The 2024 Regular Session of the Alabama Legislature has concluded, and the ACLU of Alabama team spent the session advocating to advance and safeguard the civil rights and liberties of all Alabamians!
Over the course of the session, we closely tracked more than 160 bills concerning civil liberties and our team has worked with lawmakers, the media, and our coalition partners to communicate our priorities and educate on the impact we believe these bills can have. We know this is important to you; so far, in 2024, the Alabama Legislation and Advocacy Hub is one of the most visited pages on our website.
Most notably, the ACLU of Alabama has been a leader in the fight to stop SB1, a dangerous bill that was signed by Governor Ivey. This newly enacted law is vague, unconstitutional, and harshly criminalizes grassroots organizations who routinely assist voters with their absentee voter applications. So, we did what needed to be done: We filed a lawsuit and preliminary injunction to stop this harsh form of voter suppression.
We also saw the devastating passage of Senate Bill 129, a bill eradicating the public funding of diversity, equity, and inclusion programming at public universities across Alabama. However, we saw unity and a rally of students from over eight colleges and universities fighting in their communities, on their campuses, and at the state house. We will continue to fight against the state’s censorship and attack on academic freedom.
For our defensive agenda, we fought a range of bad bills that threatened free speech, public safety, and academic freedom– from book ban bills like House Bill 385 to House Bill 130, an extension of Alabama’s “Don’t Say Gay” law. We also saw more “copycat” legislation come back again– bills like SB92/HB111, the Trans Erasure or "What is A Woman” Act, which was stopped in the Senate.
Thankfully, there were bills we were able to stop alongside coalition partners such:
- SB4 – an anti-free speech bill that bans flag displays on public property
- SB57 – anti-protest bill that limits your rights to assemble
- HB376 – anti-immigration bill that targets and profiles immigrants
- HB130 – extension of “don’t say gay” bill that goes as far as to ban pride flags in K-12 classrooms
- SB92/HB111 – the Trans Erasure or "What is A Woman” Act, designed to disenfranchise transgender, intersex, and gender non-conforming people
Of the many important criminal legal reform bills from this session, HB33 is one we thoroughly supported. Alabama is one of the only states in the country that does not allow individuals seeking parole to participate in their own hearings, despite having the infrastructure to do so. HB33 would allow people up for parole the option for virtual participation. While the bill did not pass this session, it garnered some bipartisan support, and we will continue fighting for its passage.
Following the Alabama Supreme Court’s shocking ruling that stored embryos should be granted the same legal protections as human children, IVF clinics closed across the state, forcing lawmakers to quickly pass an inadequate bill offering immunity to those providing IVF services which remain illegal. We were able to conduct a statewide survey among 500 GOP primary voters which indicated strong opposition to the ruling and support for a ballot initiative legalizing IVF and broadening abortion access.
The ACLU of Alabama is always monitoring the most significant threats to the civil rights and liberties of ALL Alabamians, especially bad bills that worsen voter access, LGBTQ+ rights, public safety, and free speech. This year was no different. Thanks to people like you, we saw an outpouring of support through organized protests, public hearings, and legislative trainings.
At the top of the legislative session, we convened in Montgomery for our Werk the Lege advocacy training, and we knew then there would be a long road ahead. Our work is driven by the support of all of you who remained engaged and kept pushing, fighting, and advocating right alongside us. At the ACLU of Alabama, we believe that it requires the work of us all to create a better and safer Alabama that values the rights of ALL and we will continue to build toward a future where our Legislature reflects these values too.
