Senate approves bill to take incentives from companies that violate human trafficking laws
Companies that receive economic incentives under the Alabama Jobs Act could lose them if they violate human trafficking laws under a bill approved in the Alabama Senate Thursday.
Senate Bill 22 is sponsored by Sen. Merika Coleman, D-Pleasant Grove.
Companies would be in violation of the legislation if they violate existing state human trafficking laws or the federal child labor provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act.
The Alabama Jobs Act gives tax credits for capital investments and payroll rebates for job creation. The program is the state’s primary economic recruitment tool. The Department of Commerce can revoke the incentives if companies do not meet agreed upon goals, including employment.
The original bill was broader. Companies would have lost their incentives if they, or related companies, violated human trafficking or federal child labor laws. It was amended in committee.
It now moves to the House.
House advances bill to provide presumptive Medicaid coverage to pregnant Alabamians
A bill that would extend Medicaid coverage for pregnant women for up to 60 days while their Medicaid applications are pending, and thereby allowing for immediate prenatal care, was unanimously approved in the Alabama House Thursday.
Sponsored by Rep. Marilyn Lands, D-Huntsville, House Bill 89 received overwhelming bipartisan support in the House chamber, and amassed 56 co-sponsors after its passage. The bill passed with a substitute that would see the bill sunset in October of 2028.
Lands, who flipped a State House seat last year running on reproductive rights, has said the goal of the bill was to see lower-income pregnant women receive immediate prenatal care, as state law currently requires Medicaid applications to be approved before services can be administered.
“I think it’s a real signal that Alabama does care about our moms and babies, and that we are looking to do better,” Lands told Alabama Daily News. “I have a number of other initiatives in work that I plan to bring forward, so this is just the first step.”
Alabama Board of Medical Examiners to be subject to ethics law under bill advanced by House
The Alabama House unanimously passed a bill Thursday that would subject the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners to state ethics law, and extend the board’s operations through 2027.
The bill’s sponsor, Speaker Pro Tem Chris Pringle, R-Mobile, has said the bill is an effort to bring the Board of Medical Examiners in line with the state’s other occupational licensing boards.
“They control millions of dollars’ worth of state funds and they have a tremendous amount of power over the citizens of the state, and yet they’re not covered under the ethics law,” Pringle said last week.
Established in 1877, the Medical Examiners Board is among the oldest of the state’s licensure boards. While most state licensure boards have members appointed by the governor, members of the Medical Examiners Board are instead elected by the Medical Association of the State of Alabama, a private, nonprofit organization.
The Board was found in a state audit to have entered into several separation and non-disclosure agreements with former employees, agreements that Pringle alleged were illegal, and that the Alabama Department of Examiners of Public Accounts questioned the legality of.
Pringle’s bill doesn’t prevent non-disclosure agreements.
The bill saw no discussion, and passed without opposition.
Ivey signs ‘What is a Woman?’ bill
Gov. Kay Ivey put her signature on the first new law of the 2025 legislative session Thursday. Senate Bill 79 declares there are two genders and defines men and women based on their reproductive organs at birth.
“If the Good Lord made you a boy, you’re a boy,” Ivey said in a statement. “And if He made you a girl, you’re a girl. In Alabama, we believe there are two genders: Male and female. There is nothing complicated or controversial about it. Today, I was proud to officially answer the question “What is a Woman?” with my signature on Senate Bill 79. It did not take a biologist to figure it out.”
The Alabama legislation was approved as more Republican-led states look to enact laws defining men and women. Nine states have similar laws, and several others are pushing to enact more laws this year following President Donald Trump’s executive order declaring there are two sexes and rejecting the idea that people can transition to another gender, The Associated Press reported earlier this week.
Trans people said the bills are an attempt to deny their existence or to capitalize on prejudice for political gain.