Transcript Highlights:

• Amendment number two pulls in a provision of existing law regarding the powers of offices under the Department
• And if you read the Department of Insurance's report on Hurricane Sally, those...
• And if you read the Department of Insurance's report on Hurricane Sally, those roofs performed just as
• Department of Insurance is working hard on gathering that data.
• That's why Alabama is so jealous of what we got.

Bills: HB461 , HB467 , HB522 , HB565 , HB673 , HB799 , HB917 , HB937 , HB956 , HB977

Committees: House Commerce , House Commerce, Consumer Protection, and International Affairs

Keywords: building codes, construction standards, state uniform construction code, local option, municipal ordinance, parish ordinance, resilient construction, FORTIFIED Home, IBHS, Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety, hurricane resistance, storm resilience, roof replacement, residential construction, certificate of occupancy, code enforcement, building resilience, home hardening, wind mitigation, residential roof

Transcript Highlights:

• The amendment, within the definition of person, clarifies that one of the responsibilities is transporting
• I will say that in defense of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections Division of Probation and
• I will say that in defense of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections Division of Probation and
• And it wasn't in the State Department of Corrections.
• And it wasn't in the State Department of Corrections.

Committee: House Administration of Criminal Justice

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:

• Dear Lord, thank you for this day and for the opportunity to serve the people of Alabama.
• Alabama.
• All in favor of Ms. Brewer to the Alabama Board of Heating and Air Conditioning.
• Okay, and she came to us from the Alabama Association of Fire Chiefs, who voted with unanimous consent
• I have the, you know, Department of Examiners.

Committee: Senate Confirmations

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> little bit of discussion if if we can. little bit of discussion if if we can.
• </c> some of those questions that you have. some of those questions that you have.
• <00:19:45.200><c> Department</c><00:19:45.600><c> of</c><00:19:45.760><c> Public</c><00:19:46.080><c>
• </c> Alabama Department of Public Health? Alabama Department of Public Health?
• Um, would this legislation have any impact on the Alabama Department of Public Health?

Bills: SB367 , SB368 , SB350 , SB351

Committee: Senate Healthcare

Keywords: rural health, healthcare access, state funding, health transformation, appropriations, fiscal policy, healthcare funding, economic development, mental health, maternal health, antitrust, competition, market regulation, business practices, consumer protection, anaphylaxis, epinephrine, auto-injector, public health, school safety

Transcript Highlights:

• I was assuming they'd be from the city of Homewood's Police Department.
• We do have municipalities in the state of Alabama that do not participate in RSA, correct?
• Installation is in excess of 500 acres, which is part of the definition of the military installation.
• I'm Baker, the Director of Governmental Affairs to the Alabama League of Municipalities.
• See live you in session, actually, see all that the state of Alabama does for anyone to do that.

Bills: HB333 , HB329 , HB362

Committee: House County and Municipal Government

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><01:54:10.159><c> Uh</c> of the Department of Public Safety.
• Uh of the Department of Public Safety.
• the Department of Public Safety.
• the Department of Public Safety.
• Department of Public Safety.

Committee: Joint Appropriations

Transcript Highlights:

• They cited Trump's executive order and They cited Trump's executive order and Department of Defense guidance
• I was reading the resolution, and one of the whereas clauses says whereas the Department of Justice has
• that President Trump's Department of Homeland Security, under the leadership of Secretary Gnome, spent
• that generated hundreds of millions of... ...that generated hundreds of millions of dollars in false
• Chief Eddie was a fearless firefighter with 17 years of service at fire departments including Walton,

Transcript Highlights:

• AS WE GET BACK INTO THE SWING OF THINGS TODAY WE HAVE TWO PRESENTATIONS DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
• IS HERE TO DISCUSS FLORIDA'S ROLE IN THE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ASSISTANCE COMBAT AND DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
• OR FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF LAW ENFORCEMENT.
• NEXT UP SECRETARY JERRY PERDUE, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION TO DISCUSS THEIR INNOVATIONS AND EFFICIENCIES
• Guthrie: I BELIEVE THAT WOULD BE MORE OF A QUESTION FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS BUT WE WILL WORK

Transcript Highlights:

• It expands on a report card that our State Department of Education is putting out, but it's to evaluate
• So, this bill codifies and expands the work the Board of Education has already done and the department
• doing as well as our state stakeholders within the state of Alabama.
• </c> of Alabama. of Alabama.
• I remember when teachers took tests at one time in the state of Alabama.

