From our state House studio in Montgomery.

I'm Todd Stacey.

Welcome to Capitol Journal.

Coming up on tonight' show, I'll sit down with Randy Scott and Jeff Sanders to talk about the session so far.

And then Alex Engl will join us from Capitol Hill to talk about what to expect this week in Washington.

Here in the state House we are entering the middle third of the Alabama Legislature's 2026 regular session.

The House and Senate will convene for the 11th Legislative day tomorrow.

Here's a quick reminder of where we are on the legislative schedule.

Sessions can last 30 legislative days or days when the House and Senate gavel in and can pass bills.

And that takes place ove the course of 105 calendar days.

So even though we are a third of the way through on legislative days, the session can drag out much longer.

We expect the final day o the session to be on the first full week of April.

One big item we're trackin this week is a package of bills aimed at addressing affordability through restrictions on data centers and change to how utilities are governed.

The bipartisan group of lawmakers bring the bills, so their goal is to address affordability for families, specifically in the form of rising electricity bills.

The bills would do four major things.

First, require data centers to pa full costs of grid improvements.

These are the massive computer server facilities that require incredible amounts of energy to power.

Second, it would scale back incentives for data centers and require them to start paying sales taxes on purchases.

Supporters argue that Bentley era economic development incentives for data centers were too generous and lasted too long.

One big portion of the packag would make sure that the would make the Public Service Commission, which regulates state utilities appointed rather than elected.

Alabama is one o just ten states that has elected regulators rather than appointed ones, and it would restrict utilities like the power company and the gas company from using ratepayer money on lobbying effort and other political activities.

And we will see these bills in committee.

This week, the House transportation, Utilities and Infrastructure Committee will meet Tuesday a 11:00 in room 617 of the state House to consider the House version of these bills.

That's House Bill 403, House Bill 399 and House Bill 392.

And then on Wednesday at 3:00, the Senate for Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development Committee will meet to consider the Senate versions of these bills in room 825, sometimes referred to as the Finance and Taxation Committee room.

Those bills are Senate Bill 270.

Senate Bill 265 and Senate Bill 209.

Congressman Robert Aderholt today brought his bill to the floor of the United States House of Representatives that calls for the mintin of a new coin honoring the 250th anniversary of the signing o the Declaration of Independence.

The bipartisan bill would, on the front, bare the image of allegorical liberty, wielding the declaration, and on the back the image of Independence Hall in Philadelphia.

The coin would be worth $2.50, of course.

Aderholt said the idea came fro a similar effort 50 years ago.

This bill authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to issue a $2 and 50 cent collectible anniversary coin, and a viability study for a potential circulating $2.50 coin for everyday use for every American.

The collectible coin wil feature of the historical design originally issued for America's 150th anniversary.

This coin will memorialize and celebrate our moment in American history.

I'm gratefu for the partnership of my House and Senate colleagues, especially as the America 250 caucus is now the largest congressional caucus in U.S.

history with bipartisan leadership in both chambers.

As a founding member of the U.S.

SIM, a Quinn Centennial Commission that was tasked in preparing for our nation' 250th anniversary celebration, it has been a privilege over the past decade to work on bipartisan legislation to honor 250 years of America's independence.

That bill passed the House unanimously and now goes to the U.S.

Senate.

We'll take a quick break and be right back with Geoff and Randy.

Stay with us.

You can watch past episodes of Capital Journal online any time at Alabama Public Television's website.

aptv.. org.

Click on the online video tab on the main page.

You can also connect with Capital Journal and link to past episodes on Capital Journal's Facebook page.

Former basketball player and Hall of Famer Charles Barkley is one of Alabama' most recognizable sports stars.

Nicknamed the Round Mound of Rebound, and Sir Charles, the Leeds native had a remarkable basketball career with the Auburn University Tigers before embarking on a career in the NBA.

Barkley also played for the U.S.

Olympic basketball team i the 1992 and 1996 Summer games.

Since his retirement in 2000, Barkley has carved out a niche as a basketball analyst, author, and commentato on political and social issues.

Since 2001, Auburn University, the Philadelphia 70 Sixers, and the Phoenix Suns have retired Barkley's number 34 jersey in 2006.

