Latest news with #RodgerSmitherman
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
What you missed on the legislature's final day of the session
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WIAT) — It was a little before midnight when lawmakers adjourned 'sine die' for the last time Wednesday. Democrats had a lot to say in both chambers, while Republicans touted a successful session. In the Senate, Democrats filibustered bills for several hours. They said Republicans refused to take up bills from their party. 'All y'all want to take something home, all of us want to take something home,' said Sen. Rodger Smitherman (D-Birmingham). 'And, the way it is now, it ain't working out like that. So I hope y'all go and reassess, when we come back, how we're gonna deal with ourselves in here.' But Sen. Garlan Gudger (R-Cullman), Senate Pro Tempore, said they worked to make sure everyone had a voice this session. 'They both were able to talk about what was going on, on each particular bill,' Gugder said. 'And we still gave the voice to everybody who needed to be at the well. So, I think it was a win for both parties. And I think it's a win for Alabama to get a lot of these local bills out of the way.' What was approved, and what failed, in the 2025 Alabama legislative session A bill expanding criminal immunity for police officers was one of the last debated at the well. The House agreed with the Senate, sending it to the Governor's desk. Representatives said there were some bills they were excited about and others they wish would have passed. 'Look, this is what we do. It's all about compromises,' said Rep. Susan DuBose (R-Hoover). 'And it's the best that you can do. Because, if you wait around for the perfect bill, you won't get anything done.' 'Worker's comp for school employees- I think that was awesome, because I've dealt with the school system,' said Rep. Curtis Travis (D-Tuscaloosa). 'I think the bill for paid leave has been very tremendous- a very important one.' House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter said, 'I cannot be prouder of this body of the work you've done this session. You know, if you think about all the bills we've passed, it's affected people all across our state.' Sen. Gudger said, in a few days, leadership meetings will start back up for next year. He said they will consider rule changes for the next session to make sure everyone in their chamber is treated as fairly as possible. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Independent
15-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Alabama lawmakers approve additional legal protections for police officers
Alabama lawmakers on Wednesday approved enhanced legal protections for police officers, changes that Republicans said show support for law enforcement but Democrats called 'a green light to kill Black folks.' The Alabama Legislature gave final approval to the legislation that sets legal standards for the use of force and provides for an immunity hearing. The bill states that an officer 'shall be justified' in the use of physical force as long as it is not constitutionally excessive force or 'recklessly' outside of the officer's discretionary authority. Republicans, who called the legislation the 'Back The Blue' bill said it is needed to provide a clear legal framework and show support for law enforcement officers faced with making split-second decisions. 'We ask them to take care of us, keep us safe in our homes as we sleep at night. This bill will give them the assurances that we back them and back the blue,' Sen. Lance Bell, a former deputy sheriff, said. Bell said officers who act improperly can still be prosecuted. The approval came after an emotional debate in which Black lawmakers read the names of Black people who have been killed by police and described their own encounters with law enforcement. 'HB 202 is a license to kill Black people. That's what it is,' Sen. Rodger Smitherman, a Black Democrat from Birmingham, said. Smitherman said departments have very good officers, but they also have officers who are 'racist against Black people' or will make impulsive decisions because they are scared. Sen. Merika Coleman, a Black Democrat from Pleasant Grove, said she fears the bill will protect 'bad apples' in police departments. She described her worries that someone might see her honors student son as a threat someday because of his tall frame and twisted locs. 'If this bill passes and there are young Black males, females, brown and other folks killed, you will have blood on your hands because of this piece of legislation,' Coleman said. Bell urged opponents to 'walk a mile in a law enforcement officer's shoes and find out what they have to deal with.' Smitherman responded, 'Walk a mile in the person's shoes when the person is dead.' The Alabama Senate approved the bill on a 25-6 late-night vote in the final hour of the legislative session. The House of Representatives accepted Senate changes. The bill now goes to Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey who said she will sign it into law. 'There is NO question Alabama backs the blue!' Ivey stated on social media after the bill's passage. Under existing state law, police and civilians alike are currently entitled to a 'stand your ground' hearing in criminal cases where a judge can determine whether the defendant acted in self defense. The legislation will allow an immunity hearing where a judge will decide if a case can proceed based on whether the officer acted recklessly outside the scope of law enforcement duties. It would add similar protections in state civil lawsuits. It would also require law enforcement departments to collect data that tracks use of force complaints. The executive director of the Alabama Sheriff's Association, Hoss Mack, testified in favor of the bill in April. 