As the Alabama Legislature nears the final stretch of the 2025 legislative session, State Rep. Ernie Yarbrough (R-Trinity) is hopeful his Laken Riley Act will be presented to the House of Representatives this week for a vote.
The legislature has only nine legislative days remaining to conclude its regular business for the year, and more bills are awaiting final passage than have cleared either house.
One bill on many people's radar is House Bill 7 (HB7), also called the Laken Riley Act. The bill would authorize partnerships with the U.S. Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security, and any other federal agency to enforce federal immigration and customs laws.
Under the bill, a law enforcement officer "acting within the scope of his or her authority under any memorandum of understanding, agreement, or other authorization from the federal government may arrest, with probable cause, any individual suspected of being an illegal alien."
HB7 passed the House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee in mid-February after a public hearing and lawmakers' debating the bill, seemingly setting it up for a full floor vote. However, House leadership decided to send it to the Judiciary Committee for a second public hearing and vote.
Yarbrough filed a virtually identical bill during the last session but ran out of time after months of debate amongst lawmakers.
The bill cleared the judiciary last week but did not make it to the House floor during regular proceedings.
With limited time remaining during the session, dozens of bills will inevitably be left by the wayside. However, Yarbrough told 1819 News that his bill should not be one of them.
According to Yarbrough, House Rules Committee Chairman Joe Lovvorn (R-Auburn) has assured him that the Laken Riley Act is primed for selection to appear on Thursday's calendar, where lawmakers will finally get a shot at a floor vote.
"I was promised last week that it will be on the pick list tomorrow and that it will be on the floor Thursday," Yarbrough said. "There were a lot of bills that were being requested last week, and it got kind of crazy, so it slipped through.
"I expect it to be to move fairly easily because it passed out of Judiciary [Committee] with not a single 'no' vote. So, I think it'll fly through pretty good."
If the bill clears the House, it must still pass a Senate Committee and then the full Senate body before it can be signed into law. If the Senate amends the bill in any way, the House would have to vote to concur with the changes or go to a conference committee to hammer out a compromise.
State Sen. Sam Givhan (R-Huntsville) is carrying the Laken Riley through the Senate, and Yarbrough believes it should flow through without any significant pushback.
"I suppose there are a couple of senators that could always be a wildcard, but I've got strong support both from Senator Givhan and [Senate] Pro Tem [Garland] Gudger on the bill, so I expect it to move through the Senate as well," Yarbrough continued.
"I am very optimistic that if we get it through the House this week that we will have, we will have time for passage. I know we've kind of swapped budgets in the House and Senate, so that's a big step. So, hopefully, now, with that being done, we can focus on getting some other bills to move.
In addition to the enforcement provisions, the bill would also require quarterly immigration-related reporting by local jails and detention centers. Local governments would be responsible for ensuring compliance with the bill's provisions.
It also requires officers to act in "good faith" while enforcing the bill's provisions in compliance with existing laws.
The bill would additionally:
- Allow state and local government employees to maintain information relating to the immigration status of any individual.
- Allow state and local law enforcement officers to transport an illegal alien to the federal government's custody.
- Allow local law enforcement to arrest an illegal alien based on his or her status as an illegal alien or for violating any federal immigration law.
- Create standard procedures for the intake and booking illegal aliens and foreign nationals in county and municipal jails.
- Require jails to honor immigration detainer requests issued by the Department of Homeland Security in certain circumstances.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email [email protected].
Don't miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning.
