Republican Legislators report to MARC members on status of legislative session

April 12, 2025 – VESTAVIA HILLS – State Representatives Jim Carns (R-Vestavia), Susan DuBose (R-Greystone), and Mike Shaw (R-Hoover) delivered their reports to the Mid-Alabama Republican Club (MARC) on the status of the ongoing 2025 Alabama regular legislative session.

Rep. Carns said that the Legislature has passed pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) reform in hopes of "Saving the independent pharmacists."

"We lost 50 of them in the last year," said Carns. "It was extremely heavy lifting for them," but that passed unanimously in the House this past week.

Carns said that he decided to move pharmacies a few years ago and it was so difficult that, "I went back to the independent pharmacist."

Carns said that another big bill passed by the House was the ALFA health insurance bill

"That came up for debate on Thursday," said Carns. "Our own Representative (David) Faulkner (R-Mountain Brook) handled that bill. After 4 hours of debate that also passed 102 to nothing."

Carns said that in the first half of the session there was no consideration of gambling."

"The suddenly gambling jumped up in the last two weeks," Carns said. Now, "Gambling is off the table. We can move forward without getting clogged up over gambling."

"We have excellent leadership with Speaker (of the House Nathaniel) Ledbetter (R-Rainsville), "Carns concluded.

Rep. Shaw said that "This is the year everybody figured out that I understand computers."

So Shaw is carrying a number of technology bills.

One of those is the OIT (Office of Information Technology) reorganization bill.

"The legislation that authorized all of that got way out of date," said Shaw. It included references to state departments that don't even exist anymore.

Shaw said that he also is carrying a data privacy bill.

"The federal government has not dealt with data privacy," said Shaw. "I dropped a bill and 14 different associations contacted me," with concerns about the legislation.

Shaw said that he also is carrying a bid law bill. Under current law state agencies and local governments have to bid out a piece of equipment like new light fixtures, then they have to separately bid out the installation. This bill would allow them to bid out both together and other changes that would make the process easier.

Shaw said that he carried a block chain bill last year. That bill ultimately failed because legislators did not understand it.

"I learned a lot from that," Shaw said. This time he is carrying three smaller block chain bills and dealing with the strategic reserve as well.

"I am getting a lot of conversations on that," said Shaw.

Shaw – who is fairly new to the legislature – said that this area is fortunate for the veteran leadership in the area including Rep. Carns, Rep. Danny Garrett, and state Senator Jabo Waggoner.

"We are learning from the best so we are very fortunate," said Shaw.

Rep. DuBose said that she is a member of the House Education Policy Committee.

"One day last week I was in public hearings for six straight issues," said DuBose. "We have been working on a lot of religious liberties bills including the chaplains bill."

DuBose said that under the legislation school chaplains would work on a voluntary basis to provide assistance for the teachers.

"That has got a lot of push back," said DuBose. "It made it out of committee."

"We had a Ten Commandments bills," also pass out of the Education Policy Committee. "I am thrilled to see our religious liberty bills move."

DuBose said that she is also carrying a bill that provided "religious belief time." This bill "Is very popular." It would, "Allow children to be released from school for religious instruction." Transportation would be provided so that the children can receive religious instruction during the school week. It is not Christian specific, but available to any religion. This is based on a 1952 U.S. Supreme Court decision.

"There are twelve Republicans on that committee, I only got four," to vote for a favorable report for that religious freedom bill said DuBose. "I got a lot of push back from the school board association. They brought up liability and Satanism stuff. Satanism is not a religion it is a philosophy. Some local superintendents contacted me and said that they supported the bill but that their government affairs folks were opposed."

"I don't give up," said DuBose. "I have got (Senator) Shay Shelnutt (R-Trussville) to introduce it in the Senate.

"I was one of the recipients of the pornography this week," said DuBose. "That was very disturbing. I received a package of very disgusting things. I contacted the Speaker's office and they took it very seriously."

Representatives David Faulkner and Ben Robbins (R-Sylacauga) also received the pornographic packages. It was because they were responsible for the passage of HB164 – the bill requiring porn filters in Alabama.

"We have gotten more anger and hate mail from that than anything we have done," DuBose said. "The guy was so dumb that he put his name and address on it. Law enforcement went to his house and asked him if he sent it and he said that he did. The guy has been arrested and charged with four counts of child pornography. Worse of all, he was a state worker in Dothan."

"I have got a bill coming changing the date of the primary next year," said Carns. The primary is currently set for May 26, 2026 – the day after Memorial Day. That is due to "Unintended consequences" from a bill previously passed moving it out of the first week of June. "I have gotten calls especially from the people that run the campaigns – probate judges and boards of registrars" saying that they and the poll workers would be negatively impacted by this date.

Carns said that his bill moves the election to, "The Tuesday before memorial day – the runoff is still four weeks later. Usually when you move an election date there is mischief involved. That is not the case here,"

Carnes said that this bill affects this election (2026) only. The Presidential primary stays where it is in March on Super Tuesday. We used to have the Presidential primary in June; but the process was often already over by then. That is going to stay where it is – on Super Tuesday.

Tuesday will be Day 22 of the 2025 regular legislative session. The legislature is limited to a maximum of thirty business days in a regular session.

The Mid-Alabama Republican Club meets on the second Saturday of each month – usually at the Vestavia Hills Public Library at 8:30 a.m. Donuts and chicken biscuits are usually available for those needing breakfast fare. Janey Whitney is the President of MARC.