on Tuesday. More than 90 members of the lower chamber signed on to each bill as cosponsors, an unusually strong show of support for a proposed law that would have a significant impact on the state.
If the legislation passes the Senate, it would need to be approved by the people of Alabama in a future general election.
Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: henry@new-yhn.local or on Twitter @HenryThornton95.