Committee: House Education Policy

Bills: HB95 , HB111 , HJR1 , HM7 , HM17 , HM4 , HM22 , HM3 , HM11 , HM14 , HM15 , HM21 , HM34 , HB2 , HB32 , HB33 , HB61 , HJM2 , HM23 , HM24 , HM26

Keywords: HB95, additional judgeship, district court, judicial district, First Judicial District, Second Judicial District, district judges, court administration, judicial staffing, caseload, access to justice, New Mexico courts, judiciary, judge vacancy, court backlog, state courts, water law, state engineer, civil penalty, compliance order

Transcript Highlights:

• This is one of those bills where we have one of the affected parties...
• This is the only county in the state of Alabama like this that is a local bill.
• We nearly lost our health department because of that. But uh, this still backs... Thank you.
• It is the most unique county in the state of Alabama.
• Well, it's been classified as the free state of Winston, as Winston County seceded from Alabama and stayed

Bills: HB590

Committee: House Local Legislation

Transcript Highlights:

• Recently, we had a morning breakfast with the Department of Transportation and Development to look at
• It urges and requests the Department of Transportation and Development to conduct a review It urges and
• requests the Department of Transportation and Development to conduct a review of its public-private
• What this urge and request is asking to be done is urging and requesting the Department of Transportation
• It says the department may establish—this is under advanced aeronautics function of the department—we

Summary: The committee met with four members present and approved the May 7, 2026 minutes. It then considered a series of transportation, motor vehicle, aviation, port, and memorial designation bills. Several measures were reported favorably, including HB 1086 on electronic titling and digital title transfers, HB 745 extending special tandem load permits, HB 1175 updating the definition of aerospace, HB 1108 creating a Homeschool Proud license plate, HB 722 changing reinstatement procedures so certain suspended licenses are restored once fees are paid, HB 1024 creating a Louisiana Democratic Party license plate, HB 1173 giving drivers on reinstatement payment plans a three-month grace period before late fees apply, and HB 98 imposing a $25 annual royalty fee on a retired legislators’ plate to help restore the Pentagon Barracks. HB 487, dealing with red-light overtaking and an added fine, and HB 1032, a technical cleanup bill aligning DWI/drug-impairment language, were also reported favorably. HB 1050, a CDL cleanup bill that adjusts age and testing provisions and removes outdated vision-waiver language, and HB 1192, creating a Louisiana Dental Hygienist Association plate, were approved as well. HB 989, which would have raised public license tag agent convenience fees, was supported by private tag agents but drew questions about fee parity and business impacts; it was reported favorably. A separate bill on driving school pricing and refunds was deferred and turned into a study resolution after the sponsor said more stakeholder discussion was needed. The committee also advanced several memorial and infrastructure measures. HB 401 designated the Lance Corporal Justin McLeese Memorial Bridge, with members speaking about his military service and sacrifice. HB 1081 moved the Louisiana Ports and Waterways Investment Commission under the Office of Multimodal Commerce for administrative support while leaving port boards independent. HCR 63 created a task force to study whether certain active-duty military personnel could operate federally owned vehicles on state highways without a civilian license. HCR 69 urged priority improvements to the Interstate 12 corridor, especially the bottleneck and interchange areas near I-55, citing safety and evacuation concerns. SCR 58 asked DOTD to review public-private partnership practices, using the Belle Chasse Toll Bridge as a case study and focusing on lessons learned for future projects. HB 1001 designated a portion of U.S. 190 as the Jesse Jackson Memorial Highway. HB 1218 named Highway 1090 the Lewis Pett Miramon Memorial Highway, with family members and supporters describing Miramon’s wartime service and role in building Slidell. HB 1172 designated a highway segment in memory of a 14-year-old hit-and-run victim, Kulin Carrier. One major policy bill, SB 514, was amended and reported favorably. It updates Louisiana’s aeronautics statutes, transfers responsibility for aeronautics activities and facilities from the DOTD secretary to the Office of Multimodal Commerce commissioner, and modernizes the law to align with federal aviation rules and new technologies, including advanced aviation and electric vertical takeoff and landing programs. Members asked about the lengthy amendments, fuel tax language, airport development reporting, and the Transportation Trust Fund, and the sponsor and DOTD explained that the changes were largely technical and intended to keep Louisiana eligible for federal aviation funding and compliant with current standards. The committee also heard extensive testimony on HB 1244, which would add a brain-injury designation to driver’s licenses and require law-enforcement training. The sponsor and advocates described how the designation could help de-escalate encounters and improve safety for people with brain injuries; the bill was reported favorably, with members noting it could also cover broader brain-injury conditions if medically certified. After that testimony, the committee adjourned without objection.