Barkley was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fam in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Welcome back to Capitol Journal.

Next, I'm pleased to be joined by my Capitol Journal colleagues, Randy Scott and Jeff Sanders.

Gentlemen, thanks for making the time.

Good to be here Always good to be with you, Tom.

Well I wanted to sit down with you.

I have a little panel discussion because we talk a lot in the office and everything.

Might as well bring our conversations out to the to the air.

We're one third of the way through this legislative session.

Kind of happened quick.

And so I wanted to get your perspective first on just what have you seen from the session so far?

Jeff, I'll start with you.

What are your observations of the session so far?

Any surprises?

Anything surprises you or sessions so far?

Well, I think everything we all agree on initially, just how quick everythin was moving up until last week.

Just at a lightning pace in the Senate.

It's just, Senator Marik Coleman talked about the kumbaya that they were going through and that that really, I think, permeated the first seven meeting days or so.

It did slow down last week because you could tell more.

Not necessarily controversial bills, but more bills of substance coming through.

And I think we'll see that obviously continue.

Even the pro tem came out and said that, you know, this lightning pace will begin to slow down as there's more debate on the floor.

I think we will see that happening.

But, for me, I guess just because I've never really covere an election year, I've covered, you know, the legislature several times throughout the years of different capacities.

But I've never been here for an election year.

So this lightning pac was a bit of a surprise for me.

Yeah.

Randy, kind of the same thing in the house.

I keep hearing from members, you know, let's do the work, get back home and campaign, especially get back Home, the campaign.

This is an election season, as Jeff alluded to.

And lawmakers are real cognizant of, okay, we have work to do here, but we have to also get home because it's that time of the session that we need to get ourselves involve with, getting people to know us and know what we're standing for and knowing what we're doing.

Aside from working down here in this session.

So things have been going at a lightning pace.

I actually sat down on Thursday just to watch the house at work, and they were going at a pretty good clip.

They were not wasting any time.

Not they they have recent years.

They were getting two things, bills that were basically representing both sides of the aisle of sorts.

But they were definitely serious about getting to the work of the people.

Will that continue?

We hope so.

You know, it makes for a efficient government as it's run and it also makes for people's ability to hear what their lawmakers have to say, what they're representing, what they're sponsoring, and why that sponsor thinks it's interesting.

You mean, you know, allowing bills to pass from both sides and that that tends to add to the, comedy, media, you know, the, the peacefu nature of things in the house.

If it was just Republican bills and they weren't letting any Democratic bills on the calendar, you would hear that, right?

You start to hear, hey, hey, hey, where's our bills and things like that?

So that's one way to kind of keep the peace in terms of, okay, we want a certain number of hours and a certain number of years because every, every lawmaker has not just local bills, but little things that they want to do.

It's good to keep the peace that way.

To what you said about keeping the peace and making things run smoothly.

There's been no bloodshed as of yet.

I don't think it will as of yet, but I don't think it will.

It has been a very workable machine in terms of what the legislature is doing in the House, and I'm sure in the Senate as well.

Well, the thing about the Senate, same thing with the House is, you know, I don't think the average Alabamian understands that the lawmakers on both sides of the aisle agree on a lot of things, especially when it comes to probably, infrastructure when it comes to commerce, when it comes to economic development, there's a lot more agreement than you would think.

Education.

And there were some bills, like even in the Senate, the bill that came up from the House, which provided the death penalty, for someone who commits a sexual crime against a minor.

And that really went throug very smoothly in both chambers.

And so even though there was some discussion on the floor.

So you've had bills like that, that, that even Democrats are not really standing in the way of this year.

And then that's an interesting bill is going to face some legal challenges.

But I think people are surprised about, you know, and I think that's on behalf of leadership in the Senate, I know it probably in the House.

And they want to give their Democratic colleagues, you know, you give them a little bit.

So, you know, there's not much, you know, resistance, hopefully when it comes to other bills that may be a little more controversial.

Simpson's House Bill 41, that particular bill in committee.

Oh, it was talked about.

It was talked about.

There were some very tense moments in the Judiciary Committee of the House.

