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Alabama Reflector
Alabama House committee OKs bill requiring safe storage of firearms
A divided House Judiciary Committee Wednesday approved a bill that could subject parents who do not safely secure firearms to criminal penalties. HB 414, sponsored by Rep. Barbara Drummond, D-Mobile, passed on a voice vote out of the committee. With only five legislative days left in the 2024 session, its chances of passage appear slim; […] The post Alabama House committee OKs bill requiring safe storage of firearms appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Alabama can’t build its way out of the prison crisis
There’s a concept in transportation called induced demand. Say you have a four-lane highway running through a city. It’s jammed with vehicles. So officials widen the road to six lanes, to ease congestion and driver stress. Does that relieve traffic? Yes. But only for a time. Within a few days or weeks, the roads will […] The post Alabama can’t build its way out of the prison crisis appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Jeana Ross, Alan Miller competing in GOP runoff for House District 27
Republican voters in House District 27 will go to the polls Tuesday to select a nominee. Arab City Councilman Alan Miller will face Jeana Ross, former secretary of Early Childhood Education, for the GOP nomination in the district, which includes most of Marshall County. They advanced to the runoff after a primary earlier this month. […] The post Jeana Ross, Alan Miller competing in GOP runoff for House District 27 appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Eyewitness to kidnapping of Emmett Till hasn’t closed his eyes to quest for racial justice
This story originally appeared on Kansas Reflector. LAWRENCE, Kansas — Black teenagers Wheeler Parker and Emmett Till were on vacation from Chicago when they stepped into the white-owned Mississippi Delta grocery store operated by Roy and Carolyn Bryant to buy candy in the summer of 1955. In a region saturated with influences of the Ku […] The post Eyewitness to kidnapping of Emmett Till hasn’t closed his eyes to quest for racial justice appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Where is the common ground for abortion-rights opponents and supporters?
Editor’s note: This story is the second in a series about a group of people from Wisconsin trying to come up with policies to address abortion and its root causes that could be applied nationwide. Their larger goal is to find common ground on one of the most divisive issues in America. MADISON, Wis. — […] The post Where is the common ground for abortion-rights opponents and supporters? appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
What passed in the Alabama Legislature: April 23-25, 2024
Here is a list of the bills that passed the Alabama Legislature this week. House HB 433, sponsored by Rep. Penni McClammy, D-Montgomery, authorizes the Montgomery County sheriff to establish procedures for using a credit card to make purchases. The bill passed 25-0. It goes to the Senate. HB 447, sponsored by Rep. A.J. McCampbell, […] The post What passed in the Alabama Legislature: April 23-25, 2024 appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Can 14 strangers from Wisconsin help America find common ground on abortion?
Editor’s note: This is the first in a series about a group of Wisconsin residents trying to come up with policies to address abortion and its root causes that could be applied nationwide. MADISON, Wis. — Thomas Lang, 61, is white, deeply Catholic and opposes abortion. “Each one of us has a beginning, and that […] The post Can 14 strangers from Wisconsin help America find common ground on abortion? appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Alabama Senate approves bill providing due process for public school students
The Alabama Senate Thursday approved legislation creating a uniform suspension and expulsion process for public K-12 students. HB 188, sponsored by Rep. Terri Collins, R-Decatur, extends due process to children in the school disciplinary system. The bill passed 32-0. “They are the only body that did not have due process,” said Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, […] The post Alabama Senate approves bill providing due process for public school students appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
U.S. House GOP bars earmarks for certain non-profits after controversy over LGBTQ projects
WASHINGTON — U.S. House lawmakers will no longer be able to request earmarked funding for some nonprofits under a change in eligibility made by the Republican chairman of the Appropriations Committee on Thursday. The alteration is related to an uproar during last year’s annual government funding process, when House Republicans, who are in the majority, […] The post U.S. House GOP bars earmarks for certain non-profits after controversy over LGBTQ projects appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Alabama House repeals financial lifeline program intended for Birmingham-Southern College
The Alabama House of Representatives Thursday passed a bill ending a program designed to keep Birmingham-Southern College (BSC) open. HB 415, sponsored by Rep. Juandalynn Givan, D-Birmingham, repeals the Distressed Institutions of Higher Education Revolving Loan Program passed in the 2023 regular legislative session. The bill was intended to extend a loan to BSC to […] The post Alabama House repeals financial lifeline program intended for Birmingham-Southern College appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Gov. Kay Ivey sets July execution date for Keith Edmund Gavin
Gov. Kay Ivey Thursday set a summer execution date for death row inmate Keith Edmund Gavin, sentenced to death for the 1998 murder of William Clinton Clayton Jr. during a robbery. Gavin is scheduled to be executed between midnight July 17 and 6 a.m. July 19 by lethal injection. According to a case filing, a […] The post Gov. Kay Ivey sets July execution date for Keith Edmund Gavin appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
