Are you hungry for a better, brighter Alabama?

Annnnnd we’re back! After a 7.5-month-fast, the Alabama Legislature ravenously reconvened last week for the start of the 2024 legislative session. We’re here to help you fill your plates with PERITUS public relations’ Annual Alabama Legislative Session Guide.

Each year, when our state legislators gather in Montgomery to introduce, debate and vote on public policy, it’s important to watch closely for bills that impact how we feed, feast and forage.

If you’ve never had our brand of home-cookin’, every year Peritus equips Alabama voters with a themed guide to make the legislative session more palatable. This year, we are celebrating the Year of Alabama Food, theming our fan-favorite guide with iconic Alabama dishes. Whether you’ve got a sweet tooth or a hankering for something savory, #ALPolitics has a little something for everyone. We hope you’re hungry!

Here at Peritus, we won’t judge if you want a second helping of last year’s session. If you’re just pulling up a seat to the table, check out our 2023 Legislative Session Recap video to get a taste of what the Alabama Legislature served up last year. From fried green tomatoes to pecan pie, we’re loading up your plate with everything you need to digest the issues shaping our state.

SETTING THE TABLE: Where 2023 Left Off

2023 was the first year of the quadrennium (four-year legislative cycle), putting new cooks in the kitchen with 37 new lawmakers welcomed to the State House. It was a historic year, with a vast budget surplus and record-breaking investment in the general and education funds.

When we left off in June of last year, the Supreme Court had just given the state the grits when it sent down its ruling in Allen v. Milligan, ordering Alabama to redraw its voting map to have a second congressional district with a majority-Black population, in line with the Voting Rights Act.

Despite a special session, the newly redrawn map still fell short of court-ordered key ingredients, and a special grill master was appointed to redraw the maps faster than Big Bob Gibson’s Bar-B-Q can make its iconic white BBQ sauce. Now, the kitchen is getting crowded in Alabama’s second district as 21 candidates don their chef hats to run for the seat.

Following the special session, the Alabama Legislature adjourned for the year, whetting its appetite for the 2024 session.

It’s time to put on your stretchy pants, friends. Takeout boxes won’t be necessary — this is one plate you’re going to want to clear.

THE MENU: Legislative Priorities

Health Care

Health care is always a sought-after dish on the menu, and this year is no different. Alabama is one of only 10 states that have not expanded Medicaid (at the time of this publication), with North Carolina deciding to join the cookout last year. A Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama report indicates that Medicaid expansion is good for both the state’s economy and uninsured Alabamians. And like a Milo’s sweet tea on a hot summer day, it’s favorable on both sides of the aisle, according to polling.

For years, conservative lawmakers have been trying to close the health care coverage gap, preferring a health care recipe with Alabama’s hands in the pot rather than the federal government’s cup and saucer. But, this year, as rural hospital closures rise and the state faces the loss of more on the horizon, a new plan is being proposed to ensure all Alabamians can access the care they need. Alabama Peanut Company boiled peanuts for all if we crack this coverage gap.

The plan, being referred to as “ALL Health,” would use Medicaid expansion dollars to offer private health insurance through a qualified insurer to low-income families. Under the plan, Alabamians making up to 138% of the federal poverty level would be eligible for benefits, ensuring coverage for as many as 260,000 uninsured Alabamians.

Closing the coverage gap wouldn’t just be adding more gravy to the mashed potatoes; it would be like throwing a grand feast, generating more revenue for hospitals statewide and cooking up thousands of new jobs (Alabama Arise). Now, the question remains — will this year be the grand banquet that finally closes the gap and serves up a solution as comforting as grandma’s peach cobbler?

Lawmakers are also predicted to order a round of legislation that would allocate more funding to mental health care services. This could involve portioning out funds for two purposes: training law enforcement officers on how to respond to those experiencing a mental health crisis and increasing accessibility for individuals in crisis through crisis care centers.

It’s time for mental health services in Alabama to get the full spread they deserve!

Education

Education is the Bottega Cafe coconut pecan cake of every Alabama legislative session — you just can’t not order it.

Like in previous sessions, school choice bills are likely to continue to be featured, but not everyone wants to scoop this controversial dish. Advocates toss around the term “school choice” like a basket of buttermilk biscuits, referring to programs and policies that would let families use taxpayer funds to indulge in schools beyond their local option, including private schools.

Gov. Ivey has stated that ensuring every Alabama student has access to a high-quality education is her “special” for this current term, and she has introduced a bill that would support the creation of education savings accounts (ESA).

With ESAs, parents can claim funds originally earmarked for public education and use them for other educational ingredients. It’s like offering parents the opportunity to customize their educational plate — a bit like walking down the line at a meat-and-three — pick and choose what tickles your fancy. Critics of school choice worry ESAs will take a bite out of the state’s already struggling school system, devouring the state’s Education Trust Fund.

Gambling

Many are crossing their fingers and hoping this year’s legislative session is the one where lawmakers finally dole out a comprehensive gambling bill that’s been slow-cooking for decades. Word on the street is that Speaker of the House Nathaniel Ledbetter and other top Republican leaders are backing this bill, which packs a little more heat than its predecessors. It's like Conecuh Sausage’s little extra something that makes its meat a step above the rest.

