Glock switch ban moves closer to final passage
A bill outlawing Glock switches – devices that modify semi-automatic firearms to fire at rates similar to that of fully automatic weapons – received a favorable report Wednesday (March 5) in the House Committee on Public Safety.
While Glock switches are illegal under federal law, no such prohibition exists under Alabama state law, limiting the ability of local law enforcement to confiscate such devices when encountered.
The effort to ban Glock switches in Alabama first kicked off in 2023, with Rep. Phillip Ensler, D-Montgomery, having filed a bill to ban Glock switches in the wake of the deadly shooting in Dadeville that killed four people and injured 32 others. Ensler’s bill failed to pass that year, as well as in 2024, though this year, his effort has gained bi-partisan support, and has been incorporated as part of Gov. Kay Ivey’s Safe Alabama package of public safety bills.
The bill before the committee Wednesday was Senate Bill 116, the Senate version of Ensler’s bill, sponsored by Sen. Will Barfoot, R-Pike Road. An amendment to the bill was introduced by Rep. Russell Bedsole, R-Alabaster, that would change the effective date from Oct. 1 to being effective immediately upon passage.
“We recognize this is a problem in our community, so the sooner this bill is signed by the governor and becomes effective, the better the community will be,” Bedsole said.
The bill now moves on to the House, which Ensler told Alabama Daily News could be voted on as soon as today (March 6). The Senate would be required to concur with the new version of the bill given that it was amended in committee.
Presumptive Medicaid coverage for pregnant Alabamians heads to Senate
The Senate Finance and Taxation General Fund Committee approved a bill Wednesday (March 5) that would grant presumptive Medicaid coverage to pregnant Alabamians, allowing them to receive prenatal care under Medicaid earlier in some instances.
The bill is sponsored by Rep. Marilyn Lands, D-Huntsville, who flipped her district blue last year running on expanding reproductive rights in the state. Having passed in the House last month with bi-partisan support, the bill now makes its way to the Senate, unchanged, meaning approval in the Senate would send the bill to the governor’s desk for final approval.
While pregnant Alabamians with incomes below $21,996 are already eligible for Medicaid, coverage does not begin until an application is approved, which can often take weeks, and can pose a challenge to those living in rural areas. The bill, House Bill 89, would simply allow coverage to start immediately, while still requiring pregnant Alabamians to apply for Medicaid.
Lands has said the bill is an effort to improve the state’s maternal and infant mortality rates, which in Alabama remain among the highest in the nation.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Alexander Willis and originally published by Alabama Daily News.
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