Transcript Highlights:

• I'm Mandy Spears with the Alabama Department of Corrections. Today we have one renewal.
• <00:26:48.320> We the Geological Survey of Alabama. We the Geological Survey of Alabama.
• in the Black Belt of Alabama. Mr. in the Black Belt of Alabama. Mr.
• Afternoon, I'm James Horton with Alabama Medicaid Agency.
• Good afternoon, Patrick Samuelson with the Alabama Board of Nursing.

Keywords: 924, joint, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The remainder of 3 essentially mirrors the language of Code of Criminal Procedure Article 878.1, Paragraph
• Alabama and Montgomery v. Louisiana.
• response to the constitutional mandates established by the United States Supreme Court in Miller versus Alabama
• Alabama and Montgomery v. Louisiana, it was clearly laid out by the U.S.

Summary: The Criminal Justice Committee met on May 12 and took up a series of bills, mostly on juvenile justice, gaming-related background checks, bail/electronic bonds, and corrections policy. Early in the meeting, the committee reported favorably SB 258 on juvenile traffic violations, SB 321 on electronic bonds, SB 134 on limiting certain child sexual abuse material offenses for juveniles under 17 in specific circumstances, HB 75 on promotional play for racetracks as amended, and SB 422 on unsupervised probation for certain fourth-offense impaired driving cases. Later, the committee also advanced SB 440 on the Renaissance District board membership, SB 393 on explosives regulation, SB 487 on charitable gaming rental arrangements, SB 339 and SB 288 on criminal background check procedures in the gaming and related regulatory systems, and SB 325 on excluding certain persons from sports wagering. A major portion of the hearing focused on SB 201, which would change juvenile homicide sentencing procedures, including first- and second-degree murder cases, and how reviewing courts consider parole eligibility and prior death sentences converted to life. Supporters said the bill aligns sentencing with existing Supreme Court precedent and gives courts clearer guidance; opponents from children’s rights and civil liberties groups argued it weakens the “rarest and uncommon” safeguard for juvenile life-without-parole sentences and could expand harsh sentencing beyond constitutional limits. After debate and testimony, the committee adopted an amendment and reported SB 201 favorably by a 7-3 vote, with Representatives Adams, Knox, Moore, and others voting no. The committee also heard SB 523 on clemency and sentencing considerations for defendants who are victims of domestic abuse, human trafficking, or sexual assault. Survivors’ advocates and domestic violence organizations supported the bill’s overall purpose but objected to the mandatory pre-sentence investigation language, warning it could introduce biased information and harm survivors; the Board of Pardons and Parole said its staff and trauma-informed victim assistance coordinators are trained to handle these cases. The committee adopted an amendment narrowing the bill and then reported SB 523 favorably. Finally, SB 320 on DNA detection and crime lab reporting was advanced without opposition, and SB 470 on pregnant women in custody passed after testimony from the Louisiana Sheriffs’ Association and discussion of pregnancy testing, bonding options, and prohibiting shackling during delivery and postpartum periods.

Transcript Highlights:

• Louisiana and Alabama echo this concern. This resolution... ...of Commerce and NOAA.
• Louisiana and Alabama echo this concern.
• However, Section 8857.056 of the Special District Local Laws Code explicitly prohibits directors of the
• nutshell, it's updating something that was long before any of us existed, so we were bringing the code
• Well, it's newer than the Alcohol Code. That came to prohibition.

