This story originally appeared on Stateline. This month, Wisconsin joined 27 other states that have banned or restricted local governments’ use of private donations to run cash-strapped election offices, buy voting equipment or hire poll workers for Election Day. All of the state laws came in the past four years, pushed by conservative lawmakers and […] The post Cash-strapped election offices have fewer resources after bans on private grants appeared first on Alabama Reflector.

A divided House Judiciary Committee Wednesday approved legislation allowing the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles to consider an applicant’s medical condition when reviewing a parole application. HB 299, sponsored by Rep. Chris England, D-Tuscaloosa, made it through committee after lawmakers delayed passage for one week to modify the bill in a subcommittee. “I wouldn’t […] The post Medical parole bill makes it through Alabama House committee appeared first on Alabama Reflector.

Alabama ranked 45th overall among U.S. states for childhood well-being, the same rank as the previous year, according to the latest Kids Count Data Book. “For years, we have discussed how the face of our state continues changing – we are aging and growing more diverse,” wrote VOICES for Alabama’s Children Executive Director Rhonda Mann […] The post Kids Count report: Alabama still 45th in childhood well-being appeared first on Alabama Reflector.

The Alabama Senate Healthcare Committee Wednesday approved a bill that would reduce the number of  physician referrals a patient needs for physical therapy. HB 232, sponsored by Rep. Leigh Hulsey, R-Helena, would allow physical therapists to conduct initial screenings of patients for nonwork related injuries or conditions. “This bill is a provisional direct access for […] The post Alabama Senate committee approves compromise bill on physical therapy access appeared first on Alabama Reflector.

Birmingham-Southern College, a Wall Street Journal “2024 Top Liberal Arts Colleges” institution; a college that battled for its existence for nearly two years; an institution jerked around by a fickle and unsympathetic state Legislature, has finally and formally been declared dead. Who delivered this deadly diagnosis? We did. Who is responsible for this sordid murder […] The post The death of Birmingham-Southern College will cost us appeared first on Alabama Reflector.

WASHINGTON — A majority of U.S Supreme Court justices Monday seemed inclined to side with an Oregon town’s law that bans homeless people from sleeping outdoors, in a case that could have broad implications for local ordinances related to homelessness across the country. During oral arguments in City of Grants Pass, Oregon v. Johnson, conservative […] The post U.S. Supreme Court appears to lean toward Oregon city in complex homelessness case appeared first on Alabama Reflector.

A national group focused on expanding access to the ballot box for those with disabilities is launching a chapter in Alabama. Register, Educate, Vote, Use your Power (REV UP) is a movement organized by the American Association of People with Disabilities. Advocates for those with disabilities launched the nonpartisan group in Texas in 2016, and […] The post New group will advocate for increased voting access for Alabamians with disabilities appeared first on Alabama Reflector.

WASHINGTON — Oral arguments in former President Donald Trump’s historic case in New York began Monday in a Manhattan courtroom where jurors will be tasked with deciding whether deceptive hush money payments to hide an affair amount to a criminal conviction. The first-ever criminal trial of an ex-U.S. president centers on Trump’s alleged falsified business […] The post NY prosecutor ties Trump hush money payments to campaign as criminal trial kicks off appeared first on Alabama Reflector.

This story originally appeared on Stateline. In Humphreys County, Mississippi — about 70 miles north of the state capital, in the heart of the fertile Delta region — a third of the residents live in poverty. In Belzoni, the county seat, there are just a handful of health care clinics. The town’s only major hospital […] The post Holdout states consider expanding Medicaid — with work requirements appeared first on Alabama Reflector.

A bill creating a new entity to operate a farm center drew a lengthy filibuster from Alabama Senate Democrats on Tuesday, who expressed concerns about the involvement of the Alabama Farmers Federation (ALFA). SB 219, sponsored by Sen. Shay Shelnutt, R-Trussville would create the Agriculture Exhibition Center Corporation to operate the Alabama Farm Center. The […] The post Senate bill draws fire over involvement of Alabama Farmers Federation appeared first on Alabama Reflector.

Joe Biden can’t take Alabama’s nine electoral votes without a divine act defying our current political reality. Something on the scale of seas parting and never-ending fish buffets. An otherworldly hand would have to give Democrats superhuman energy and Republicans the despair of Pittsburgh Pirates fans. You’d also need a radical shift in the politics […] The post Wes Allen’s long project of limiting choices appeared first on Alabama Reflector.

Alabama has some of the most severe disparities in health care outcomes among racial groups, according to a new report. The state ranked 44th out of the 50 states and the District of Columbia on overall health system performance, according to a Commonwealth Fund report published last week. Alabama only did better than Tennessee, Kentucky, […] The post Report: Alabama has poor health system performance, stark health care disparities appeared first on Alabama Reflector.

WASHINGTON — Military and humanitarian aid could be on its way to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan within weeks after the U.S. House took a series of overwhelmingly bipartisan votes Saturday to approve $95 billion in emergency assistance — and the Senate appeared poised to agree. The approval in a rare weekend session ended months of […] The post Aid to Ukraine, Israel overwhelmingly approved by U.S. House in bipartisan vote appeared first on Alabama Reflector.

This story originally appeared on Michigan Advance. After the United Auto Workers (UAW) won big contracts last year resulting from its stand-up strike against the Detroit Three — Ford, General Motors and Stellantis — President Shawn Fain vowed that the union would take that momentum into organizing foreign auto companies in the U.S. On Friday […] The post Volkswagen workers in Tennessee vote to join United Auto Workers appeared first on Alabama Reflector.

Rules on how employers can comply with a federal law that provides protections for pregnant workers are set to take effect in roughly two months. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission provided clarity to employers and employees about the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act on Monday. Under the statute, employers with 15 or more workers must […] The post Abortion included in pregnant workers protections law appeared first on Alabama Reflector.

The slaughter of children at Columbine High School occurred before the advent of phone cameras, but graphic images of the massacre reached millions of TV screens in real time, and this raw view of the violence imparted to the event an unusual kind of sociopolitical power. The live shot of the grievously injured teen Patrick […] The post Keep saying it: ‘Never again’ appeared first on Alabama Reflector.

Here is a list of the legislation that passed the Alabama Legislature this week. House HB 384, sponsored by Rep. Ron Bolton, R-Northport, increases a fee for service documents by the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s office related to civil matters to $60. It passed 18-0. It goes to the Senate. HB 427, sponsored by Rep. Tracy […] The post What passed in the Alabama Legislature: April 16-18, 2024 appeared first on Alabama Reflector.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House on Friday moved one step closer to approving billions in military and humanitarian assistance for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, with Democrats providing crucial support to Republican leaders after defections by their hard-right members. Lawmakers in the broadly bipartisan 316-94 vote approved a rule that sets up the procedure for debating […] The post U.S. House heads toward Saturday vote on $95B in aid for Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan appeared first on Alabama Reflector.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Education on Friday announced a final rule that will update Title IX regulations governing how schools respond to sexual misconduct, undoing changes made under the Trump administration and former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. “For more than 50 years, Title IX has promised an equal opportunity to learn and thrive […] The post Biden administration to roll back the Betsy DeVos Title IX rules appeared first on Alabama Reflector.

The Alabama House of Representatives Thursday passed a set of bills aimed at improving the state’s low workforce participation rate. The “Working for Alabama” package, which has the support of Gov. Kay Ivey and legislative leaders from both parties, aims to increase access to work through a combination of education programs and tax credits encouraging […] The post Alabama House passes ‘Working for Alabama’ package appeared first on Alabama Reflector.