October 1 is the effective date for some of the bills passed by the Legislature earlier this year.
Lulu Gribbin, second from left, an Alabama teenager who survived a shark attack in 2024, speaks with attorney Charlanna Skaggs, second from right, and Alabama lawmaker Rep. David Faulkner, right, at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Ala.
, Wednesday, April 9, 2025. A new Alabama law on human smuggling, one of several bills on illegal immigration proposed by Republican legislators this year, takes effect Wednesday. The bill by Sen. Wes Kitchens, R-Arab, makes it a crime to knowingly bring an undocumented immigrant into Alabama. “A person commits the crime of human smuggling if he or she knowingly transports into this state another individual if he or she knows is an illegal alien,” the bill says.and their families, who said it would criminalize necessary activities that require crossing state lines, such as for medical needs. In response to that opposition, the Legislature added exceptions for health care providers transporting a patient for treatment, travel for non-commercial religious or charitable purposes, and travel for a governmental purpose, such as a court hearing. In addition to establishing the crime of human smuggling, Kitchens said his bill would give state and local law enforcement more authority to verify the legal status of people who are arrested and jailed for other reasons. The bill repealed a section of law that was part of the sweeping immigration law legislators passed in 2011, known as HB56, a section that created the crime of “concealing, harboring, or shielding illegal aliens.“Gov. Kay Ivey signed 287 bills into law during the legislative session that ended in May.Pharmacists lobbied for a new law they said was essential to keeping many of their stores open, and the bill passed andThe new law applies to pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, middlemen that manage prescription benefits between insurance companies and employers.Pharmacists said PBMs have been paying them so little that they don’t even cover the cost of the drugs they are providing. In advocating for the bill, the Alabama Independent Pharmacy Alliance, said roughly 13% of pharmacies in the state have closed since 2018, aboutbitten by a shark on June 7, 2024, during a string of attacks off the Florida Panhandle. She lost her left hand and a portion of her leg.by Gov. Kay Ivey, establishing a system that will issue a public notice to cellphones when there’s been a shark attack nearby.The crime of shooting into an occupied dwelling, building, or vehicle will increase from a Class B felony to a Class A felony, which carries a sentence of 10 years to 99 years.It says people charged with certain crimes are prohibited from possessing a firearm before they are convicted - during the period they are awaiting trial.That means pregnant women who do not have private insurance will not have to wait for a Medicaid application to be approved in order to be covered for prenatal care, a critical need for healthy babies and mothers.Starting Wednesday, Alabama law will officially say that sex - female or male - is fixed at birth and is exclusively based on reproductive organs, not gender identity. Supporters said the definition will give the state the legal authority to protect women’s privacy in spaces such as such as restrooms.to claims from several Alabama mothers The sponsor of the bill, Sen. April Weaver, R-Brierfield, said she received at least 40 calls from nursing mothers who were going to be made to serve on a jury in Alabama. Weaver’s bill says that if a mother can provide to the court a written statement and a certificate of birth or other government document or medical record certifying the birth of the child a mother is nursing, she is exempt from jury duty for up to 24 months.The new section applies to those who accept a job as a police officer knowing they are not eligible to do so under state law or knowing that their certification with the Alabama Peace Officers’ Standards and Training Commission has been revoked or suspended. It also applies to an official who hires or appoints a person to work as a police officer under those circumstances.A new law raises from 14 to 16 the age at which a minor may give legal consent to medical, dental, and mental health services for himself or herself, with exceptions. It prohibits health care providers and governmental entities from denying a parent access to his or her minor child’s health information, also with exceptions, such as if the parent is under investigation for abuse, neglect, or a crime against the child. The new law says it is the fundamental right of a parent to make decisions concerning the health care of his or her child.The new law says emergency medical workers can transport a police dog injured in the line of duty to a veterinary clinic or veterinary hospital if there is no individual that requires medical attention or transport at that time.Distilleries that obtain a license will give customers guided tours of their facilities with an educational component. They can offer samples of up to one and a half ounces after the tours. The licenses will allow distilleries to sell beer, wine, and liquor for on-premises consumption in a designated area or at special events. If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation.and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our
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