It did pass.

Yes.

Even when it got to the floor, there was some more talking on it.

But eventuall it did pass to go to the Senate.

That's the big that's probably the biggest of the session.

Death penalty for child rate.

App store was a really big one too.

Again, a lot of talk on the floor about it, but eventually it passes overwhelmingly, things like that.

Well, let's look toward the next phase.

Let's call i the second third of the session.

And by the way, we should explain know first, third.

What I mean is ten legislative days because we take 30 overall.

So let's say that the 20th or the 11th through the 20th and the next third, what's on the horizon?

What are we looking for, to crop up in this middle third of the session?

I'll start with uranium.

I'm thinking people are starting to look toward both budgets because by law, they have to.

And now that they've gone and like you said, the first third out of the way and they're about to sell through the second third, well, you know, we can get these bills passed on.

We need to start payin attention, get ready for both.

But as a matter of fact, that was mentioned in the House last week, Chairman Rex Rentals, the general fund Committee, he, he's been seen visibly talkin to people around in the House, so I'm quite sure they're getting ready for it.

And it starts in the house this year.

It starts in the house.

The general fund budget.

I mean, yes, it does.

So lawmakers are aware by law they have to take care of the budgets.

And in the midst of campaigning in the midst of doing this session.

And they're not stray too far away from that.

So they are definitely getting themselves geared up for that as well.

Do you have any perspective on that.

I mean in the Senat it's going to be the Education trust fund which is the bigger of the two budget I guess chairman or has i up there, he has that up there.

And he has really stressed in the meetings that I've been to, t all of his, Senate colleagues.

If you have any ideas, suggestions, requests that you think he wants them in quick and he has said we're going to move through this, we're going to be diligent about it.

We're going to go through the process, but we're not going to kind of slowpoke this year.

I mean, they would love to get out of here by the first week of April for sure.

So I think we'll see that pick up.

And there's, you know, I think we're goin to see some more controversial bills pop up, in the next, even coming up this week, I was just noticing earlier little things like, they're not even littl the lieutenant governor vacancy, constitutional amendment by Senator Gauvin, you know, things like that, or la enforcement pursuits, you know, from senator or talking about standardizin pursuits throughout the state, those still seem like controversial bills, but they can become controversial and who knows where they will go from there.

And also the gambling bill tha Senator Marie Coleman dropped, which, you know, we didn't think we would be talking about gambling this year.

I would be shocked if it came up in committee.

But we'll see what happens over the next few weeks.

Yeah, I would I would be a little surprised too.

Just just considering how leadership in both the Senate and the House have said, we don't want to deal with that.

There is no appetite for gambling in leadership this year.

And it's strange because I see people all the time, of course, in public, when is a gaming bill coming up?

When is gambling coming up?

Let us know when gambling is coming up.

I can't tell them.

I kno because no one has mentioned it.

No one other than Senator Coleman.

Yeah, no one seems to be wanting to take charge of it.

And the answer really is after wait til after the next election.

And I know that doesn't please anybody to hear that.

But anyway, well, another couple of things I'm looking for here in the next couple of weeks.

The second, third session, this utility reform package with data centers and and utilities, the PSC we talked about earlier, the screen time bill.

I think that's really interesting because it's almos a continuation of what they did with banning cell phone in the classroom last session.

That was a hugely successful law.

They want to kind of limit screen time for younger children I think I think that could get some legs.

But also one of those one of those talkers.

Right.

I mean it is a talker Yeah.

Go ahead.

I'm sorry.

Yeah.

Well also immigration, because the Lincoln Riley Act is back this year.

It's been in House committee, but I think it still has to go on the floor and it hasn't yet.

The Senate's where it gets stuck last year filibuster.

So those are the three, you know, big issues.

I think we may see in the second third of session you what you're going to say.

Well, I was going to jump on to the, to the, the screen time out.

There's been some discussion so far, and those things don't seem controversial, but you get bogged dow into, well, what does this mean?

How do we punish someone?

Could someone get in trouble for doing this?

What age are we talking about?

The minutia of bills.

You know, we talk about the unintended consequences.

