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Associated Press
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
What was approved, and what failed, in the 2025 legislative session
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama lawmakers ended the 2025 legislative session on Wednesday. Here is a look at a few of the notable bills that passed, and some that failed, during the session. WHAT WAS APPROVED: DEFINING SEX The 'What is a Woman?' law wrote definitions of 'man,' 'woman,' 'boy' and 'girl' into state law based on a person's reproductive organs at birth. SCHOOL CELLPHONE BAN Alabama is joining states that ban or restrict cellphones in public schools. Phones would have to be stored in a locker, car or storage device during the school day. BIRMINGHAM WATER WORKS It set up a new regional board to oversee the Birmingham Water Works. Birmingham city officials have filed a lawsuit challenging the restructuring. SALES TAX CUTS The state sales tax on food will drop from 3% to 2% on Sept. 1. Lawmakers also voted to exempt diapers, baby formula and menstrual hygiene products from the state sales tax. GLOCK SWITCH BAN The new law bans Glock switches and devices that convert semi-automatic weapons to automatic fire. Lawmakers approved it after multiple mass shootings, including one that killed four people outside a Birmingham nightclub. ALFA HEALTH PLANS The Alabama Farmers Federation will be able to sell health care plans that are not regulated like traditional insurance and can turn people away for preexisting conditions. Supporters said it will provide an affordable option for farmers and others. PHARMACY BENEFIT MANAGERS The law puts regulations on pharmacy benefit managers. PBMs must reimburse independent pharmacists at the Medicaid rate. Lawmakers said it is needed to curb the closure of small pharmacies. PARENTAL LEAVE The new law will provide teachers and other state employees with paid parental leave, including up to eight weeks of maternity leave after the birth of a child. VETERANS BOARD The governor can now appoint the head of the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs. The department restructuring was approved following a dispute between the governor and the previous commissioner. SPEEDY TRIAL The chief justice can, when requested, appoint a visiting judge to handle a criminal case. The attorney general's office backed the legislation. HEMP PRODUCTS The state will put new regulations on the sale of consumable hemp products, such as gummies and drinks. It limits the THC content to 10 milligrams and requires purchasers to be 21. IMMIGRATION Legislation approved Wednesday will make it a felony to knowingly bring an undocumented immigrant into the state. Another approved bill will require jails to collect fingerprints and DNA from unauthorized immigrants in their custody. POLICE IMMUNITY The bill provides enhanced legal immunity to police officers under certain conditions. The measure was approved after a late-night debate in the Alabama Senate. The Republican governor said she will sign the bill into law. Democrats sharply criticized the legislation. SHARK ALERT SYSTEM The alert system, similar to an Amber Alert, will send out a notice after an unprovoked shark bite off the Alabama coast. The system is named for Lulu Gribbin who survived a shark attack. JUNETEENTH Juneteenth, the June 19 day that commemorates the end of slavery after the Civil War, is now an official state holiday. SCHOOL FUNDING CHANGE The state will begin steering additional money to schools based on student needs such as poverty. Legislation sets aside $375 million to start the program. Lawmakers also steered an additional $80 million to the state's new school voucher program. WHAT FAILED: GAMBLING The draft proposal aimed to allow a lottery, sports betting and several casinos in the state. The Republican Senate leader said the bill had 'too few votes' to advance. GULF OF AMERICA The bill sought to require state and local government entities to use the name 'Gulf of America' on new maps, websites and materials and make reasonable efforts to update existing resources. ARCHIVES The bill would have put a politically appointed board in charge of the Alabama Department of Archives and History. SECOND CHANCE The bill would have allowed a small number of prisoners serving life sentences for non-violent offenses under Alabama's Habitual Offender Act to have their sentences reviewed. OVERTIME TAX CUT Alabama will again begin collecting income tax on workers' overtime break. Lawmakers did not extend the tax break that is set to expire in June. APP AGE VERIFICATION The legislation sought to require app stores to verify users' ages and require parental consent for minors to download an app. Utah approved similar legislation. PAROLE BOARD CHANGES The bill sought to expand the board and change who selects the chairperson. Another bill would have allowed inmates to speak by phone or teleconference at their parole hearing. TEN COMMANDMENTS IN SCHOOLS The legislation would've mandated the display of the 10 Commandments in all public schools.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
BWWB votes to sell utility company to city of Birmingham for $1
