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SubAla Ready to Tackle Issues in the 2025 Session

 Immigration Dominates Debate

Alabama’s legislative sessions are never dull, but this session seems to be already fast and furious. The House and Senate met three days this week and are expected to meet for three days next week. There are scheduled one week breaks at the beginning of March and one near the end of March. This does not follow the typical two-day work week with committees on Wednesday and picks up the pace for groups that track and support and oppose legislation. 

Prior to the session both the Senate Republicans and the House Republicans touted immigration reform to bolster the Trump administration’s ambitious agenda as a top priority and several bills on that topic are already in the hopper. David Campbell has already spent countless hours examining draft proposals yet to be introduced in determining impact on members. Rest assured that your SubAla team will stay on top of the immigration legislation and other labor and construction issues that could affect members. Speaker of the House Ledbetter said that he expects at least ten bills on immigration. Gudger said the key ones that will be addressed in the Senate include targeting immigrants who are felons and those lacking permanent legal status from using fraudulent documents to buy firearms. 

As stated, Campbell has instructed your lobbying team to stay focused on immigration bills that could whave unintended consequences. Discussions on draft bills have already resulted in striking the term “subcontractor” from the draft.   

The legislature can last three and a half months with the final day in the middle of May. There are super Republican majorities in both the Senate and the House. The Senate is made up of 27 Republicans and a mere 8 Democrats. The House is comprised of 77 Republicans and 28 Democrats. 
 
Gudger begins Rein as New President Pro Tem
The first of order of business in the Senate was the election of the President Pro Tem of the Senate and Senator Garlan Gudger of Cullman was unanimously elected. The former Pro Tem, Greg Reed of Jasper, resigned his Senate post to head up a newly created Department aimed at workforce development. Governor Kay Ivey appointed Reed to this post earlier in the year. 

The race for Pro Tem was not without drama as Gudger , first, defeated Senator Steve Livingston in a closed-door vote by the Senate Republican Caucus. Senator Livingston of Scottsboro will remain in leadership as the Senate Majority Leader, and it appears there will be a solid smooth relationship among the Republicans. He also stated that immigration and furthering the Trump agenda was a priority for him as the new leaders along with transparency and efficiency in government as well as protecting Alabama families. 

Republican House Agenda
This year the House Republican Caucus did not list bills that they would prioritize but instead chose to list a host of concepts to support. Primarily was the pursuit of immigration reform and border policies. Other topics listed were honest elections and the blocking of efforts to repeal current election laws related to security. The list also included Public Safety bills and efforts to combat crime while supporting second amendment right. Still other topics were public education that allows for funding of programs that produce desired results, address program shortfalls and provide to infants, children and families as well as create atmospheres where all children feel protected and as expected push back against policies seen as “woke” and efforts being made to change fundamental morals. 

Democratic House Agenda Also Unveiled 
Six items were listed as priorities for the House Democratic Caucus. Their agenda included increased economic opportunity including increased wages and investments in childcare, transportation, career training and housing along with workplace safety. Expanding affordable healthcare, expansion of broadband, clean sewer and water and preventative care were topics included along with expansion of career and technical training and efforts to maximize voter turnout.  

Hot topics for 2025
Lottery and Gambling / Up in the Air 
Allowing the sale of lottery tickets and expanding legal gambling has been a regular issue in the State House. A simple lottery bill has been a non-starter for years. The state constitution prohibits gambling and efforts to change that always dissolve over details of what other gambling options in the state should look like. The most recent efforts to allow a lottery and expand gambling, including adding table games and slot machines to the Poarch Band of Creek Indians’ federally allowed casinos that now offer electronic games, give casino licenses to existing dog track operators in the state, and legalize sports betting, passed the House and died in the Senate. 

Unlike past years, there seems to be a different attitude among legislators to tackle this issue except for the crackdown on unregulated, illegal casinos operating in their communities. Only one bill addressing those concerns to impose stiffer penalties has been introduced in the House. 

House members have said that any other potential gaming legislation should originate in the Senate since that is where the bill died. There have been ongoing working groups but according to a former bill sponsor there is far from a consensus bill on the horizon.  

Governor Kay Ivey has said in the past that she would support legislation including a broad bill that was similar to the one passed last year in the House. If any bill passes the bill would not take effect without the vote of the people. Statistics point to the prohibition of sports betting to be a major source of income that is not being collected due to the prohibition.  

Gudger, when asked about his support for gambling said he was open to passing something on the subject since the state is losing a great deal of revenue from lottery sales, sports betting and citizens traveling to other states. He said he would see what emerges from the body as his approach to this and all issues with be collaboration with all of the members of the Senate. 

Workforce Participation/Extension of No Tax on Overtime Rises to the top as a Priority Issue  
Alabama lawmakers will continue to tackle workforce issues just as they did in the 2024 session. The employment rate has been at a record low in the 2% percent range for nearly two years. The number of people seeking work is no longer the figure state policymakers are concerned about. Expect a lot of discussion this session on the workforce participation rate — now about 57% and the people who are choosing not to participate in the labor market. 

