Should Alabama Lower Its Age of Majority?

Thanks to my friend Noah Funderburg for word of this one. The Alabama House Judiciary Committee is meeting today to consider reducing Alabama’s age of majority from 19 to 18. The proposal the committee is studying today would change any law that now says “under the age of 21 years” or “under the age of 19 years” to read “under the age of 18 years.”

You can read the bill, HB64, on ALISON. Click on “Bills,” then “Status,” and type in “HB64” as the Bill Number. Then click on the button that says “HB64” and then click “View” in the ribbon above the bill. There’s a companion bill, SB198.

HB64 has an exception for the sale of tobacco and alcohol, and it also says it will not have any effect on child support or on health insurance for minor children.

I’m not aware of any groundswell of enthusiasm for this. Is it coming from used car salesmen who want to sell cars to kids and make sure they’re liable? Maybe from banks who want to get Visa cards in the hands of high school kids? Beats me.