'This is of equal benefit to law enforcement and the public. Let me reiterate what this bill does not do. It does not give blanket immunity to law enforcement,' said Mack, who added that he had personally arrested officers that worked for him for misconduct throughout his 39-year career in law enforcement. Leroy Maxwell, a civil rights attorney based in Birmingham, said he is afraid the bill would embolden misconduct. 'Legislation like this paves the way toward a police state, where law enforcement operates above the law and without fear of consequence,' Maxwell said. Civil rights attorney Harry Daniels opposed the law but doubted the overall impact on civil rights cases which could still be filed in federal court and will not be affected by the legislation. 'It is a lion with no teeth. It appears to be big and bad but it has no teeth and no claws,' Daniels said.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Alabama Legislature sends 2026 ETF, General Fund budgets to Gov. Kay Ivey
Senate Pro Tempore Garlan Gudger, R-Cullman; Sen. Greg Albritton, R-Atmore; Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham; and Sen. Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro (left to right) discuss a 125-page bill on the Senate floor as it is read in its entirety on April 29, 2025, in Montgomery, Ala. (Alander Rocha/Alabama Reflector) The Alabama Legislature Tuesday gave final approval to the state's two budgets for the 2026 fiscal year, but not without a battle. The Alabama Senate passed a $3.7 billion 2026 General Fund budget late Tuesday night on a 30-0 vote after an hours-long slowdown. HB 186, sponsored by Rep. Rex Reynolds, R-Huntsville, would provide a 10% increase ($347 million) over the current budget for the 2026 fiscal year, which starts October 1. 'In many cases, you had a reduction in what your request had been. Everyone of us had that … so we're in a dichotomy here where we have the largest budget we've ever had, and yet, we have the tightest constraints and control that we've had in recent memory,' said Sen. Greg Albritton, R-Atmore, who chairs the Senate Finance and Taxation General Fund Committee, pointing to Medicaid's significant budget increase that will bring its budget to over $1 billion. Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, asked for the 125-page funding bill to be read in its entirety Tuesday afternoon, which delayed the vote by hours. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The Alabama Medicaid Agency, which provides health insurance for over 1 million Alabamians, nearly all children, elderly citizens and those with disabilities, will get $1.179 billion from the state, a $223.8 million (19%) increase over this year. Ivey requested $1.184 billion in February, about $5 million than what the House approved. The Alabama Department of Corrections, which administers the state prisons, will get a $90.1 million increase (11%) to $826.7 million. The Alabama Department of Human Resources, which provides child and adult protective services, enforces child support payments and administers food and family assistance, will get $148.9 million from the state in 2026, a $4.7 million (3%) increase from the current budget. The Alabama Department of Mental Health, which provides mental health care services in the state, will get a $4.7 million increase (2%) to $244 million. The Legislature cut the funding from Ivey's recommendation by $3.7 million. But senators also appeared to want to send a message to the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles, which has drawn mounting criticism from Democratic and Republican senators over low parole rates and what senators consider a lack of responsiveness to their questions about the parole process. The Senate cut the board's funding from $94.5 million to $90.6 million, a 4.1% decrease. In addition, Sen. Clyde Chambliss, R-Prattville, added an amendment to make funding for the Board of Pardons & Paroles conditional on the board developing parole release guidelines. The amendment passed on a 27-0 vote. 'What they do, as y'all know, they adopt guidelines. Those are supposed to be updated and revised. They have not done that,' he said. The board has faced backlash after parole rates declined significantly after 2017, when members granted parole to about 54% of applicants. The rates fell as low as 7% at times, according to an analysis by the ACLU of Alabama in 2023, but rebounded to slightly more than 20% within the past year. The Senate also passed HB 185, also sponsored by Reynolds, which would appropriate $50 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to the Department of Finance and provide over $12.6 million to the Unified Judicial System. 