You hear that a lot.

You know, in the Senate, whether it's a committee on the floor, I think you'll see a lot mor discussion with that this year.

Obviously, the PSC, whether that's going to be appointed or continuing to be elected, that that's a huge deal for this state.

I think we'll take up a lot of air in both chambers, coming up in the next few weeks.

So and the other thing back to the Senate is, you know we talked about that filibuster that ended last year, when they were upset that so many local bills and get passed.

We haven't heard them changing about changing the rules so far this year.

But again, as you said, we're only a third through.

So we'll see how that how this, camaraderie lasts over the next few weeks.

Yeah.

Absolute.

And I agree with you all about the budgets.

I think they're going to start moving here pretty quick because they tend to wait, you know, till the into session to pass those things because there are two things they want the most updated revenue numbers.

That's important I get that.

But also that, you know, after they passed the budgets and Senator, the governor, that procedural motion know as the b r the budget isolation resolution goes away.

So it's a lot easier to pass bills.

They like that kind of guardrail in place before, you know, as late in session as it can go.

Well, gentlemen, we're out of time.

We're we're revved up.

We're ready to go for this week.

I appreciate it.

And we'll check i with y'all soon.

Thanks, Todd.

Thanks, Todd.

We'll be right back.

Alabama Public Television is your place for quality educational services.

Free professional development for educators and childcare providers with access to free, curriculum aligned videos, lesson plans and instructional resources with PBS Learning Media and all the PBS kids programs, parents know and trust.

Learn something new every da with Alabama Public Television.

Visit us at AP tv.org/education to learn more.

Lawrence County native E.D.

Nixon was a long time leader of the civil rights movement in Alabama.

He worked tirelessly to increase the number of registered black voters in Montgomery, and was one of the key organizers of several civil rights organizations in the state.

In 1945, he was elected as the president of the Montgomery chapter of the NAACP.

Just two years later becoming the state president of the organization.

In 1955, Nixon and a group of Montgomery area clergy and civic leaders founded the Montgomery Improvement Association, or am I?

The image provided a focal point for activism in Montgomery's black community, and its leaders organized the Montgomery Bus Boycott, in which the city's black citizens refused to ride public transportation for an astounding 381 days.

Long overdu recognition was finally bestowed on this early civil rights hero with the Montgomery County Public Schools system, named an elementary school in his honor in 2001.

Getting my hands dirty is the best part of my job.

My name is Hannah Rogers and I am an app mechanic, which is an airframe and powerplant mechanic.

I can work on anything fro general aviation to helicopters.

I was a young mother.

I was 18 when I became pregnant.

I never thought that I could finish school, work and raise my son.

But with the government's assistance with food stamps section, a child care.

All of those programs have helped me achieve this goal.

To where I don't hav to live off assistance anymore.

I was able to graduate debt free by the Pell Grant, the pilot program, and also the scholarship.

I actually had friend tell me about the program, the pilot program.

And so then also spoke with the SST, an instructor at our school, and she told me to contact the cruise center, and I was able to set up an appointmen and fill out their location and all the prereqs for that, with the following program providing for my scholarship to school along with the Pilgrim.

That all gave me opportunities that I wouldn't have been able to reach my goals and be where I am today without these programs.

You don't just have to stay in povert because you was born in poverty.

You can move up in life.

Just because you don't have the money doesn't mean that you can't get there.

There's a lot of opportunities out there.

There's scholarships, there's programs, there's people.

You just have to show that you're willing to do the hard work.

I was determined.

I refused to allow anything to stop me.

Luther Leonidas Hill Junior was a prominent Montgomery physician and pioneering surgeon during the late 19th and early 20th century.

In 1902, Hill became the first American physician to perform a successful surgical repair on a wounded heart.

Word of his success caused a sensation in both the popular media as well as medical journals.

His extensive study of heart wounds established him as a national authority in vascular medicine.

Welcome back to Capital Journal.

We turn now to Washington, where Alabama's congressional delegation is gearing up for another busy week in the nation's capital.

That's where Alex Angle joins us there on Capitol Hill.

Alex, thanks for making the time.

And let me ask you what are you looking forward to?

