Legislative session is just 52 days away

December 14, 2022 – MONTGOMERY, AL – most Alabamians are busy preparing for Christmas and most Republicans are anxiously awaiting the return of President Donald J. Trump (R). Democrats on the other hand are mostly dreading the second Trump administration. Little noticed by most Alabamians, the Alabama Legislature is spending this time preparing for the 2025 Alabama regular legislative session which begins on Tuesday, February 4.

This will be the third year of the quadrennium meaning that this is the last legislative session before election year. It is hard to get major pieces of legislation done in a session where everybody is running for the political lives; so this is the last best chance for this legislature to move major pieces of legislation – outside of a special session.

Unlike Congress which is perpetually in session – even though they usually don't get anything significant accomplished – the Alabama Legislature is limited to a maximum of thirty meeting days in a regular session. They have to pass both budgets – the education budget and the general fund budget – renew all state agencies facing a sunset provision, set policies for the schools, make adjustments to the criminal code, confirm governor's appointments, set the economic development policies for the state, and pass whatever legislative changes the 140 members want, and anything they don't get done on the last day of the session is done until next year – unless the governor calls a special session to address something she thinks is essential that the Legislature did not prioritize.

There is also new leadership. Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Reed (R-Jasper) is leaving the Senate to take a position with the Ivey administration focusing on improving the state's workforce. The Republicans, who have a 27 to 8 majority in the Senate – have chosen Sen. Garlan Gudger (R-Cullman) to succeed Reed. Gudger, along with Governor Kay Ivey (R), and Speaker of the House Nathaniel Ledbetter (R-Rainsville) are the three most powerful people in Alabama government. It is not known yet how Gudger's replacing Reed will affect the working relationships between the House, the Senate, and the Governor's office or how the Democratic Party (the opposition party) will react to the change in leadership in the Senate.

There are 35 members of the Alabama Senate and 105 members of the Alabama House of Representatives. Republicans have a supermajority in both Houses of the legislature meaning that if the Republicans all agree they have the votes to shut off any Democratic filibuster and pass whatever legislation they want to pass without any support from Democratic members of either body.

The Alabama Legislature is already working hard in anticipation of the moment that they gavel in. 90 bills have already been filed ahead of the 2025 regular session, by members of the House and the Senate. They address a number of issues including guns, tax policy, and public safety. Last year's session came unraveled at the end of the session due to bickering over competing versions of a gambling bill that members of the House leadership wanted. The in-fighting between the two Houses killed dozens of pieces of noncontroversial legislation on the last days of the 2024 session. Those bills are likely to be reintroduced. Expanding school choice, changing the funding formula for public education, ethics reform, professional licensing in the state, and addressing the failing rural hospitals in Alabama are other issues that could come before the Alabama Legislature in 2025.

There are already meetings scheduled in the next thirty days ahead of the session. On December 9 the Legislative Study Commission on Modernizing K-12 School Education Funding is meeting in room 200 of the Statehouse. On Thursday, December 12, 2024 the Joint Oversight Commission on Opioid Settlement is meeting. On December 19, 2024 the Re-Entry Commission is meeting. On Thursday, January 2 the Contract Review Legislative Oversight Committee is meeting, and on January 22 the Joint Prison Oversight Committee is meeting.

In addition to a new Senate President Pro Tempore the court system will get a new head in January when Chief Justice-elect Sarah Stewart (R) is sworn in replacing the retiring Justice Tom Parker (R). In the Alabama system, the Chief Justice is not only the head of the Supreme Court; but also appoints the administrator of the courts and makes numerous decisions about judge assignments and other court related issues. Stewart is likely to have a set of legislative priorities that she will bring before the Legislature.

Governor Kay Ivey's annual State of the State address is scheduled for the night of February 4.

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