It is the purpose of this chapter to require submission to the State Revenue Department of certain reports and records of transactions involving United States currency where such reports and records have a high degree of usefulness in criminal, tax, or regulatory investigations or proceedings.

For the purpose of this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings ascribed by this section:

(1) CURRENCY. Currency and coin of the United States.

(2) FINANCIAL INSTITUTION. Any national bank or banking association, state bank or banking association, industrial savings bank, trust company, federal savings and loan association, state savings and loan association, federal savings bank, state savings bank, federal credit union, state credit union, Edge Act or agreement corporation, or international bank agency, located in this state, whether organized under the laws of this state, the laws of another state, or the laws of the United States.

(3) PERSON. Any individual, and any corporation, partnership, association or other such business entity.

(a) Every financial institution shall keep a record of each of its currency transactions as required by 31 U.S.C. §5313 and regulations pursuant thereto, as the same may be amended from time to time ('federal monetary transaction records and reports requirement'). Upon the written request of the Revenue Commissioner, each financial institution shall file a report as described in this chapter with the State Revenue Department. After such request and during the period of time covered thereby, each report shall be filed no later than 15 banking days after the report of the same transaction is required to be filed pursuant to the federal monetary transaction records and reports requirement. If the information required to be reported to the State Revenue Department pursuant to this chapter becomes otherwise available to the State Revenue Department through access to reports of any federal agency, the Revenue Commissioner shall notify the financial institutions in writing that such financial institutions no longer have any obligation to file any report pursuant to this chapter. Each report may be in the same form as, or may be a copy of, the report required by the federal monetary transaction records and reports requirement. Notwithstanding any provision hereof to the contrary, maintaining the records and filing a copy of reports required by the federal monetary transaction records and reports requirement shall satisfy the recordkeeping and reporting requirements of this chapter.

(b) Multiple transactions conducted by or for any person in any one day shall be treated as a single transaction, if the financial institution actually is aware of them and such transactions are by or on behalf of the same person.

(c) Information obtained by the State Revenue Department may not be disclosed by the Revenue Commissioner or any officer or employee of the State Revenue Department, except that the Revenue Commissioner may in his discretion, if he deems it necessary or proper to the enforcement of the laws of this state or the United States and to the best interest of the public, divulge such information to any department, agency, or instrumentality of the state or federal government.

All exemptions from recordkeeping and reporting requirements under the federal monetary transaction records and reports requirement shall be available to financial institutions under this chapter. This chapter shall not require any recordkeeping or reporting of currency transactions other than those required by the federal monetary transaction records and reports requirement.

Other than as provided for in Section 5-22-3, the State Revenue Department shall not provide to any person any report filed under Section 5-22-3 or any information contained therein except:

(1) Pursuant to a lawful subpoena or subpoena duces tecum issued by a state attorney, a United States attorney, or a court, in a criminal judicial proceeding;

(2) Pursuant to any such subpoena issued by a state or federal grand jury; or

(3) Pursuant to any such subpoena issued by a state attorney, a United States attorney, or a court, in the course of a civil judicial proceeding instituted by a state attorney or by a United States attorney.

(a) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, a person who willfully violates any provision of Section 5-22-3 shall in addition to other penalties provided by law, be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine of not more than $500.00 or by imprisonment for not more than 12 months or both.

(b) A person who willfully violates any provision of Section 5-22-3, when the violation is:

(1) Committed in furtherance of the commission of any other violation of Alabama law; or

(2) Committed as part of a pattern of illegal activity involving transactions exceeding $100,000.00 in any 12-month period,

Except as provided in Section 5-22-6, no financial institution, or director, officer, employee or agent thereof, shall be civilly or criminally liable to any person for acts or omissions done in connection with the keeping or maintaining of records and providing of reports or disclosure thereof as required by this chapter and no cause of action shall exist against any financial institution, director, officer, employee or agent thereof for any action taken or not taken pursuant to or in reliance upon the provisions of this chapter.

No part of the cost or expense incurred by the State Revenue Department in recording, maintaining, disposing of or otherwise dealing with the information received by the State Revenue Department pursuant to the provisions of this chapter or otherwise incurred by the State Revenue Department in administering the provisions of this chapter shall be imposed upon or recouped from any financial institution by fees or assessments specially levied or assessed to impose or recoup such cost or expense.