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — A motion to sell the Birmingham Water Works to the city of Birmingham for $1 was approved by the board with a 5-2 vote. This comes after the Birmingham City Council approved a resolution to buy the company, which is worth millions after the state legislature voted to restructure its board. Governor Kay Ivey signed SB 330 into law, effectively taking the Birmingham Water Works Board mostly out of the city's hands and restructuring it to include regional members appointed by both the state and surrounding counties, just hours before the board's vote. Michael Davis' capital murder trial day 2: Who pulled the trigger first? Jefferson County Commissioner Sheila Tyson feels the vote should have taken place a day sooner. 'They had an opportunity yesterday before the governor signed the bill you know but it's too late to point fingers,' said Tyson. Some residents remain hopeful the board's approval could help the city regain control, despite the governor signing the law. 'We should have been come together and did this, but I also think that we're going to fight because it's our water and we know that right now it's always been top ten in the country. So, if they think they're going to come here and treat us any type of way at the end of the day, we know that this is an overreach,' said Birmingham resident Richard Franklin. Some fear the city owning the water works could negatively impact residents even more. 'Years ago, Birmingham city owned the water works and it got into so much debt they sold it. Now how can we trust you all to get the water works back,' said Birmingham resident Susan Palmer. 58 criminal cases involving Hanceville Police Department dismissed 'This whole thing was tore up from the floor up from day one and nobody is at the table trying to find common ground,' said Birmingham resident Keith Williams. Birmingham Waters Works released a statement saying in part quote: 'The actions we took tonight were to ensure that every one of our customers, from all five counties, continue to feel the tremendous improvements the system has made in the last 10 months. We remain committed to our customers, making improvements to the BWW and to leading ethically, with dignity and respect.' In response to Wednesday night's vote, Phillip Wiedmeyer, a member of the newly created Regional Water Works Board, filed a federal lawsuit against the city of Birmingham. Weidmeyer is asking for judge to invalidate all action taken by the Birmingham Water Works on or after SB 330 was signed and reaffirm that the Regional Water Works Systems is now in control. Wiedmeyer was appointed to the regional board by Jefferson County Commission President Jimmy Stephens. Lawsuit filed against city of Birmingham by Phillip WeidmeyerDownload Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Associated Press
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Alabama governor overhauls state's largest water utility despite cries of racial discrimination
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The city of Birmingham is one step closer to losing control over Alabama's largest water utility after the governor signed a bill on Wednesday that would give more power to neighboring suburbs, despite a pending federal lawsuit alleging the move would constitute racial discrimination. The bill redistributes power from Birmingham city officials — who currently appoint a majority of the nine-person board — to the governor, the lieutenant governor and the surrounding four counties that are also in the board's jurisdiction. It also reduces the number of board members to seven. Board members approve rate hikes and manage infrastructure projects for the utility's 770,000 customers. The state Senate voted unanimously to pass the bill, and the House of Representatives voted along party lines. 'No doubt, this is an important issue to all those residents served by this utility board. The Alabama Legislature overwhelmingly passed SB330, and I was pleased to sign it into law,' Republican Gov. Kay Ivey said in a written statement. Proponents of the bill point to frequent rate hikes, old infrastructure and recent scandals . The legislation said that the power transfer will prevent catastrophic events that have happened in cities like Jackson, Mississippi, or Detroit, Michigan. Opponents say that the restructured board wouldn't solve the utility's problems. Five counties rely on the Birmingham Water Works Board. Over 40% of customers are concentrated in the city of Birmingham, and 91% are in Jefferson County. The new system would give more weight to Jefferson County's neighboring areas that have only a fraction of the customers, but which house some of the reservoirs that supply the system. Mayor Randall Woodfin and city council members filed a federal lawsuit against Ivey on Tuesday, alleging that the legislation 'constitutes blatant racial discrimination' because it gives the majority-white suburbs disproportionate influence and takes power away from Birmingham, a majority-Black city where close to half of the utility's customers live. 'We live in America, representation matters. It matters at all levels of government — the federal level, the state level, the local level,' Woodfin said at a press conference on Tuesday. U.S. Chief District Judge Emily C. Marks declined to temporarily block the bill from going into effect on Tuesday evening without first hearing oral arguments from either side. She set a hearing for May 15. ____ Riddle is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill that would restructure Birmingham Water Works board passes Alabama Senate
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — An amended bill that would restructure the Birmingham Water Works board passed in the Alabama Senate Thursday. Under Senate Bill 330, sponsored by Senators Dan Roberts, Jabo Waggoner, and Shay Shelnutt, the board would become a regional board and alter board membership. The current board would be replaced under the proposed structure and reduce the number of board members from nine to seven. In addition to eliminating two board spots, the bill would add new qualifications for board members and change who is tasked with appointing board members. CBS 42 News will have the full story on CBS 42 News at 5. The bill passed by the senate can be read in full below: AMENDED SB330Download Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
