by Anna Barrett, Alabama Reflector
April 4, 2025

The Alabama House of Representatives Thursday approved a bell-to-bell cell phone ban for students in public schools.

HB 166, sponsored by Rep. Leigh Hulsey, R-Helena, passed the chamber 79-15. It requires local school boards to adopt a policy to store student cell phones during class hours. Hulsey said during a floor debate on Thursday that the devices could be stored in a device like a Yondr Pouch or a shoe organizer.

“The majority of the schools already participating in this are storing the cell phones in the classroom in various ways,” Hulsey said.

Yondr Pouches are an expensive option compared to a $10 plastic over-the-door shoe organizer. Pike Road Junior High School Principal Christy Wright showed the Senate Education Policy Committee how the school implements a ban in February. The $30 Yondr Pouches at Pike Road were purchased with a grant.

According to the bill, cell phones can be stored in a locker, car or other storage device so long as the device is not on the student’s person. According to the Pew Research Center, 72% of U.S. high school teachers say that cellphone distraction is a major issue in their classrooms. 

Democratic representatives were concerned about how a student would access their phones in an emergency. Rep. Barbara Drummond, D-Mobile, said that with school shootings a constant threat, a child should be able to contact their parents. According to the K-12 School Shooting Database, there were 332 school shootings in 2024. There have been 52 in 2025 so far. 

“We as a body need to protect our kids since we will not pass a bill to keep guns away from our school children,” Drummond said.

Drummond has sponsored bills over the last several years that would effectively require parents to safely store firearms at home. The bills would also have allowed parents to be charged with misdemeanors if a child brought an unsecured weapon to school. But the legislation has not moved. A House committee killed Drummond’s latest version of the bill in February. 

Rep. Napoleon Bracy, D-Prichard, brought up another potential event that could develop at school where a child may need to contact their parents. He said a student could need a change of clothes in the middle of the day.

“It’s not a situation where it’s life or death, it’s not like somebody is coming in for a school shooting,” he said. “I just think it’s overreaching.”

According to the bill, a student can have access to their phones under three exceptions: if they study under an Individualized Education Plan that allows it; for teacher-approved instruction and for medical purposes.

Hulsey claimed that there is data that shows that cell phone bans cause improved test scores, retained information and students’ mental health. Rep. Mary Moore, D-Birmingham, said she would like to see that data.

“I’ve just not seen the preponderance of students playing games while the teacher is trying to teach, the room being disrupted and out of order,” she said. “I would just like to see that data at some point.”

Alabama Department of Mental Health Commissioner Kimberly Boswell said in February the mental health of students would improve under the ban. Rep. Terri Collins, R-Decatur, echoed that and supported the legislation on the House floor Thursday.

“It’s going to make a difference,” Collins said.

The House approved an amendment that removed punishments on schools that do not comply. Hulsey said she wished that was still in the bill but would bring a bill in a few years after seeing compliance. There is a survey required in the legislation to monitor compliance.

“I haven’t passed a bill yet that I’ve loved every single thing about it,” Hulsey said. “All of it takes compromise to move the needle a little bit.”

Rep. Pebblin Warren, D-Tuskegee, said that enforcement could be difficult without sanctions.

“We need to put some teeth into this bill,” Warren said. “If we don’t we’re going to be in the same position next year as we are this year.”

The legislation moves to the Senate. Sen. Donnie Chesteen, R-Geneva, has filed a companion bill in that chamber.

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.

The post Alabama House passes public school cell phone ban appeared first on alabamareflector.com

by Ralph Chapoco, Alabama Reflector
April 3, 2025

An Alabama House committee Wednesday approved an immigration bill that had already received another committee’s approval earlier in the session.

The House Judiciary Committee approved HB 7, sponsored by Rep. Ernie Yarbrough, R-Trinity, which would give local law enforcement the authority to enforce the country’s immigration laws.

“There are no new laws added,” Yarbrough said to committee members during the meeting. “It simply allows that partnership to take place just to address safety in our communities.”

Judiciary approved the bill about six weeks after the House Public Safety and Homeland Security did so in February. It is unusual for a bill to go through two committees before going to the floor of the House for a vote. The last major legislation to get routed through two House committees was the bill legalizing medical cannabis in Alabama in 2021.

The current bill, largely unchanged from last year, allows local law enforcement, such as sheriff’s offices and police departments, to enter into agreements with federal agencies to arrest and detain people who are not legally authorized to reside in the country.

Once in custody, deputies and police officers must then attempt to determine a person’s immigration status and get the help of an interpreter to determine someone’s nationality.

If a person cannot provide documentation proving they are eligible to live in the country, local law enforcement may then reach out to a Law Enforcement Support Center (LESC) to get information about a person’s immigration status.

The bill states that people cannot be detained solely because of their immigration status unless authorized by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and that sheriffs’ deputies and police departments will verify that a person has an arrest warrant within 24 hours of the person getting detained.

Law enforcement must also obtain documents to verify a person’s immigration status, bet that a passport or a permanent resident card.

House Judiciary Committee members approved an amendment making a few of the requirements optional. A previous version required the Alabama Attorney General’s Office to publicly name any agency failing to comply with provisions in the legislation and notify the governor’s office.

The updated language gives the AG’s Office an option to inform the Governor’s Office.

Another amendment also allows, but doesn’t require, local law enforcement to report the total number of people arrested and the number of foreign nationals they take into custody as well as the inquiries they make to the LESC.

Immigration advocates who spoke at a public hearing on the legislation in March said the legislation is creating fear among immigrant communities. That, they said, would lead to mistrust toward law enforcement and increased school truancy for children of immigrants who are afraid to attend school for fear of their parents being deported.

Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee criticized the legislation.

“What country do we border in Alabama?” asked Rep. Penni McClammy, D-Montgomery during the committee meeting Wednesday.

Yarbrough said that every state is connected, and that people travel.

“Each state doesn’t have a physical wall, so people travel from state to state,” Yarbrough said.

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.

The post Alabama immigration enforcement bill gets approval from 2nd House committee appeared first on alabamareflector.com

SUMMARY: A 25% tariff on foreign cars and auto parts is set to take effect at midnight, potentially raising prices for consumers. While current inventory and cars already at U.S. ports will remain at existing prices, future pricing remains uncertain. Dealerships in North Alabama say it’s too early to know the full impact, but warn that repair costs may also rise due to higher parts prices. Some manufacturers may absorb part of the tariff, while others could pass the full cost to buyers—raising a $30,000 car to nearly $40,000. Dealerships report a recent surge in buyers trying to purchase before prices rise.

A 25% tariff on any foreign cars or auto parts will go into effect in a couple of hours.

News 19 is North Alabama’s News Leader! We are the CBS affiliate in North Alabama and the Tennessee Valley since November 28, 1963.

https://whnt.com/
https://www.facebook.com/whntnews19
https://www.instagram.com/whntnews19/
https://twitter.com/whnt

Source