Criminal Justice (Law Enforcement)

HB 34 proposes two new offenses under Alabama law: (1) knowingly providing false name, address, or date of birth to police during an official interaction (a Class A misdemeanor), and (2) willfully refusing to answer specific questions (name, address, date of birth, or explanation of actions) during a lawful investigatory stop when police have reasonable suspicion of a crime (a Class C misdemeanor). The bill clarifies that officers must identify themselves and state the reason for the stop before asking for information, and includes an exception preventing people from being forced to give self-incriminating details. It also updates existing law to require officers to state the reason for a stop and repeals the previous false information statute. If passed, these changes would apply to individuals stopped by police during investigations where reasonable suspicion exists.