Last year there was bi-partisan support for legislation that did not tax overtime work, but a sunset provision repeals that bill if it is not re-instated by the legislature. There are some skeptics of the renewal by lawmakers seeking to pass a measure that would be a tax cut but not this tax cut. Mississippi and surrounding states are looking at tax measures such as a flat tax and some believe it is a better use of the $250 million dollar hit to the general fund that is occurring under the no tax on overtime.  

Proponents of the bill, led by Rep. Daniels, the House minority leader, say this extra money stimulates the economy and allows for more money to be put back into buying goods and services. So expect a lot of vigorous debate on this issue. 

Budgets 
Budgets are always at the front and center and with good reason. The state constitution says the only thing lawmakers must do each year is pass the General Fund and education budgets. After record revenues, in part thanks to federal pandemic spending, growth in both budgets have slowed. Expect budget leaders in both chambers to remain fiscally cautious, especially as expenses are expected to rise for some agencies, including Medicaid and the Alabama Department of Corrections. Revenue growth in the Education Trust Fund has flattened and the General Fund Revenues are down due to abnormally high interest rates lessen. It should be noted that lawmakers anticipated this slowdown and budgeted to spend below expected revenues and will likely do the same this year for the 2026 budgets. 

The COVID-19 leftover money is expected to go to hospitals. Presently state leaders are looking at about $7.4 million redirected in this area. Meanwhile investments in long-term infrastructure projects, including broadband, water and sewer systems are continued priorities. 

Public Safety on the Radar
Lawmakers are already taking a serious look at what they can do to help with public safety across the state and especially in some of the larger cities, including Montgomery and Birmingham. The House and Senate are expected to have bipartisan support for legislation to ban trigger activators also known as Glock Switches. They allow a semi-automatic firearm to fire at rates similar to that of a fully automatic weapon. This same bill was proposed last year but failed to pass the Senate. 

Leader Ledbetter told news outlets that crime bills will be a top priority for the House.  

SubAla Watch List Bills Dropped in the Hopper
-Campbell Continues to Analyze for Impact-
There have been about 400 bills introduced in just the first week of the session and SubAla continues to examine them for impact. Besides immigration, few bills have been identified as problematic.  At this time, we are monitoring two construction-related bills. One seems to be of little consequence and one of them dropped in the Senate this week could be a bill that we put on our support list. When those bills are thoroughly analyzed a formal position will be adopted.  

Statewide Building Code
Under existing law, the Division of Construction Management within the Department of Finance, which was formerly the State Building Commission, is required to adopt state building codes and state energy conservation codes. The codes apply only to state public buildings, public schools, hotels, and movie theatres. The codes do not apply to private residential or non-residential buildings and structures.
Also under existing law, each county commission and municipality may adopt local building codes for its jurisdiction. The codes are enforced at the local level.

This bill would provide for the standardization of the building codes across the state and would place the authority to adopt the codes with the Division of Construction Management. This bill would also include all non-residential buildings within the state building code and would specify that county and municipal governing bodies would have the primary authority to enforce the building codes with respect to the
non-residential buildings. 

This bill would establish a process for periodically updating the building codes. This bill would authorize certain coastal counties and municipalities to adopt supplemental coastal building codes for protection against hurricanes, high winds, and erosion. This bill would also further provide for the
scope of practice of architecture and the duties of a local building code official and would provide criminal
penalties for a violation.

SubAla and AGC support a standardized building code, but we have identified problematic language in the bill and are addressing them with the bill sponsor, Rep. Lipscomb, who happens to be an architect.

The definition for Architectural Services seems to broaden and change the definition of an architect, which we are not in support of. There is also language that appears to expand an architects' input to all types of construction, which is unacceptable as presently written. Lastly, there is a question as to which parties the criminal penalty applies to.

SubAla will make sure that all items are addressed prior to potential passage of this legislation.

Labor Related Legislation 
This bill has never passed but is introduced every year and again is on the SubAla watch list. The bill, once again by Rep. Givan, requires a business to provide a room and reasonable breaks for breast feeding. We expect more of these type measures to surface but will be given the thumbs down by Republican lawmakers.  

Unemployment Requirements Added in 2025 Legislation Monitored by SubAla   
On the fast track in the House is a pre-filed bill by Rep. Oliver of Dadeville that continues to tighten requirements for those who seek unemployment compensation. SubAla was on hand this week when the bill was voted out of committee on a party vote with Republicans voting yes and Democrats voting no and stating that the bill was not practical for those in poor rural counties with little or no industry.

The bill aims to raise the requirement from three to five inquiries from businesses to qualify for unemployment compensation. Alabama Arize spoke against the bill at the public hearing and stated that in 20 rural counties barriers such as transportation could prevent those seeking the benefit to comply with the law if enacted. 

The proponent of the bill cited statistics that there are around an estimated 127,000 available jobs but the state spends 1.5 million dollars on unemployment compensation this year. One of the provisions of the bill defines suitable employment that outlines reasons a person does not have to accept a job including different skill set, less pay than previous job or distance requirements. But those for the bill stated that it is the legislature’s responsibility to watch how the people’s money is spent. 

The bill is now eligible for final House passage. It should be noted that a similar bill addressing the number of visits of five was rejected in the Senate in prior sessions and landed on the current amount of three visits per week.