Alabama lawmakers respond to 2025 State of State address
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WIAT) — There was an overwhelmingly positive response to Gov. Kay Ivey's State of the State address from lawmakers Tuesday.
The governor's priorities of education and public safety align with those of many lawmakers across the state. While many Republican legislators are ready to push forward with the plan, some Democrats have lingering questions.
'I thought there were some things I can certainly agree with,' said House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels (D-Huntsville). 'I think some of them lack some specificity that I really need to understand.'
Daniels said he wants to know more about Ivey's immigration policies.
'The hospitality industry, the construction industry, all these industries that these hardworking men and women are working in, who's going to work those jobs?' Daniels said. 'AI is not mature enough to take over a lot of the jobs that we're talking about, so how is that going to impact our economy?'
Alabama lawmakers kickoff 2025 session
Meanwhile, state Sen. Andrew Jones (R-Centre) said border control is a top priority.
'We really got to wrap our heads around that issue,' Jones said. 'We've got to make sure we do our part to support the Trump administration and make sure that we're helping as a state to reign in those illegals that are here and frankly send them back to where they came from.'
Tackling crime is an issue lawmakers on both sides of the aisle want to see addressed in 2025.
'When the muscle of the governor's office gets behind something, we can really move some progressive legislation and that's important particularly for our inner cities,' said state Rep. Danny Garrett (R-Trussville). 'I represent an area outside of Birmingham. We have issues there. Montgomery has issues. Mobile has issues. It's very important and time we address it.'
'I think we all agree that law enforcement has their hands full, and we're in full support of law enforcement, but there are always bad apples in any bunch,' Daniels said. 'We want to make sure that the protections are extended to protect those that should not be protected.'
Senate Pro Tem Garlan Gudger (R-Cullman) said trying to get the whole state to agree on blanket legislation is hard and will bring about pushback, but he said as politicians, they're used to it and will work through any conflicts.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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