Summary: The committee met with limited attendance at first, then took up a series of water, agriculture, and rural affairs measures. HB 3898 would allow the Texas Water Development Board to provide financial assistance for brackish water desalination projects in certain border counties and related nonprofit suppliers even if the projects are not in the state water plan. Supporters said it is needed to address severe water shortages in places like Webb County and to support future planning; opponents, including the Texas Alliance of Groundwater Districts, argued it bypasses the regional and state water planning process. The bill was left pending after testimony. The committee also heard HB 5339, which would create a higher-education grant program for regenerative agriculture research. A rancher testified that regenerative methods improved soil health, water retention, and farm viability, while a senator noted existing university research but said better coordination could help. Public testimony was closed and the bill was left pending. Members then heard HB 1523, a temporary prohibition on TCEQ issuing Austin a Class 5 injection well permit for an aquifer storage and recovery project in Bastrop and Lee counties until December 2027. Local officials from Bastrop supported the pause, citing unanswered questions about water treatment, recovery rates, and impacts on the aquifer, while Austin Water opposed the substitute, saying the project is central to its long-term water plan and that stakeholder talks were already underway. TCEQ explained its ASR permitting process and said public participation is possible but not always used in the current authorization process. The bill was left pending. HB 5659, concerning the Northeast Texas Municipal Water District and requiring majority city-council approval before certain water sales or interbasin transfers, drew testimony from district officials who said the change could interfere with existing contracts and district authority, but the chair emphasized the need for local buy-in and said the stakeholders had reached a workable compromise; testimony was closed and the bill was left pending. The committee also heard HB 1690, which would expand notice requirements for groundwater export permits so neighboring landowners and potentially affected aquifer areas are informed by certified mail and publication. The sponsor tied the bill to impacts from the Vista Ridge project, and no one testified against it; it was left pending. HB 3333 would prohibit TCEQ from issuing new wastewater discharge permits directly into the Devils River in Val Verde County. The sponsor and a conservation witness said the bill protects one of Texas’s most pristine rivers and reflects a local stakeholder agreement, while TCEQ said it can ensure water quality but acknowledged the river’s unique sensitivity; the bill was left pending. The committee also heard HCR 108 urging continuation of the U.S.-Mexico tomato suspension agreement, with supporters warning of major Texas job and consumer-price impacts if it ends, and HCR 76 urging federal action on imported shrimp, citing public health and industry concerns; both were left pending. Additional measures heard and left pending included HB 4158 on compensation for Texana Groundwater Conservation District directors, HB 654 creating a dismissal path for certain first-time deer hunting violations after self-reporting and hunter education, HB 4530 requiring Texas Water Development Board review of groundwater rights placed in the Texas Water Trust, HB 2128 directing a study of rural versus urban firefighting and rescue disparities, and HB 278 requiring groundwater districts and management areas to track progress toward desired future conditions over shorter intervals. On HB 278, witnesses split over whether the bill’s interim tracking would improve accountability or create new triggers that could be used against local districts, but no final vote was taken and the bill was left pending.

Transcript Highlights:

• If you will please call the appointees for the Alabama Family Trust Board of Trustees: Adrien Brown,
• Moving on to the University of South Alabama Board of Trustees.
• The appointees for the University of South Alabama Board of Trustees are approved.
• Moving on to the Alabama Community College System Board of...
• Moving on to the Alabama Securities Commission: Hope Marshall. I know that Ms.

Keywords: 923, senate, all

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• Clerk: Late file amendment bar code 885906 by Senator Pizzo between the lines 325 and 326 concerning
• They can contribute to Florida's economy and pay taxes for decades.
• Secretary: Late filed amendment bar code 700-8450 by Senator Pizzo. Line 752 insert amendment.
• I want to point out also that because these are federal issues and we all pay federal income tax that
• our federal income tax goes toward immigration and ICE and all... that is involved in that area.

Keywords: 998, house, all

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• you'll join me: Dear Lord, we thank you for this day and for the opportunity to serve the people of Alabama
• Committee today, help us all to make the best decision for the people of Alabama that we serve.
• to come tell this committee a little bit about this board and why it's important to the state of Alabama
• The people of Alabama are dependent on us to do it, those that want a good job and need good training
• The Alabama Workforce Board will be moving on to the next step.

Keywords: 923, senate, all

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• Arkansas Supreme Court Committee on Rules of Civil Procedure, and as a member of the Arkansas Water Code
• Mississippi State University, whereas Amelia has earned full-ride scholarships to the University of Alabama
• House Bill 1103, by Representative Schultz and Senator Kroll, to increase the homestead property tax

Keywords: 1204, all

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• BUILDING CODES AND STANDARDS, NOT BUILDING IN A FLOODWAY, NOT BUILDING A HIGH HAZARD AREA, IT'S GOT TO
• HAD DEPLOYED ALL OUR INTERNAL RESOURCES AND HEAVY EQUIPMENT AND PEOPLE IN SOUTH CAROLINA TENNESSEE ALABAMA
• HAD TO INNOVATE THESE LAST FEW YEARS AND IF YOU LOOK AT OUR TRADITIONAL REVENUE SOURCES PRIMARILY GAS TAX

Transcript Highlights:

• We thank you for the opportunity to serve the people of Alabama.
• Help us all to make the best decisions for the people of Alabama that we serve.
• Do any members have any questions for the University of Alabama Board of Trustees?
• The University of Alabama Board of Trustees confer are approved by the committee.
• Now we are down to the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind Board.

Keywords: 923, senate, all

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• Whereas an extraordinary occasion exists in the state of Alabama which requires the legislature to convene
• Now, therefore, I, Kay Ivey, as Governor of the state of Alabama, do hereby proclaim and direct that
• the legislature of the state of Alabama shall convene in special session in the Alabama State House in
• Montgomery, Alabama, at 4:00 p.m. on Monday, May the 4th, 2026, to take up the following specifically
• , Alabama at 4:00 House in Montgomery, Alabama at 4:00 p.m.<00:10:29.280> on<00:10:29.440>

Keywords: 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Ladies and gentlemen, first of all, this bill does not prohibit anyone from doing business in Alabama
• Protecting Alabama from hostile foreign influence is what we title the bill. Why do we need this?
• So keep that in the back of in Alabama. So keep that in the back of your<00:02:58.319> mind.
• Uh protecting Alabama from your mind.
• They have in Alabama? >> We care about the ones where they actually own 20% of the business.