What what are you tracking?

What might be the big items, what you see out of Congress this week?

Todd, the big item this week here in Congress is that the Department of Homeland Security will run out of funding at midnight on Friday.

So that leaves lawmaker just a few days to reach a deal.

But Republicans and Democrats are still very far apart on this issue, as emotions have been very high here on the Hill in the wake of the fatal shootings that happened in Minnesota.

Now, lawmakers, if they do reach a deal, one of the likely scenarios is that they reach a deal on a short term funding extension which could fund the department for a couple weeks to a couple months, depending on the deal that they, you know, reach.

But if the agency does run out of funding on Friday at midnight, it's important to remember that Ice operations, immigration enforcement would not run out of money, and those operations would continue to operate because the big, beautiful bill already provided about $75 billion for those operations.

Yeah.

And your coverage of that has been fantastic.

Thanks for keeping us updated.

I keep hearing about the Save America Act has to do with voter ID, the voter ID this is an election year, after all, requiring voter ID when it comes to federal elections.

What are you hearing about that bill?

And is it feasible that we could see movement on that this week?

Todd And the House is expected to vote on the Save America Act on Wednesday.

Now, basically, this legislation would require proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections.

Now, what this means for voters is that when they go to register to vote, they would need to provide documentation showing citizenship status.

That could include bringing a passport or a real ID that shows citizenship status.

Now, Republicans are very eager to pass this bill.

A similar version of this legislation passed the House last year, but it was never considered in the Senate and also faces an uphill battl in the Senate again this year, because at least a few Democrat would need to support the bill in order to pass it.

But Democrats in voting rights advocates are very opposed to this legislation because they believe it creates unnecessary barriers and can block some people from voting.

Okay, we'll follow that one.

You know, it seems like every week a group of Alabamians is in D.C.

doing something, visiting with the delegation a lot of times sharing their expertise, answering questions before Congress.

I understand there going to be some educators up there talking about, sharing with the Appropriations Committee, is that right?

That's right.

Todd Bonn short with the Alabama Reading Initiative and Larry Salisbury with Huntsville City Schools, will be on the hill Tuesday to testify in front of a House appropriations subcommittee, which is led by Congressman Robert Aderholt.

They will be here to discuss the science of reading and the literacy initiatives in Alabama, and where they have seen improvements because of these practices.

Absolutely.

And we will certainly want to keep track of that.

Alex, thanks for your time.

Thanks so much for your reporting.

It's so grea to have someone on the ground, on Capitol Hill keeping us up to date on everything.

The Alabam delegation is up to in Congress.

So we look forward to your repor You can watch past episodes of Capital Journal online any time at Alabama Public Television's website.

aptv.. org.

Click on the online video tab on the main page.

You can also connect with Capital Journal and link to past episodes on Capital Journal's Facebook page.

Joe Cain is regarded as the founder of Mobile's modern day Mardi Gras celebration.

In 1868, some say in defiance of the Union occupation that of mobile, Joe Kane and six others paraded through downtow in a decorated charcoal wagon.

Cain was dressed as fictional Chickasaw chieftain Flaca Bam Renee Cole along the route, Cain or the chief symbolically declared an end to mobile suffering and signaled the return of the city's parading activities.

Joe Kane Day, also know as the People's Parade, occurs on the Sunday before Fat Tuesday.

It has becom a cherished tradition in mobile since the first procession in 1967.

Joe Kane is buried in the Church Street graveyard in downtown mobile.

His granite tombstone, incised with the image of a jester, reads here lies old Joe King, the heart and soul of Mardi Gras in Mobile.

Alabama Public Television is your place for quality educational services.

Free professional development for educators and childcare providers with access to free, curriculum aligned videos, lesson plans and instructional resources with PBS Learning Media and all the PBS kids programs, parents know and trust.

Learn something new every da with Alabama Public Television.

Visit us at AP tv.org/education to learn more.

That's our show for tonight.

Thanks for watching.

We'll be back tomorrow night with more coverage of the Alabama legislature.

Right here on Alabama Public Television.

For our Capital Journal team, I'm Todd Stacey.

We'll see you next time.