Transcript Highlights:

• Guthrie Jr. of Coleman, Alabama, on January 7, 2026, at the age of 71.
• Guthrie Jr. of Coleman, Alabama, died on January 7, 2026, at the age of 71. He was born to John J.
• Be it resolved by the Senate of the Legislature of Alabama that immediately upon the adoption of this
• Be it resolved by the Senate of the Legislature<00:30:38.159><c> of</c><00:30:38.320><c> Alabama</c><
• </c><00:35:11.680><c> that</c> in Alabama as to the custody of that in Alabama as to the custody of that

Summary: The Alabama Senate convened with a quorum, opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, excused absent senators, and adopted the previous day’s journal. The chamber received several House messages referring local bills to the Committee on Local Legislation, including measures affecting Lawrence, Clayurn, Limestone, Shelby, and Alabaster. The Senate also recognized guests in the gallery, including local leaders, law enforcement officials, and a Jackson County Junior Leadership group. During personal privilege remarks, Senator Figures offered a tribute to Reverend Jesse Jackson, Sr., highlighting his civil rights legacy, political influence, and impact on Black voter participation and representation; the Senate observed a moment of silence. Senator Smitherman also thanked her for the remarks. The Senate then adopted Senate Joint Resolution 47, mourning the death and celebrating the life of John J. Guthrie Jr., and Senate Joint Resolution 48, commending Tommy Jax for emergency actions to help a sick child. The Senate considered numerous confirmations from the Committee on Confirmations, all receiving favorable reports and being confirmed by unanimous or near-unanimous roll calls, including Walter Bracie and Eric Bone to the Alabama Manufactured Housing Commission, Morgan Garner and Susie Beal to the Alabama Electronic Security Board of Licensure, and Joe Brown, Brian Williams, James Spears, Charles Hedrickk, and Kathy Pierce to the Alabama Board of Polygraph Examiners. Committee reports also advanced several bills, including local legislation and county/municipal government measures. On the floor, the Senate adopted a special order calendar and passed or adopted several bills: SB 239 on child custody jurisdiction enforcement, SB 190 on a sales tax exemption for an ocular eye service company, SB 252 on Governor’s Mansion Authority employees and leave benefits, SB 170 on health savings account regulatory coordination, SB 210 on the chiropractic board, SB 242 on commercial driver’s licenses, and SB 70 on crimes and offenses. SB 247 on insurance was carried over at the sponsor’s request for further work, and SB 83 on guardianships and conservatorships was taken up with discussion of a committee amendment to clarify removal of proceedings from probate to circuit court and notice requirements; the transcript cuts off before final action on that bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• of Alabama High School girls basketball championship, as well as the state of Alabama state tournament
• Congratulations, Bulldogs of Alabama A&M.
• </c><00:38:45.560><c> Alabama</c> has just wrapped up the state of Alabama has just wrapped up the state
• Congratulations, Bulldogs of Alabama A&M. I mean it is historic feat.
• Bulldogs of Alabama A&amp;M Congratulations. Bulldogs of Alabama A&amp;M Congratulations.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is also done in collaboration with Minnesota governors, departments of corrections, commissioners
• </c><00:14:14.200><c> of</c> Minnesota governors, departments of Minnesota governors, departments of
• This bill does not prevent the Department of Corrections from providing that notification.
• <c> Corrections</c> in the Department of Corrections in the Department of Corrections context,<01:02:
• :02:31.680><c> from</c><01:02:32.040><c> providing</c> Department of Corrections from providing Department

Transcript Highlights:

• That’s the service territory of the Department...” “Is that little red spot down in Los Angeles.
• That’s the service territory of the Department of Water and Power, and they are not taking important
• the work already under the Department of Insurance, some of that you heard throughout the day.
• I got a lot of FOMO when you were talking about, what, New Mexico and Alabama.
• I got a lot of FOMO when you were talking about, what, New Mexico and Alabama.