'This bill is supplemental monies just taking federal money and appropriating it,' Albritton said. The House concurred with the changes late Tuesday evening, sending the bill to Gov. Kay Ivey. The Senate also concurred with House changes to SB 112, sponsored by Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, a nearly $10 billion 2026 Education Trust Fund budget (ETF). The House changes added $17.6 million to the budget, bringing it to a 6% increase over the 2025 ETF budget. The budget does not contain pay raises for teachers in the 2025-26 fiscal year, which starts Oct. 1. But it includes a $99.2 million increase for the Public Education Employees' Health Insurance Plan, as well as funding for workman's compensation for education employees and paid parental leave. The Senate also concurred with the ETF supplemental funding bills, including SB 113, also sponsored by Orr, a $524 million 2025 supplemental appropriation for education that passed the House with an amendment changing language to clarify dual enrollment programs funding. The Senate also concurred with House changes to SB 111, sponsored by Orr, which would appropriate $375 million over three years to implement changes to the state's school funding formula. The House added an additional $80 million from the Education Opportunity Reserve Fund to the Creating Hope and Opportunity for Our Students' Education (CHOOSE) Act Fund, a voucher-like program that gives tax credits for non-public school spending, including private school tuition. The first-year cost estimate will go from $100 million to $180 million, an 80% increase. Over two-thirds of applicants to the program are already in private school or are homeschooled. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Alabama Senate passes bill to ease job licensing for some with felony convictions
Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham (left) speaks with Sen. April Weaver, R-Alabaster, on the floor of the Alabama Senate on March 4, 2025 at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Alabama. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector) The Alabama Senate Thursday passed legislation aimed at removing barriers to employment for some people with felony convictions. SB 138, sponsored by Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, would prohibit certain occupational licensing boards from automatically denying licenses based solely on a criminal conviction, unless the crime is directly related to the duties of the profession. A 'certificate of employability' would be issued to certain parolees who meet eligibility requirements, such as job skills training while incarcerated and serve as evidence of rehabilitation. The bill was amended during the debate to exempt some health care professionals, such as doctors, dentists and pharmacists, as well as professionals in the banking and insurance industries. The bill passed 29-0 and heads to the House for consideration. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Alabama Senate committee OKs bill expanding religious exemptions from vaccinations
Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, speaks with Senate Education Policy Chair Donnie Chesteen, R-Ozark, at the Alabama State House in Montgomery, Alabama, on March 5, 2025. The pair debated a bill from Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur (right) that would allow religious exemption for vaccines without reason. (Anna Barrett/Alabama Reflector) An Alabama Senate committee Wednesday approved a bill that allows parents to claim a religious exemption from vaccination without providing an explanation or allowing a public body to evaluate the claim. SB 85, sponsored by Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, also explicitly allows students at colleges and universities to declare themselves religiously exempt from vaccinations. 'The experience has been many times in these offices, the mom or dad or whoever has taken the child, gets asked about their religious beliefs,' Orr said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The legislation also removes language that suspended religious exemptions in the presence of an epidemic 'or immediate threat thereof.' Apriell Hartsfield, a policy analyst with Voices for Alabama Children, the lone speaker at the public hearing, opposed the legislation. 'We fear that this bill will needlessly impact many vulnerable children whose health is already at risk and they are not able to get vaccinations,' she said. In Texas, one child died from measles on Feb. 25, a previously dormant disease, due to an outbreak that infected mostly unvaccinated children. According to the Texas Department of Health and Human Services, there have been 159 measles cases so far with five of the infected being vaccinated with at least one dose. Alabama public health officials have voiced fears about dropping vaccination rates in the state. The state's measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination rate fell below 94% in 2022-23. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 95% of the population needs to be immunized to achieve herd immunity. Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, said unvaccinated children should be kept at home. 'If you don't want your child to get the vaccine, then they need to be at home with Zoom,' he said. Orr said unvaccinated children should not be a threat to public schools and vaccinated children. 'That's the point of vaccines. If you're vaccinated, what's your worry?' Orr said. Orr said Alabama should respect a parent's decision to not vaccinate their child. 'Fundamentally, if you do have a religious objection, I think that this state and our constitution wants to respect that and not subject parents to being subjected to an inquisition,' Orr said. The bill received a favorable report, with Smitherman and Sen. Kirk Hatcher, D-Montgomery, abstaining. It now goes to the full Senate. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
