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Sen. Larry Stutts, R-Tuscambia, speaking at the Senate Health Committee on Jan. 21, 2026, in the Alabama State House in Montgomery, Alabama. An Alabama House committee passed legislation he sponsored that authorizes the Alabama Department of Public Health to oversee food inspections in prisons and jails. (Anna Barrett/Alabama Reflector) An Alabama House committee on Wednesday approved legislation to require the state’s public health department to inspect both jails and prisons to ensure they meet standards for sanitary conditions. SB 84 , sponsored by Sen. Larry Stutts, R-Tuscumbia, mandates that the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) inspect and recommend correctional measures in cafeterias and other areas in correctional facilities to ensure they are sanitary. “Every person who I have talked to, their reaction has been, ‘You mean they don’t already do that,’” Stutts told the House Health Committee about ADPH not having the authority to oversee food service areas in jai...

People walk past blooming trees on the Harvard University campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in April 2025. (Photo by Scott Eisen/Getty Images) WASHINGTON — American colleges and universities received gifts and contracts worth more than $5.2 billion from foreign entities in 2025, according to the  U.S. Department of Education , which also recently published summaries of foreign investment in U.S. higher education dating back to 1986.  Qatar, the United Kingdom, China, Switzerland, Japan, Germany and Saudi Arabia marked the largest sources of reportable gifts and contracts to U.S. institutions in 2025, according to the agency, which released the latest funding disclosures this month.  The department also made public roughly 40 years of data on a  transparency dashboard that offers a snapshot of the foreign funding disclosures submitted by colleges and universities. The administration described the move as a transparency effort, but critics say it lacks key co...

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas, is among the nation's largest Hispanic-serving institutions.(Photo by Hugh Jackson/Nevada Current) WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Democrats threw a spotlight Thursday on President Donald Trump’s attempts to yank funds away from minority-serving institutions, as the administration tries to end diversity, equity and inclusion policies in schools. Hawaii U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono hosted an unofficial hearing that gathered advocates, leaders, experts and students to sound the alarm on the consequences of cutting funding for the more than 800 MSIs, as they are known, that enroll millions of students of color. Many are from low-income households or are the first in their families to attend college. Hirono blasted the administration’s broader efforts to end DEI efforts in schools, as well as larger ongoing actions to axe the 46-year-old  U.S. Department of Education .   Trump “has been attacking these programs and is now working to illegally e...

Senate President Pro Tem Garlan Gudger, R-Cullman, speaking at a lecturn on the floor of the Alabama Senate on Feb. 25, 2026, in Montgomery, Alabama. (Anna Barrett/Alabama Reflector) Here are the bills that passed the Alabama Legislature this week. Tuesday, Feb. 24 House HB 459 , sponsored by Rep. Rick Rehm, R-Dothan, allows the Henry County probate judge to place transaction fees exceeding $2 into the Henry County General Fund. The bill passed 18-0. It goes to Gov. Kay Ivey. HB 467 , sponsored by Rep. Troy Stubbs, R-Wetumpka, allows the Tallassee City Board of Education to receive up to $900 for their services. The bill passed 16-0. It goes to Gov. Kay Ivey. SB 275 , sponsored by Sen. April Weaver, R-Hoover, allows the Alabaster City Council to establish and regulate entertainment districts. The bill passed 14-0. It goes to Gov. Kay Ivey. SB 276 , sponsored by Sen. April Weaver, R-Hoover, establishes for the removal of weeds on public properties in Alabaster when they becom...

A for-rent sign beckons tenants in Albuquerque, N.M. A proposed rule from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development would affect mixed-status immigrant households that use Section 8 rental assistance. (Photo by Marisa Demarco/Source NM) As the Trump administration continues to focus on the legal immigration statuses of many across the country, a revived proposal by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development could impact many families’ ability to receive rental assistance. The proposed rule would prohibit “mixed-status” families  —  those including U.S. citizens and people without legal immigration status — from living in public and other subsidized housing. It would apply to HUD public housing, Section 8 rental assistance, and some housing development grants.  Current regulations allow mixed-status families to receive decreased assistance based on the number of household members with legal status. The proposed rule would limit that assistance t...

Rep. Allen Treadaway, R-Morris, speaking at the Interim Study Commission on PTSD in First Responders meeting on Sept. 30, 2025, in the Alabama State House in Montgomery, Alabama. (Anna Barrett/Alabama Reflector) The Alabama House of Representatives Thursday passed a bill that would create a scholarship for dependents of law enforcement officers. HB 98 , sponsored by Rep. Allen Treadaway, R-Morris, creates the Alabama Law Enforcement Officers’ Family Scholarship Program. The scholarship can be used by families of law enforcement officers for public technical schools, colleges and universities. “Last year, it got up to the Senate and was the last bill so it did not get voted on, but this is a part of the public safety package of the governor and speaker from last year,” Treadaway said on the House Floor. Currently, the state offers scholarships to families of officers who have been killed or totally disabled in the line of duty. This legislation would extend the scholarship to ...

Sen. Gerald Allen, R-Cottondale, speaking to the Senate Health Committee on Jan. 21, 2026, in the Alabama State House in Montgomery, Alabama. (Anna Barrett/Alabama Reflector) An Alabama Senate committee on Wednesday approved a constitutional amendment that would require schools to regularly perform the national anthem. SB 5 , sponsored by Sen. Gerald Allen, R-Tuscaloosa, would require local boards of education to adopt policies to play the Star Spangled Banner in public K-12 schools once a week. “It’s a great bill to celebrate the anniversary of our country,” Allen said during the Senate Education Policy Committee meeting. This year is America’s Semiquincentennial Celebration known as America250 . The bill passed the committee 6-3. All Democrats opposed the bill. Sen. Roger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, said during the meeting he didn’t think the bill should be a constitutional amendment. I think I can support what you’re trying to do here from a statutory standpoint, but I’m ...