The anticipated bill is expected to be a smorgasbord of measures, including provisions to spice up the fight against illegal gambling while also giving the green light to open new, legal casinos, introducing a new flavor to the potluck of state policies.

Now, not every chef in the legislative kitchen will be keen on stirring the pot on Alabama’s gambling policies. Some are giving the side-eye to this new recipe, feeling the pressure from groups lobbying against the expansion of gaming.

As the legislative kitchen heats up, we’ll see if this gambling bill becomes a signature dish or if it leaves a bad taste in the mouths of those who prefer the status quo. Place your bets, Alabama!

Criminal Justice & Prison Reform

Alabama prisons have long been burdened with a full plate, navigating overcrowding, violence and a shortage of correction officers. Will lawmakers fork over a solution that goes beyond merely sliding a second paper plate under the first?

A new parole reform bill would create a new oversight council for the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles to ensure the board follows its own guidelines on granting parole. Current guidelines recommend that more than 80% of incarcerated people should be granted parole. But last year, only around 8% of incarcerated individuals seeking parole were granted it (Equal Justice Initiative). This is one Alabama recipe that needs to remeasure its ingredients.

Other reform bills are sizzling in Alabama’s cast iron. HB 16 would allow a cash bail lower than the sum amount to be accepted at the discretion of the judicial officer who set the bail. By permitting a lower cash bail than the full amount, this bill offers a taste of relief to those facing financial hardship, ensuring they’re not left stewing in jail just because they could not afford bail. Another bill, HB 27, would allow convicted individuals to request a resentencing if a judge’s sentence differs from the jury’s recommendation. By allowing for a second helping of sentencing, this bill could lead to a more equitable distribution of sentences and reduce disparities.

As the legislature navigates these bills, it’s clear they’re trying to cook up a solution that satisfies.

Voting Rights

Lawmakers have been stirring the pot on new absentee ballot provisions for two sessions straight, and they’ve put it back on the menu again this year.

Supporters are dishing it out as a response to “ballot harvesting,” a scenario where a third party, such as volunteers or campaign workers, can collect completed ballots and deliver them to polling places. Think of it like Uber Eats picking up your Dew Drop Inn hot dog and bringing it right to your door.

Under specific circumstances, the proposed law would make it a Class A misdemeanor for an individual to handle another person’s absentee ballot, with exemptions for assisting family members, roommates or those with disabilities. And, if you’re caught paying for assistance with an absentee ballot, it would be a whole different culinary experience. That’s a Class B felony for the payer and a Class C felony for the recipient. No substitutions.

Critics of the bill say there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud in Alabama. They claim it’s as unnecessary as putting plain paprika on your deviled eggs. (If it’s not smoked, forget about it.)

General Fund Budget

The General Fund Budget, the financial gumbo for most non-education expenses in Alabama, is currently boasting a hearty surplus of about $460 million heading into this session. Lawmakers are donning their aprons to put these extra funds toward provisions that could use as much T.L.C. as Chanah Willis gives the pastries and cakes at Last Call Baking.

It’s likely these funds will be put toward the state’s emergency snack stash, creating a supplemental appropriation for unanticipated cravings that could arise during the fiscal year. Legislators might also allocate funding toward state prisons and departments like the Alabama Medicaid Agency and the Department of Human Resources.

However, some lawmakers are sounding the cautionary dinner bell, worried that Alabama might soon find itself in a Wickles Pickle when it comes to paying for dishes already cookin’. Inflation has made ongoing projects — like replacing water and sewer lines throughout the state — more expensive than projected, and the state might soon need to have cash in hand to make sure no ingredient gets left behind at the Piggly Wiggly checkout line.

DESSERT: Our Published by Peritus Takeaway is this…

Like curating your perfect plate at Nana’s Thanksgiving, we all have the right to saddle up to the table with our idea of what’s right for Alabama. For now, the state is still looking over the menu, deciding what to order and what to pass on. With this legislative menu in hand, it’s time to decide what is going to hit the spot for our communities, our organizations and our lives.

Our team has brewed the perfect pairing with our #ALPolitics Guide, helping you identify and contact the representatives serving as head chefs in your communities’ kitchens, explore media resources to keep you informed throughout the session and bridge the gap between policymakers and your community’s table.

We hope you will join us for our weekly Friday Five legislative potluck, a blog series in which we break down the biggest news out of the State House each week during the session.

When the stakes are high, communication matters.

At Peritus Public Relations, we know you want to make an impact. To do that you need confidence and clarity to take action. Tell us what’s keeping you up at night and stop letting fear of a misstep get in the way of driving your mission forward. We believe you deserve to get it right. For over a decade, organizations like yours have trusted us to navigate the best path forward.

Peritus specializes in issue advocacy, stakeholder engagement, government affairs and strategic consulting. Let’s connect if you want to learn more about how state policy affects your mission and bottom line.

2024 Alabama Legislative Guide