Alabama lawmakers returned to Montgomery on Tuesday to begin the 2025 legislative session. Here are some issues to watch:
Gambling
Republican Sen. Greg Albritton said he is trying to gauge the appetite for taking up gambling legislation after a sweeping lottery and casino proposal failed last session. The bill stalled in the Alabama Senate. House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter said he wants any gambling bill to start in the Senate this year.
There has not been a statewide vote on gambling since Gov. Don Siegelman’s proposed lottery failed in 1999. Bills have stalled under a mix of opposition to casinos and disputes over who would get casino licenses.
Education funding
A legislative committee has been developing a new school funding formula that decides how much money local school systems receive from the state. The committee is expected to propose a hybrid model that allocates money based on enrollment and then adds resources based on student needs.
“Alabama is one of five states that doesn’t have a student-weighted funding formula based on student needs,” said Republican Sen. Arthur Orr, chairman of the Senate education budget committee.
Public safety
Republican Gov. Kay Ivey is throwing her support behind a package of public safety bills that includes a ban on Glock switches, the devices that convert semiautomatic weapons to fire like machine guns.
The package also includes efforts to help local law enforcement agencies recruit and retain officers. The bills are expected to be in committee and could see floor votes as soon as next week.
Some Democrats have urged the Republican legislative majority to take additional steps such as bringing back the requirement to get a permit to carry a concealed handgun.
Immigration
Republican lawmakers are expected to introduce multiple immigration bills as red states look to support President Donald Trump’s mass deportation efforts.
Republican Rep. Ernie Yarbrough has introduced legislation to allow local law enforcement agencies to enter into agreements with federal agencies to enforce federal immigration laws.
Republican Sen. Lance Bell has introduced legislation that would require law enforcement agencies to collect DNA, in addition to fingerprints, from people in custody who immigrated to the United States illegally.
Defining a person's sex
The “What is a Woman?” bill would write definitions of “man,” “woman,” “boy” and “girl” into state law. The definitions would be based on a person’s reproductive organs at birth. Republican Rep. Susan Dubose, the bill’s sponsor, argued the definitions are needed to protect “women’s spaces” such as dorm rooms.
Critics say such bills are an attempt to strip away legal protections for LGBTQ+ people. ”The bill would prevent transgender women from being seen as women under the law. A separate bill would require public schools to get parental consent before “presenting or sponsoring” drag performances.