Summary: The Senate Committee on Insurance held an information hearing on the impacts of climate change and catastrophic wildfire on California’s insurance market, with opening remarks focused on the state’s affordability, availability, and stability problems. Chair and members discussed the role of SB 254’s report, the Sustainable Insurance Strategy, the growth of the FAIR Plan, and the need to better align insurance regulation, mitigation, and land-use decisions. The Vice Chair noted the importance of hearing from industry as well as consumer and academic experts, and Senator Becker said the report would inform further committee work. Amy Bach of United Policyholders described how climate-driven wildfire and flood risk, combined with inflation, insurtech, and risk modeling, have reduced competition and pushed more homeowners into the FAIR Plan and non-admitted surplus lines coverage. She said availability is improving somewhat, but affordability will depend on mitigation, insurer competition, and fair rate regulation. In response to questions, she emphasized underinsurance as a long-running problem, supported stronger insurer responsibility for replacement-cost estimates, and suggested a public reinsurance backstop and more mitigation funding rather than removing wildfire coverage from basic policies. Nancy Watkins of Milliman and Michael Wara of Stanford argued that the market problem is fundamentally that expected claims and expenses now exceed premiums because too many homes are burning. They said California needs both risk reduction and actuarially sound pricing, along with a state mitigation framework that targets the highest-risk communities and prioritizes home hardening, defensible space, and community-scale mitigation over broad acreage-based spending. They also discussed the role of non-admitted carriers as a gap-filler, the need for better data on reconstruction costs and mitigation effectiveness, and the importance of sustained funding rather than one-time grants. A later panel with Frank Freebalt of Cal Poly and Michael Golnar of UC Berkeley focused on modeling and mitigation science. They said wildfire policy should treat the issue as a structure-ignition and urban conflagration problem, not just a wildland fire problem, and stressed integrated land-use, utility, and community mitigation. Members asked about zoning, building codes, utility hardening, and who should pay for mitigation; witnesses said older, denser neighborhoods are the highest priority, that utilities must improve operational safety measures, and that targeted mitigation in the highest-risk areas offers the best return. No votes or formal actions were taken at the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• The other thing we have done is in the instance of the State Water, or Department of Water Resources,
• For instance, in the case of the Department of Water Resources, the legislature enabled them to hold
• In the instance of the Department of Water Resources, the legislature had enabled them to hold that money
• And we work on this with our workforce partners from the Department of Commerce.
• We do work together quite well with HHS, like I said, Voc Rehab, Department of Commerce, DPI, adult ed

Summary: The Leadership Division of the Budget Section approved the prior meeting minutes and then received an update from Senator Jonathan Sickler on the Cash Management Board’s interim work under House Bill 1278. He said the board has reviewed state cash, investments, and liquidity across agencies and concluded the state’s overall mix of long-term and short-term assets is appropriate, with about $35 billion in total liquid assets and investments and roughly 89% in longer-term investments. He highlighted process improvements already underway, including replacing more than 500 six-month CDs with a special-rate savings account to reduce administrative work, and said the board sees opportunities to improve forecasting, automation, and statewide coordination. Members asked about whether the CD change would increase returns, how the Legacy Fund transfer for the homestead tax relief bill affected earnings, and whether more state cash could be consolidated or better managed through BND; Sickler and BND staff said those issues are being studied and may lead to legislation for the 2027 session. Representative Nathan Toman then updated the committee on the Task Force on Government Efficiency. He said the group has focused less on cutting dollars and more on defining metrics and asking how the legislature knows whether programs are working. The task force is pushing a standard set of questions for new or expanding programs—who is affected, expected outcomes, alternatives, how success will be measured, and full funding—and OMB has agreed to require those answers in future budget requests. Members discussed possible use of dashboards, program evaluators, AI tools, and possible rule or statutory changes to require performance measurement. Toman said the task force will continue meeting with agencies such as the courts, university system, auditor, HHS, Commerce, and ITD to identify workflow bottlenecks and potential efficiencies. Phil Davis of Job Service North Dakota gave a workforce update, reporting that North Dakota’s unemployment rate is 2.5% and labor force participation is about 68.7%, both well above national performance. He described Job Service’s 15 workforce programs, including H-2A housing inspections for foreign agricultural workers, the job placement partnership program with DOCR, WOTC, and other federal and state workforce efforts. Davis said the agency served more than 11,000 individuals in 2025, operates nine workforce centers, and tracks outcomes through quarterly and annual reporting. In response to questions, he said job openings data reflect only positions in the system and may understate actual hiring needs, that child care and other assistance programs could be better tied to employment outcomes, and that the DOCR partnership has shown strong results with lower recidivism and higher earnings. He also said the H-2A inspection workload is growing quickly and additional staffing or less frequent federal inspection requirements could help. Allen Knutson then presented S&P Global’s updated revenue forecast. He said oil prices have risen sharply since the prior month’s outlook, improving the state’s near-term revenue picture, though the economy remains volatile and agriculture is facing weaker commodity prices. Based on the updated forecast, total major tax revenues for the current biennium are projected to be about $89 million above the legislative forecast, and the next biennium could be about $500 million higher, though that estimate is preliminary and may change. He also walked through an alternate oil-price scenario showing significantly higher oil and gas collections and a larger Strategic Investment Fund balance if prices remain elevated. Members asked whether another forecast should be requested once oil markets stabilize and about tribal allocation changes in the alternative scenario; Knutson said additional updates are possible through OMB and future forecast cycles.

