As the Alabama legislative session progresses, several bills and amendments are up for consideration, potentially impacting residents statewide.

SB1: Elections, voting and campaigns.
Sponsored by Garlan Gudger (R-District 2), this bill changes the way people apply for absentee ballots.

Currently, to receive an absentee ballot, one can fill out a form or write a letter to ask for an absentee ballot. This bill will require individuals to use an official form rather than writing a letter.

SB1 also states that you cannot give or receive money or gifts for helping someone with their absentee ballot application. If this rule is not followed, you could be charged with a crime.

If an individual needs assistance to vote because of a disability or cannot see or read well, there are accommodations to ensure everyone's voice is heard.

Family members up to the second degree of kinship, household residents of at least six months, designated officials like the Alabama Secretary of State or the judge of probate, absentee election managers, or court-appointed individuals can assist voters with these actions.

The person who is applying for an absentee ballot is the only one who can sign this form. If the form is filled out by anyone but the registered voter who is applying for the absentee ballot, it will be considered a misdemeanor or a felony.

In a previous Gulf Coast Media article, Rep. Jennifer Fidler (R-Silverhill), noted that she is in favor of this bill, as it will help prevent fraudulent voting.

"I want everyone to be there (voting polls). I do not want anybody illegally taking away your legal right to vote," Fidler said. "That has happened, and it does happen unfortunately. That is what I believe, and I am sorry if you do not believe that, but we do have people that are fraudulent, and we get hit with them every day."

During an Alabama Arise community discussion in January, Alabama Arise Organizing Director Presdelane Harris led the discussion on voting rights, stating that this bill will make it more difficult to receive an absentee ballot.

"It's a bill that really has the impact of criminalizing helping folks get access to absentee ballots to vote," she said. "The idea here is, again, we should not create more barriers to people accessing our democracy. This will criminalize someone who might help a neighbor or friends and say they may be guilty of a criminal penalty."

SB7: School Resource Officers
This bill, sponsored by Senator Chris Elliot (R-District 32), focuses on school safety and allows certain public entities, such as sheriff departments and city police, to make agreements with nonpublic K-12 schools to have resource officers on campus.

The agreement with nonpublic schools says that sheriff departments or city police can make deals with nonpublic K-12 schools, including private and religious schools, to have school resource officers.

These agreements can only happen if the public schools in the area already have their own SROs.

Nonpublic schools must fully pay for the salary, benefits and other expenses of each SRO provided through the agreement.

The bill also states that nonpublic schools need to have liability insurance similar to what the county or city has, and the policy must include coverage for the SROs.

If the nonpublic school doesn't have the right insurance, they're responsible for any actions the SRO takes while working there.

This bill doesn't change any legal protections or limits on damages that apply to county commissions, city councils, sheriffs, police chiefs or their officers.

HB42: Sound of Freedom Act
Recently passed, this bill states that anyone who is guilty of human trafficking offenses will be punished with life in prison.

Sponsored by Rep. Donna Givens (R-Loxley), this bill will go into effect on Oct. 1.

Human trafficking in the first degree includes knowingly subjecting someone to labor or sexual servitude, involving minors in sexual servitude, or offering money or anything valuable for sexual activities with minors.

Not knowing the age of a minor victim or making a mistake about their age does not excuse the crime.

If a company is found to be involved with human trafficking, they will also be prosecuted if their employees commit the crime on behalf of the company and within their job scope.

Obstructing the enforcement of human trafficking laws is a serious offense, classified as a Class A felony.

Human trafficking in the first degree is also a Class A felony, with a mandatory life sentence if the victim is a minor. If the offender is under 18, they will still be sentenced as a Class A felon.

Even though enforcing these laws might require more local spending, this bill is exempt from certain budget rules because it defines new crimes or changes existing ones.

HB129: CHOOSE Act

Sponsored by Danny Garret (R-District 44), the goal of this bill is to offer financial support for educational expenses and give parents the opportunity to choose suitable educational options for their children.

As of March 7,  Gov. Kay Ivey signed this bill into law, making Alabama the 11th  state to pass universal School Choice.

Families that make up 300% of the poverty level will receive a tax credit of $7,000 to go towards education expenses. The credit amount varies depending on whether the student attends a participating school or not.

This will allow parents to use tax dollars to pay for private schools or homeschooling.

The bill states that the funds are limited to 15,000 students in the first two years.

As these bills and others are being discussed and reviewed in the current legislative session, Gulf Coast Media will continue to follow and update as the session progresses.