Bills: HB358, HB358

Keywords: juvenile justice, detention, age of majority, jurisdiction, child welfare, foreign influence, political activity, transparency, registration, civil penalties, hostile foreign principals, state ethics, 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• favor of the court, the Fifth Circuit ruled recently that the federal under 21 purchase violates the tax
• Representative Holcomb, you are recognized to explain this amendment, bar code 366053. Rep.
• Okay, now let's move to the amendment bar code 06625. Chair: You may explain this amendment. Rep.
• They won't receive any medical care here, they will have no taxes paid here.
• You are recognized to present bar code 115219. Rep.

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• However, they can sell those same products in Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi. Recycle in sort.
• Senate Bill, 582 establishes a process in which local governments, Code Enforcement board or special
• Next we're going to go to Tab 14 Cs for SB 806 on the riveting Florida dress code.
• All bar code 3, 1, 6, 6, 5, 4, man. I take that up and explain it. >> Yes. Of said.
• The only thing that would be present to the public will be your city and your zip code.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I got time to sit down with you, and you truly care about all veterans in Alabama, and we appreciate
• We are also working with Northwest Alabama Mental Health Center to expand mobile crisis services in Walker
• The only addition was the Alabama Society of Addiction Medicine, which is related to a $130,000 request
• Is there any place in Alabama that has that?
• We brought them to Alabama, and this particular program is amazing to me because, besides their setup

Keywords: 924, joint, all

Transcript Highlights:

• You guide our hands and our voices as we seek to do your will here in the legislature of Alabama.
• I've been the administrator of schools in Florida and Alabama.
• I do want to thank the folks at the Alabama Community College System.
• I want to say Alabama law is 16, where they can actually... 17? Okay, so it's 17 now.
• So, it's something that's not done in Alabama, but it's done nationally.

Bills: SB140, HB102, SB133, SB34

Keywords: Coach Safely Act, youth athletics, noncompliance penalties, Department of Public Health, youth athlete, dual enrollment, high school, community college, university, educational access, high school credit, violence prevention, conflict resolution, mediation, public education, high school graduation, 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The amendment is coded A-2. I recognize.
• The amendment is coded A3.
• The amendment is coded A4.
• And it doesn't matter their zip code, background, or individual needs.
• And if you look at the R&D tax credit, there's plenty of money.

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• I mean, Alabama ranks at or near... ...Alabama ranks at or near the bottom in any category where you
• They take millions of dollars a year out of the healthcare system in the state of Alabama.
• This is HB283, the Alabama Personal Data Protection Act.
• Chairman, I'm Ben Baker with the Alabama Association of Justice, and we oppose the bill in its current
• We also have a bill on the books called the Alabama... a bill on the books called the Alabama Genetic

Keywords: 923, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm Teresa, the Chief Administrative Officer of Alabama.
• What's important about health in Alabama is...
• So, lowering the incidence of chronic diseases is the purpose of our initiative in Alabama.
• That's what Live Health Smart Alabama focuses on. We do that in a number of...
• The Milan Institute reported in 2020 that Alabama was number one in lost economic productivity due to

Bills: HB269, HB73

Keywords: firearm regulation, trigger activator, civil penalties, Jefferson County, law enforcement, 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Appointed by the secretary of the Alabama State Law Enforcement Agency and employed in the classified
• Appointed by the secretary of the Appointed by the secretary of the Alabama<00:13:08.480> State
• State Law Enforcement Agency and Alabama State Law Enforcement Agency and employed<00:13:10.959>
• <00:14:37.120> And<00:14:37.199> it's over in the state of Alabama.
• And it's over in the state of Alabama.

Bills: HB97, HB455, HB97, HB455

Keywords: absentee ballot, voting, elections, voter registration, electoral process, defective affidavit, voting rights, HB455, Clarke County, coroner, coroner's office, county commission, local act, local legislation, mileage reimbursement, county vehicle, office expenses, operating expenses, retroactive ratification, remedial and curative

Transcript Highlights:

• And then lastly, the Alabama legislature then lastly, the Alabama legislature needs to act on this topic
• And what I said was that the state of Alabama didn't give the citizens of Birmingham anything.
• We bought the waterworks from Alabama Water, not Alabama American Water in... ...Water, not Alabama American
• I love Birmingham, Alabama. I love Jefferson County.
• And even at the state of Alabama, we just wrote another $500 million blank check for a mega prison that

Bills: SB330

Keywords: water management, regional boards, municipal governance, ethics compliance, public utility, 923, senate, all