Legislative Update: Week 10 in Montgomery

We're entering the final stretch of the Alabama legislative session, and Week 10 brought continued momentum on several key bills - along with a couple of moments that reminded me why I love this work.

Camp Safety Act Clears Another Hurdle

The Sarah Marsh Heaven's 27 Camp Safety Act (HB 381) continues its march toward the finish line. Last week, the bill passed unanimously out of the Senate committee, and I'm proud to say it hasn't received a single"no" vote at any stage of the process - from House committee through House passage and now through the Senate committee.

The bill is now waiting on a Senate floor vote, and getting it across that finish line is at the top of my list this week. We only have a few session days left, and this legislation - aimed at establishing safety standards for camps across Alabama - is too important to leave on the table.

Education Trust Fund Budget Heads to the Senate

The $10.4 billion Education Trust Fund budget passed the House and is now in the Senate's hands. I'm very pleased with this budget. Among its highlights is a teacher pay raise, and I was happy to be a part of making that happen as a member of the Ways and Means Education Committee. Chairman Garrett does a great job leading our committee, and this budget reflects that work.

One of the highlights of my week had nothing to do with the House floor. Last Monday, I visited Crestline Elementary in Mountain Brook, where I sat down with Annie Huber, a third-grader who had put together a PowerPoint presentation to advocate for a teacher pay raise. This young lady walked me through her points with the kind of conviction that would impress legislators many times her age. Her argument was simple and hard to dispute: teachers take on more and more responsibility, and even when they have to do more, they don't get paid more. She believed that should change.

When I told her that the legislature was working on a pay raise - and that it wouldn't just help her two teachers, but every public school teacher in the state of Alabama - she was just floored. The look on her face was something I won't forget. Here's a third-grader who advocated for something she believed in, and she got to learn that her voice actually made a difference. Annie's classmate Isabelle McKay was also part of the effort, but unfortunately couldn't be there that day. Crestline Elementary principal Christy Christian was on hand to support them.

It's a reminder that civic engagement starts early - and sometimes the clearest voices in the room belong to those who haven't yet learned to overcomplicate things.

High School Students Secure $250,000 to Expand Debate Statewide

This might be the story of the session for me. Last fall, a young man named Will Long - a junior at Mountain Brook High School and the grandson of one of my neighbors - reached out and asked to meet with me. He and his classmate Bethany Yin, a senior at Mountain Brook, sat down with me at the high school to share an idea. They're both on the debate team, and they love it. But they recognized something important: most schools in Alabama can't afford to have a debate program. They wanted to change that.

I was a debater in high school, and I tell people all the time it was one of the greatest things I ever did. It's a lot more than just arguing. Debate teaches you how to organize your thoughts, how to analyze an issue, and how to make your points succinctly. You have to argue both sides of an issue at different times, and that forces you to truly understand both perspectives. The best way to make your case is to understand the other side - and the best way to have real civil discourse is to listen, not just talk.

So when Will and Bethany laid out their idea, I was all in. I connected them with Ways and Means Education Chairman Danny Garrett, and they went and presented to him. They were joined by Nathan Lee, a senior at Northridge High School in Tuscaloosa, who's also part of the effort. These students had a full presentation - a PowerPoint, a detailed program plan, and a budget. They were sharp as a tack.

And here's the thing: they got funded. The House Budget Committee funded $250,000 this year to extend debate programming to schools across the state, running it through the American Village, which already does tremendous work promoting civic education and civil discourse for Alabama students. Getting funded in the very first year that you ask... almost NEVER happens - but these students were that impressive.

We had them down to the State House, where they spoke before the Budget Committee and were recognized by the House. Some of their parents and grandparents were there to see it. I couldn't be prouder of what Will, Bethany, and Nathan accomplished. They believed in the power of a well-reasoned argument, and they used exactly that to win an opportunity for students across this state.

Bills on the Move

Beyond the headline stories, I have several other bills continuing to advance. Here's where things stand:

Passed and heading to the Governor: HB 362 - National Guard bill, already through both chambers.

Awaiting Senate floor vote: HB 192 - Criminal self-defense presumption, HB 249 - Guardianships and conservatorships reform, HB 328 - Arson in the first degree / theft modification, HB 329 - Computer science graduation requirement, HB 381 - Camp Safety Act, and HB 388 - Community Foundation exemption.

Awaiting Senate committee: HB 438 - VOCAL fund check-off exemption.

Still in the House: HB 248 - Business and nonprofit entities code revisions (passed out of House Judiciary last week).

I'm pleased to say that none of my bills have received a single"no" vote this session. That's not something I take for granted - it reflects the work we put in to build consensus and bring people together on legislation that makes sense for Alabama.

Mountain Brook Fire Department Receives Training Grant

On Monday, I joined my colleagues Rep. Jim Carnes and Sen. Dan Roberts at the Mountain Brook Fire Department to celebrate the awarding of a Cowaco grant. The department received funding for a state-of-the-art paramedic training mannequin valued at $13,000. This is not your standard CPR dummy - this is a high-tech training tool that allows our firefighters and paramedics to simulate real-life emergency scenarios. Using an iPad, they can monitor compression depth, practice IV line placement and airway management, simulate bone access procedures, and track their team's performance in real time.

Fire Chief Mullins and his team gave us a demonstration of what this mannequin can do, and it's impressive. The department also plans to share the training resource with neighboring fire systems, meaning this one grant will benefit first responders well beyond Mountain Brook. It's a great example of how state-level funding translates directly into better-prepared first responders in our communities.

Looking Ahead

We're down to potentially two weeks left in the session. My focus this week is getting my bills across the finish line on the Senate floor. The momentum is there, the support is there, and now it's about execution.

I'll keep you updated as these bills move toward their final votes. Thank you for following along.