With the state budgets signed and three days left in the 2025 Alabama Legislative Session, Gov. Kay Ivey shared an update on her priorities for the rest of the home stretch, reports AL.com's Scott Turner.
Ivey spoke at the Huntsville-Madison County Chamber luncheon at the Von Braun Center.
She spoke out in favor of the FOCUS Act, the bill that would prohibit students from using cellphones during the school day. That bill would also require schools to have an internet safety policy and to teach students about safe social-media use.
Ivey noted that some schools have already moved to limit or ban cellphone use by students. Issues cited include the wellbeing of students who spend so much time on social media and, as the bill's name implies, the distractions from study that cellphones pose.
Said Ivey: “Don’t get me wrong, our phones and social media are fantastic tools. So, we have to know the time, the place and how to use them.”
The governor also revisited her top priority heading into this session: Police and public-safety issues. She pointed out that she's already signed a state ban on so-called "Glock switches," which convert a semi-automatic weapon to fire as a fully automatic one, and "The Officer Impersonation Act."
It was already a Class C felony to impersonate an officer. Lawmakers have now expanded that definition to include those who accept a job as an officer knowing they are ineligible for one reason or another.
The governor also said she signed a bill on Monday that expands who's not allowed to possess a firearm after being charged with a crime. And she said there are a few more bills percolating on Goat Hill that she believes she'll get to sign.
