(a) The county commission of each county of the state shall allow use of an appropriate meeting room in the county courthouse or other county building by any local veterans' organization to conduct regular and special business meetings.
(b) The term "veterans of the United States" as used in subsection (a) includes any person, male or female, who served on active duty, whether commissioned, enlisted, inducted, appointed, or mustered into the military or naval service of the United States and who has been discharged or released from that service under conditions other than dishonorable.
(c) The term "local veterans' organization" as used in subsection (a) shall mean any local chapter of a veterans' organization officially recognized by the State Board of Veterans' Affairs and which is statutorily authorized to make nominations to the board or a local chapter of a veterans' organization which has a national charter authorized by an Act of Congress and shall include but not be limited to local chapters of the Alabama Department of the American Legion, the United Spanish American War Veterans, The Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Disabled American Veterans, Veterans of WWII of the USA Incorporated, AMVETS, ALAVETS, and American Ex-Prisoners of War, Incorporated.
(d) The county commission may make reasonable rules to implement the provisions of this section which shall include but not be limited to the security of court rooms and other county facilities, length and hours of proposed meetings, the number of meetings requested in any period of time, and conflicts involving simultaneous requests of two or more local veterans organizations. The county commission shall not be required to provide meeting space for any organization that fails to abide by the reasonable rules promulgated by the county commission any provision of this section to the contrary notwithstanding. No meetings authorized under this section shall involve fund raising activities.
Last modified: May 3, 2021