Alabama legislative session

Alabama lawmakers are advancing a bill that would make it harder to sue police who use excessive or lethal force. Sponsors of the bill said the legislation will increase officer recruitment and improve officer safety.

Alabama lawmakers are advancing a ban on Glock switches and other conversion devices that make semi-automatic weapons fire like machine guns. The conversion devices that speed the firing of semi-automatic weapons are already banned under federal law, but there’s currently no state law that bans them.

Advocates are urging Alabama lawmakers to reconsider their long-held reluctance to expand Medicaid. The push comes at the same time there is gathering uncertainty about possible cuts and changes to Medicaid, the safety net program that provides health care to 80 million U.S. adults and children.

Gov. Kay Ivey is working to fulfilling a commitment to support Alabama families and to recruit and retain public-school teachers and state employees. The office of the state leader says this is being done through a new legislative proposal.

Alabama lawmakers rejected a bill on Wednesday that would impose a criminal penalty on a parent whose child brings a gun to school if the firearm was not secured at home. The bill’s Democratic sponsor, Rep. Barbara Drummond from Mobile, emphasized that the bill was meant to be a “pro-school” measure instead of a gun control measure.

A bill moving through the state legislature could give the governor the power to appoint the head of the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs. The move comes after a public feud between the Gov. Kay Ivey and the former commissioner.

Alabama lawmakers are reviewing a bill that expedites Medicaid for pregnant women in a state with one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the country. This comes as leaders across the South try to address rising death rates for mothers and infants.

Alabama lawmakers are advancing a bill that would put oversight on the state’s parole board. The parole board has garnered national attention for low parole rates. State officials are also looking to borrow additional money for prison construction to ensure the state can build a second 4,000-bed prison.

Alabama lawmakers on Wednesday gave final approval to legislation that would write definitions of male and female into state law that exclude transgender people from being recognized under their gender identity. The bill now goes to Gov. Kay Ivey who has vowed to sign it.

Alabama lawmakers have returned to Montgomery to begin the 2025 legislative session. Republican lawmakers are expected to propose multiple immigration bills as red states look to support President Donald Trump’s mass deportation efforts. Some senators are trying to gauge the interest for addressing lottery and casino legislation this session.