WASHINGTON — “You’re up,” Sen. Katie Britt recalls Majority Leader John Thune telling her as they began the 119th Congress with the Laken Riley Act as the first bill on the Senate floor in January.
Six months after the immigration bill that Britt spearheaded became law, sitting in her Senate office for an interview, Alabama’s junior senator looked back on how she’s been able to advance some of her key priorities this year, sometimes with the help of Democrats.
“Leader Thune said, ‘All right, our first bill out of the gate in this new Congress, to me as a leader, is going to be the Laken Riley Act, Katie, you’re up,’” Britt told Alabama Daily News in an interview.
Throughout January, Britt managed the bill on the floor and locked in enough Democratic support to surpass the 60-vote threshold. Twelve Senate Democrats backed the measure in the final vote.
The Laken Riley Act requires undocumented immigrants who commit crimes such as theft or shoplifting to be detained.
“I was able to do that both by knowing the material and making sure we were putting together a quality product, but also utilizing relationships and sitting down with Democrats across the aisle and saying, ‘hey, here’s what’s really in this bill, and how can I bring you to the table’ and working to build that important coalition,” she told ADN.
Alabama’s entire delegation supported it. One of Britt’s closest friends in the Senate, Democrat Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, came out as an early supporter, helping to bring bipartisan support.
President Donald Trump signed the Laken Riley Act into law at the end of January. It was the first piece of legislation he signed during his second term. Britt stood right behind Trump.
“That was a real moment for me personally,” Britt said.
Child care
Britt’s legislation to tackle child care affordability was introduced with a Democrat, Sen. Tim Kaine, D-VA. Pieces of the bill were included in Trump’s tax breaks and spending cuts package, which is now law, but the megabill did not receive any Democratic support.
Some of the senator’s child care provisions weren’t included in the House’s version of the budget bill, but Britt worked to make sure they were included in the Senate’s proposal, which ultimately became law.
“I sat down with every one of my colleagues on the Senate Finance Committee, I went over and met with our counterparts in the House, making sure that people understood the importance of it, but continued to bring it front and center to the (Republican) conference,” she told ADN.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act expands the child and dependent care tax credit, which helps families with children who pay for child care. It also enhances the dependent care assistance program, which provides employees the ability to set aside money from their paychecks tax-free to pay for child care. Finally, the legislation increases the employer-provided child care tax credit.
“To speak up for parents that are working hard to provide for their families and actually achieve results was a big deal and something I’m very proud of,” Britt said.
However, some advocacy groups like Child Care for Every Family Network argue the cuts to Medicaid and food assistance in the budget bill will “far exceed the minor changes made to child care provisions.”
Britt said having the opportunity to get those child care provisions in the megabill helps show that the Republican party is the “party of parents, party of hard-working Americans.”
Lulu’s Law
Lulu’s Law, named after the 16-year-old Mountain Brook teen who lost her left hand and right leg in a shark attack, recently passed the Senate by unanimous consent. It would create a warning system for shark attacks. Democratic Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii co-sponsored the bill.
U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer, R-Birmingham, introduced the companion bill in the House; it has yet to receive a vote in the lower chamber. But Britt is optimistic about it passing, and she hopes to soon stand alongside Trump again as he signs into law another one of her bills.
“I look forward to (seeing) in the next few bills he signs, Lulu’s Law being amongst those as well,” she said.