Transcript Highlights:

• Administration and the Department of Children and Families, but with the Department of Commerce.
• for the Department of Commerce.
• for the Department of Commerce.
• injuries linked to negligence by the Florida Department of Transportation.
• And it authorizes the Department of Transportation to fund projects at public vertiports.

Committee: Senate Appropriations

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh again, Alabama is probably one of the leaders in the country in terms of addressing how to make homes
• Um, and the National Conference of Insurance Legislators picked up the Alabama law.
• Uh again, Alabama is probably one of the leaders in the country in terms of addressing how to make homes
• Uh again, Alabama is probably one of the leaders in the country in terms of addressing how to make homes
• is probably one of Uh again, uh Alabama is probably one of the<00:20:30.000><c> leaders</c><00:20:30.320

Summary: The interim task force on disaster prevention and resiliency met for its fourth meeting and focused heavily on insurance markets, affordability, and mitigation. Cochairs noted they are working toward recommendations for a later fall meeting. The main presentation came from David Snyder of the American Property Casualty Insurance Association, who said the insurance industry sees itself as part of the problem and part of the solution because it ultimately pays for losses created by natural conditions, development choices, and construction practices. Snyder described rising losses from natural catastrophes, inflation-driven increases in rebuilding and repair costs, more development in disaster-prone areas, wildfire exposure, severe convective storms, hail, and roof damage. He argued that Kentucky should avoid the mistakes he attributed to California, where regulatory responses contributed to a strained insurance market and greater reliance on the FAIR Plan. He said Kentucky’s private market appears to be functioning better, with relatively few FAIR Plan policies, and urged lawmakers to preserve that market through risk-based rates and policies that do not worsen availability. He recommended a broad mitigation strategy involving stronger building codes, land-use decisions, stormwater infrastructure, public access to risk data, and incentives for resilient construction. He highlighted programs such as the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety, fortified-home standards, wildfire-prepared community practices, and examples from Alabama, Louisiana, and Florida showing that mitigation can produce quick returns and insurance discounts. He also suggested catastrophe savings accounts, flexible coverage options, and a whole-of-government approach that includes the insurance department, building-code agencies, first responders, FEMA, NFIP, and NOAA. In questions, a legislator asked about the prognosis if carriers continue exiting markets and if nothing is done to address affordability and accessibility. Snyder said he could not predict market exits but stressed that regulators should monitor the market closely, use available data, and focus on loss prevention and mitigation. He said insurers want to do business in Kentucky and that the long-term solution is coordinated action among public and private stakeholders to reduce risk and keep coverage available.

Transcript Highlights:

• We are certainly critical for the safe transportation of oil, natural gas, and other resources, as highlighted
• Mexico: Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and of course Florida.
• for all of us.
• of the application.
• the Coastal Barrier Bolivar Gate system abide by the existing requirements in Chapter 66 of the Transportation

Bills: HB206 , HB 1238 , HB2890 , HB2970

Committee: Senate Natural Resources