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Rep. Russell Bedsole, R-Alabaster, speaks to a colleague on the floor of the Alabama House of Representatives on Jan. 13, 2026. A Senate committee passed a bill he sponsored to give crime victims more time to apply for financial assistance from state. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector) An Alabama Senate committee approved legislation that increases the time limit that crime victims may apply to receive compensation from the state’s crime victim compensation commission. HB 255 , sponsored by Rep. Russell Bedsole, R-Alabaster, extends the deadline for victims and their families to apply for claims to the Alabama Crime Victims Compensation Commission from one year to two years. Sen. Lance Bell, R-Pell City, introduced the legislation in Bedsole’s place at the Senate Finance and Taxation General Fund Committee. “I think the goal, when you look at the justice system, you have to keep in mind that it partly has to do with hold offenders accountable, that is something we take very seriou...

Sen. Ruben Gallego, an Arizona Democrat, speaks during the "People's State of the Union" rally at the National Mall on Feb. 24, 2026. The event was at the same time as President Trump's State of the Union address. (Photo by Heather Diehl/Getty Images) WASHINGTON — Some congressional Democrats boycotted President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address Tuesday night, opting to attend counter-programming to protest the administration’s actions. Lawmakers took to alternative stages in Washington, D.C., in rebukes of what they see as Trump’s lack of regard for constitutional norms, immigration enforcement tactics and response to the affordability crisis hitting American families.   “Our democracy is wilting under ceaseless attack from a president who wants to be a despot,” said Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut at the “People’s State of the Union” rally on the National Mall. “Millions of Americans are losing their health care because the president has chosen corr...

Sen. Will Barfoot, R-Pike Road, standing at a lecturn on the floor of the Alabama Senate on Feb. 24, 2026, in Montgomery, Alabama. The Senate passed Barfoot's bill that would allow parole applicants and victims to participate in parole hearings virtually. (Anna Barrett/Alabama Reflector) The Alabama Senate on Tuesday passed a bill that would allow crime victims and parole applicants to participate in parole hearings virtually. SB 240 , sponsored by Sen. Will Barfoot, R-Pike Road, would allow participants to virtually participate in parole hearings through phone, video conference or something similar. “The bill that we have allows for audio, visual, Zoom-type communications between the victim, victim’s family, any of those who are standing in on behalf of the victim as well as the inmate,” Barfoot said in an interview after the Senate adjourned. “I think that’s important, because you have more involvement by those people who are affected by this crime. You also have the abili...

Sen. Gerald Allen, R-Cottondale, speaks at a lectern in the Alabama Senate on Jan. 20, 2026 at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Alabama. The Senate on Tuesday passed Allen's bill that would prohibit driverless oversized vehicles. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector) The Alabama Senate on Tuesday passed legislation that prohibits oversized vehicles from operating with automated driving systems. SB 222 , sponsored by Sen. Gerald Allen, R-Cottondale, does not apply to features such as cruise control, but only to vehicles that do not have a driver. “It’s going to prohibit any trucks that do not have a driver. That will be prohibited on the highways in Alabama,” Allen said. Allen said the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) requested the legislation. Tony Harris, chief of communications and government relations at ALDOT, said in a statement Tuesday evening that ALDOT requested the legislation to ensure 18-wheelers are operated by licensed controllers. “Our interest is ...

Republican Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill is leading a challenge against federal health officials over a Biden-era regulation allowing a key abortion medication to be prescribed through telehealth. (Photo by Matthew Perschall/Louisiana Illuminator)  A hearing is set for Tuesday in a federal lawsuit led by Louisiana seeking to further restrict access to mifepristone by asking the courts to stop abortion pills from being mailed across the country.  The Department of Justice has argued plaintiffs lack standing to bring the case and asked the judge to  halt legal proceedings until the Food and Drug Administration wraps up a review of the medication.  Hundreds of studies have concluded that the drug is  safe and effective for abortions early in pregnancy, but a paper released by a conservative think tank last year compelled Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to order a  reevaluation of mifepristone.   The state...

The U.S. Capitol with snow and ice on the steps on Jan. 29, 2026. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom) WASHINGTON — Republicans and Democrats will spend billions of dollars and countless hours campaigning throughout the country ahead of November’s midterm elections, even though control of Congress likely will be decided by a relatively small number of toss-up races and the voters who actually turn out to cast a ballot for their preferred candidate. There are just four Senate races out of 35 and 18 House districts out of 435 where each candidate has even odds of winning, according to analysis from The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter. The rest are categorized as leaning, likely or solidly for one party or the other. Some ratings potentially will still shift in a turbulent election year.  When combined with the generally low turnout for midterm elections, which only topped 50% once during the last century, an especially narrow margin of Americans could determine whet...

Rep. Laura Hall, D-Huntsville, walks across the floor of the Alabama House of Representatives on Feb. 12, 2026 at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Alabama. Hall is sponsoring legislation that would give the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles the ability to impose sanctions other than parole revocation for certain violations of parole terms. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector) An Alabama House committee is scheduled to consider a bill Wednesday that would allow the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles to use sanctions other than parole revocations for certain violations of parole terms. HB 437 , sponsored by Rep. Laura Hall, D-Huntsville, gives the parole board discretion to impose sanctions based on recommendations of parole hearing officers and consider the specific circumstances that people violate their parole. It also allows the parole board to reinstate parole for people if they are charged with a crime that is later dismissed, is acquitted at trial or the sentence result...