Alabama lawmakers plan to prioritize crime and immigration in 2025 legislative session
by Alander Rocha and Anna Barrett, Alabama Reflector February 4, 2025
Alabama’s legislative leaders said Tuesday they would prioritize crime prevention and immigration bills as the 2025 regular session of the state Legislature began.
Newly-elected Senate President Pro Tempore Garlan Gudger, R-Cullman, said the Senate’s to-do list “is long, and our time to accomplish it is short” in the chamber shortly after being sworn in as the chamber’s leader.
He added after the chamber recessed that “protecting Alabama values and protecting families” and “government efficiency and transparency” are two “overwhelming themes” lawmakers are considering but did not mention specific legislation or policy.
“I think that we need more of that in government, and I believe that everybody right now would like to see that,” Gudger said.
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Alabama House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter, R-Rainsville, said after the House gaveled out Tuesday that the chamber would prioritize a crime bill package early in the session. He said his staff and Gov. Kay Ivey’s staff worked closely to develop the package.
“We’ll probably hear the governor say something about those tonight at the State the State,” Ledbetter said. “So we’re excited to see that, and I think it’s going to make a difference.”
Gudger said that “key bills” will be introduced soon addressing immigration, such as targeting migrants who are felons and those lacking permanent legal status from using fraudulent documents to buy firearms, though it is already illegal for them to own firearms, while Ledbetter said a priority of the Legislature will be a package of about 10 immigration bills. The speaker said he expects the bills to move through quickly.
“I think most of the ones are just to make sure that the people here are legal, and if they’re not, they’re not criminals,” Ledbetter said.
Another priority for the Legislature will be to change the funding model for the Education Trust Fund to be a weighted model. Money is currently delivered to schools under a formula that relies on average daily attendance. Legislators have been speaking for months about changes that would provide extra money for schools with special needs populations, such as students in poverty; English language learners and rural schools.
“I think it’s just the thing about it: You change something that has been changed in 30 years, you need to try to go through the process and make sure we don’t hurt people,” Ledbetter said. Ledbetter said the new model will benefit poverty stricken school systems and be an overall benefit to the state.
“And that’s what they’re doing. They’ve done a great job of being cautious,” he said of House ETF Committee Chair Rep. Danny Garrett, R-Trussville, and Senate Finance and Taxation Education Chair Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur. “But I do think once we get it changed, it’d be better for the state, better for the students in the state.”
Gudger said the chamber aimed to provide quality education from K-12 to higher education and retaining graduates in the state, though he did not mention specific legislation.
“We want to be able to retain that knowledge and that sophistication when they get their graduate degrees into Alabama, to stay in Alabama, and we’re able to retain that knowledge here, instead of it going out of state.
He also pointed to potential gambling legislation but said he has not seen any bills and is not part of the discussion.
“Right now, people are talking about it, but I haven’t seen anything,” he said.
House members have been more reluctant to discuss gambling after a bitter fight between the House and Senate over a comprehensive proposal last year. Ledbetter said “we’re not going to do anything on this side” related to gambling.
“That’s something they’ll have to handle,” he said. “But we won’t see anything from the House.”
Former Senate President Pro Tem Greg Reed, R-Jasper (bottom) smiles as Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro, introduces him in the Alabama Senate on Feb. 4, 2025 at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Alabama. Reed resigned from the Senate at the start of the year to take a job in Gov. Kay Ivey’s administration. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector)
Senators also honored former Senate Pro Tempore Greg Reed, R-Jasper, who left the Senate last year after Gov. Kay Ivey to become Senior Advisor to Workforce Transformation as the Department of Labor is rebranded as the Department of Workforce. Reed, speaking to the chamber, thanked Senators for their work while he served as leader of the Senate.
“What a group of enormously capable, wildly intelligent, continuously dedicated men and women that are about the business of doing all the things important to people of the state of Alabama,” he said to the body.
Gudger also said to the Senate body that he’ll focus on teamwork “to ensure that every member feels included, valued, respected, and heard,” a theme he promoted in his bid to become the Senate’s leader.
“Let’s all of us embrace the spirit of Alabama and resolve as one man and woman, Democrat, Republican, black and white, liberal and conservative, to work together for the betterment of the citizens that all of us took an oath to serve,” he said.
Ivey was scheduled to deliver the State of the State address, outlining her priorities for the session, Tuesday evening.
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Alabama Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Alabama Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Brian Lyman for questions: info@alabamareflector.com.
www.thecentersquare.com – By Lindsey Henderson | ExcelinEd – (The Center Square – ) 2025-04-18 11:36:00
Harvard University recently announced a remedial algebra course to address some of the mathematical struggles its incoming students are facing.
