Alabama House of Representatives Democrats and Republicans announced their platforms ahead of the 2025 legislative session, which begins next week. After a bipartisan push in the House in 2024 for a comprehensive gambling bill, it didn’t make the list of priorities for either caucus. However, both parties mentioned investing in public education.

Monday, the House Republican Caucus announced the “Alabama Values” legislative agenda. The agenda focuses on eight topics rather than specific legislation.

“The ‘Alabama Values’ name represents the conservative beliefs and values that most Alabamians embrace, but, at the same time, it also represents the morals and principles that we ‘value’ as a people,” said House Majority Leader Scott Stadthagen, R-Hartselle. “Our caucus members stand unanimous in support of this agenda, and we look forward to promoting these conservative ideas and beliefs throughout the upcoming session and beyond.”

The agenda items with descriptions provided by the Republican Caucus include:

• Work Ethic and Job Creation: double down on initiatives to increase labor force participation.
• Border Protection: Promote policies that discourage immigrants from locating to the state illegally, and repair economic and societal damage stemming from border policies of the previous presidential administration.
• Honest Elections: Block efforts that would repeal current election laws related to security, as well as add additional measures to the system
• Public Safety: Work with law enforcement to provide resources and supplement efforts to combat crime while preserving Second Amendment rights
• Public Education: Remain committed to funding and expanding public education programs that produce desired results, address program shortfalls, and provide teachers and administrators with classroom resources.
• Innocent Life and Families: Support non-profit agencies that provide services to infants, children, and families while continuing to work to create an atmosphere where all children feel protected.
• Common Sense: Push back against policies seen as “woke” and efforts being made to change fundamental morals

Tuesday, the House Democratic Caucus presented their “Forward for Freedom” platform.

The agenda has six items with descriptions provided by the caucus:

• Increase Economic Opportunity: Promote job growth, raise wages, and increase investments in childcare, transportation, apprenticeships, career training, and housing. Support entrepreneurship and innovation. Keep workplace safety a top priority
• Expand Affordable Care: Support closing the coverage gap, eliminate healthcare deserts, invest in emergency services, and prevent more hospitals from closing. Support preventative care, behavioral health services, substance abuse treatment, and recovery. Improve maternal healthcare and invest in clean drinking water, sewage upgrades, water runoff, and water systems.
• Invest in Public Education: Support increasing pay for educators, and offering stipends to student-teachers. Prioritize school safety, violence prevention, behavioral health services, afterschool programs, and anti-bullying policies. Expand career and technical training, job shadowing, and mentorship.
• Maximize Voter Turnout: Support efforts to increase voter participation and oppose unnecessary obstacles to voting. Counter the spread of misinformation related to the integrity of elections. Protect election workers from harassment and threats of violence.
• Ensure Fair and Humane Justice: Repeal permitless concealed carry and end gun violence leading to deaths of Alabama children. Support reforming prisons and transforming pardons and paroles to ensure fair sentences for nonviolent crimes
• Choose Liberty: repeal Alabama’s abortion ban. Decriminalize recreational marijuana and improve the medical marijuana licensing process. Repeal bans on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs.

During a news conference Tuesday, House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels, D-Huntsville, said the party would be on the defensive during the session to combat Republican bills that mirrored action being taken at the federal level.

“I anticipate pieces of legislation that deal with immigration and other issues. I’ve heard the conversations. We will be looking at any piece of legislation that is coming from the noise at the federal level and is impacting the state level. I don’t exactly; I can’t tell you exactly what that is going to be. I expect to play some extreme defense based upon the conversation I’ve heard this weekend and conversation I’ve heard over the last couple of weeks,” said Daniels.

Both agendas feature public education.

For several months, a bipartisan study group consisting of House and Senate members has discussed how state dollars are distributed to public schools to determine whether a new funding mechanism is needed.

If a change occurred, the goal would be to better address student needs and provide more funding to public schools.

“We’re sort of tired of all the time we are looking at things, and it is taking away from public education and not going to that student and that student’s specific needs. We are excited. At our last meeting, most of the members talked about a hybrid model where we sort of phase ourselves into this new student-based formula. We are really excited about that,” said Rep. Barbara Drummond, D-Mobile.

Gambling was left off of both of the caucus agendas.

In 2024, a comprehensive gambling bill to legalize and regulate gambling in the state originated in the House. It had bipartisan support. The bill was passed and went to the Senate, where changes were made.

The House ultimately approved a conference committee report with a compromised version of the legislation. However, the bill died in the Senate.

“We had it on our platform last time. We pushed it out of the House. It remains in the Senate. That’s where it died. Until the Senate decides they want to prioritize it, we aren’t even going to think about it,” said Daniels.

The legislative session begins on February 4. That evening, Governor Kay Ivey will present the State of the State address.