Alabama Legislature

Gambling legislation and proposed changes to the state ethics law failed to win final approval at the end of Alabama’s lawmaking session in Montgomery. Lawmakers faced a public backlash over IVF access. Clinics paused services following a state court ruling equating frozen embryos to children.

Gambling legislation remains stalled in the Alabama Senate with members expressing doubt that it will get another vote in the closing hours of the legislative session.

Alabama lawmakers gave final approval to legislation to provide state tax breaks to businesses that help their employees afford childcare. The Alabama Senate voted 31-0 for the bill that now goes to Governor Kay Ivey for her signature.

The Alabama Senate this week approved, and then killed, a bill that would give public school teachers eight weeks of paid parental leave. State Senator Vivian Davis Figures said it’s an example of the mostly male Legislature ignoring the concerns of women in the state.

A proposal to authorize a state lottery and allow casinos with slot machines and video poker, but not table games, at seven sites in the state remains stalled in the Alabama Legislature but could get another vote in the session's final three days.

Alabama lawmakers gave final approval to legislation creating a new high school focused on preparing students for careers in healthcare, science and technology. The school will be located in Demopolis but would take in students from around the state.

Alabama officials approved legislation to ensure President Joe Biden will appear on the state's November ballot, mirroring accommodations the state made four years ago for then-President Donald Trump. The House of Representatives voted 93-0 for the legislation. Republican Governor Kay Ivey signed the bill into law the same day, a spokeswoman said.

Alabama lawmakers advanced a bill Wednesday that would ban teachers from displaying LGBTQ+ pride flags on public school property and extend the state's ban on teacher-led discussions about sexual orientation and gender identity.

Alabama lawmakers proposed a compromise on gambling legislation that would authorize a state lottery and multiple sites with electronic gambling machines. But the measure faces an uncertain outlook

At least five Republican state attorneys general are challenging a new federal regulation that mandates protections for transgender students at schools. The federal rule opposes sweeping policies to allow transgender people from using the school bathrooms that align with their gender. At least eleven states, including Alabama, have such laws in their books already.