This isn’t a reflection on the nation’s oldest and most renowned institution of higher learning. Remedial courses aren’t new. Plenty of colleges and universities offer courses geared toward helping students with precalculus and calculus.
The fact that students at a highly competitive school like Harvard may need help getting caught up in a core subject should be a bright red warning light that our K-12 system is falling behind when it comes to math education.
Looking at the most recent scores from the Nation’s Report Card, we know there has been minimal progress for students catching up from COVID learning loss, and most fourth and eighth graders on last year’s exam still performed below pre-pandemic levels, with a widening gap between disadvantaged students and their more resourced peers.
To ensure future generations are prepared for postsecondary success, we need to look for upstream solutions—state-level math policy that we know will help students build the foundation they need.
State leaders can act now on five essential math policies designed to transform math achievement.
First, we know that countries consistently performing above average on international math assessments spend an average of 60 minutes per day on instructional time. In America, Alabama is the only state actively requiring this instruction length, with Maryland recently passing a similar policy that will be implemented in 2026. If every state required 60 minutes of math instruction a day, students would see stronger outcomes.
Second, the adoption of High-Quality Instructional Materials (HQIM) would ensure students have access to grade level content. Surprisingly, this remains a significant challenge across the country, with some research indicating students spend more than 500 hours per school year on assignments not appropriate for their grade level and expectations.
Next, we know that math coaches are an essential investment for all elementary and secondary schools and can be relied upon to lead professional development, facilitate lesson planning, teach model lessons and observe and provide immediate feedback. States like Alabama and Kentucky have implemented strong math coach programs.
Just as we look to NAEP as a national assessment tool, teachers should be implementing regular assessments in their classrooms that provide valuable student progress information and inform future instruction tactics. When assessments are followed by timely interventions to get students back on track, student learning outcomes can dramatically improve.
Finally, states should consider an automatic enrollment policy that ensures students who are mathematically proficient are promoted into higher-level courses in the next school year.
Automatic enrollment policies have proven to lead to a larger number of students successfully taking higher level math courses, including a higher number of low-income and minority students.
These policy essentials are not theoretical; we are seeing them in action in Alabama. Other states, including Indiana, Iowa and Maryland, are following suit.
And that’s a smart move. Alabama’s comprehensive approach to math policy has resulted in remarkable progress in just two years: it remains one of the only states where fourth grade students are back to pre-pandemic levels of math proficiency on the Nation’s Report Card.
By the time our students graduate from high school, they should be proficient in the math skills they need to succeed in higher education, the military or the workforce. We owe it to them to get them to that level in the K-12 system so they are not playing catch-up in subsequent years.
States can help educators and schools achieve that goal by implementing proactive, research-backed policy solutions that ensure all students build a strong foundation in mathematics.
Lindsey Henderson serves as the Math Policy Director at ExcelinEd.
Fifteen Auburn University community members had their visas revoked this week, according to university officials.
Jennifer Wood Adams, executive director of public affairs at Auburn, said in a statement that the visas were revoked by the Department of Homeland Security’s Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Student and Exchange Visitor Program, not the university.
She said the university immediately reached out to those with cancelled visas. The university did not identify the students.
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“Auburn’s Office of International Programs immediately contacted each affected individual to provide assistance and support. Our international students and personnel are valued members of our campus community, and we recognize the significant impact that visa or status revocation will have on them,” the statement said.
The statement also said the university will comply with all laws and cooperate with authorities.
“This is a fluid situation, and the university will monitor it closely and assess its implications,” she said.
According to the Associated Press, at least 1,024 students at 160 colleges, universities and university systems have had their visas revoked or their legal status terminated since late March.
Alireza Doroudi, a University of Alabama graduate student from Iran, was detained in March by ICE. According to the Crimson White, UA’s student news outlet, Doroudi was denied bond on Thursday and now faces deportation.
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Alabama Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Alabama Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Brian Lyman for questions: info@alabamareflector.com.
SUMMARY: Panoply 2025, set for April 25-27, will feature a diverse lineup of live music, including rock, R&B, smooth jazz, and local acts such as Alana White and The Red Flags. Headliner Billy Allen and The Polly’s will perform on Friday night. New this year are DJ sets between performances, generating excitement among attendees. The event will offer a range of activities, including food and entertainment. Tickets are $15 for a weekend pass, with parking and logistics advised for ease. The festival’s website and Huntsville social media will provide updates on weather and other event details.
Panoply 2025 is a week from today! Patrice Johnson with Arts Huntsville swung by News 19 at 9am to tease this year’s musical guests!
News 19 is North Alabama’s News Leader! We are the CBS affiliate in North Alabama and the Tennessee Valley since November 28, 1963.