New EPA rules will force fossil fuel power plants to cut pollution
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday released a sweeping set of rules aimed at cutting air, water and land pollution from fossil fuel-fired power plants. Environmental and clean energy groups celebrated the announcement as long overdue, particularly for coal-burning power plants, which have saddled hundreds of communities across the country with dirty air and hundreds of […] The post New EPA rules will force fossil fuel power plants to cut pollution appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Alabama House approves bill criminalizing organ retention
The Alabama House of Representatives Thursday approved a bill to criminalize organ retention without family consent. HB 200, sponsored by Rep. Chris England, D-Tuscaloosa, passed with little debate. It would make it a Class C felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, for a medical examiner to keep the organs of someone they […] The post Alabama House approves bill criminalizing organ retention appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
U.S. Supreme Court floats return to trial court for Trump in presidential immunity case
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court appeared skeptical Thursday of former President Donald Trump’s argument he is immune from criminal charges that he tried to overturn his loss in the 2020 election. But conservatives who dominate the court appeared open to returning key questions to a trial court, possibly delaying Trump’s prosecution beyond the November […] The post U.S. Supreme Court floats return to trial court for Trump in presidential immunity case appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Alabama House passes bill that could lead to prosecutions of librarians
The Alabama House of Representatives Thursday passed a bill that could lead to the arrest of librarians if a person accuses them of distributing obscene or harmful materials to minors or exposes them to people dressed in revealing clothing. HB 385, sponsored by Rep. Arnold Mooney, R-Indian Springs, also expands the term “sexual conduct” in […] The post Alabama House passes bill that could lead to prosecutions of librarians appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
You’ve covered your copayment; now brace yourself for the ‘facility fee’
This story originally appeared on Stateline. Even if you have health insurance, you might expect to be charged a copayment for some routine care, like office-based exams and consultations. But you probably don’t expect to receive a bill a few weeks later charging you an extra $100 or more. That’s the situation an increasing number of state lawmakers are looking to change. […] The post You’ve covered your copayment; now brace yourself for the ‘facility fee’ appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Alabama lawmakers weigh Medicaid expansion approaches in Southern states
The Alabama House and Senate committees on health held a joint session Wednesday to learn more about Medicaid expansion in two southern states. The meeting focused on Arkansas, which expanded Medicaid in 2014; North Carolina, which expanded Medicaid last year, and the challenges and benefits of the effort. “What we’re looking at doing is trying […] The post Alabama lawmakers weigh Medicaid expansion approaches in Southern states appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Alabama House Judiciary Committee rejects bill requiring in utero child support
The House Judiciary Committee Wednesday rejected legislation that would have a parent of a child to pay child support for an unborn child. SB 237, sponsored by Sen. Merika Coleman, D-Pleasant Grove, would require child support orders made within the first year after a child is born to be retroactive nine months before the child […] The post Alabama House Judiciary Committee rejects bill requiring in utero child support appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Alabama House committee approves immigration detention bill
An Alabama House committee Wednesday approved legislation that would allow local law enforcement agencies to arrest undocumented immigrants. Members of the House Public Safety and Homeland Security committee approved HB 376, sponsored by Rep. Ernie Yarbrough, R-Trinity, on a voice vote. The vote came after the committee sent the bill to a subcommittee to make […] The post Alabama House committee approves immigration detention bill appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Speakers urge Alabama lawmakers to fund Summer EBT, restore library funds
Speakers at a public hearing Wednesday on the proposed 2025 Education Trust Fund budget urged lawmakers to include more money for summer meal programs, and reconsider cuts to the Alabama Public Library Service (APLS). The proposed 2025 ETF, sponsored by House Ways and Means Education Committee Chair Danny Garrett, R-Trussville, will allocate about $9.3 billion […] The post Speakers urge Alabama lawmakers to fund Summer EBT, restore library funds appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
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The Alabama Reflector is an independent nonprofit website covering politics and policy in our state. We look at the problems affecting Alabamians, and search for solutions. We connect readers with the decisions made in the hallways of the State House and try to give a voice to those outside it. We write stories about people in power and men and women on the margins. We hope to reflect what our home is, and what it could be. Alabama Reflector is an affiliate of States Newsroom, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit supported by grants and a coalition of donors and readers. The Reflector retains full editorial independence.
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