Alabama § 41-1-11 - State Agencies Authorized to Increase Fees in Accordance with the Consumer Price Index.

§ 41-1-11. State Agencies Authorized to Increase Fees in Accordance with the Consumer Price Index.

(a) Any state agency that statutorily levies or assesses fees retained by the agency to fund its operations or programs may increase the fee by the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index for all urban consumers as published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics from the end of December in the tenth year preceding the year in which the fee increase is to be effective or from the end of December in the last year the fee was increased, whichever period is shorter, to the end of the month preceding the month in which the fee increase is to be effective, rounded down to the nearest dollar. Thereafter, every five years the agency may repeat this process using the Consumer Price Index for the previous five years forward to the date of the requested change. The change may not exceed an increase of two percent per year.

(b) Any change in a fee schedule pursuant to this section is a rule for purposes of the Alabama Administrative Procedure Act.

(c) If an increase is adopted, the assessed increase of the fee shall be retained by the agency to fund its operations or programs under the control of the agency.

(d) The provisions of this section shall not apply in any manner to the Alabama Public Service Commission, the State Parks Division of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, or the State Banking Department.