LEAGUE NEWS

Tuesday, February 17, 2026

 There is a HUGE success to celebrate from last week!

HB392 (the PSC members move from being elected to appointed) literally FLEW out of committee last week and then smashed smack dab into a solid brick wall that all of YOU built!  HB392 was ON the House calendar for a vote last Thursday - and was pulled the first thing that morning!  One of the original bill sponsors, in the Senate, Sen. Linda Coleman-Madison (D-Birmingham), dropped her support of the bill.  Another original sponsor in the House, Rep. Susan Dubose (R-Hoover), said if the vote were held today, she would vote against it. 

All this work matters!  We are making a difference!!

Federal Call to Action

Oppose The Save Act

Requires proof of citizenship to register to vote.

The SAVE (Safeguard American Voter Eligibility) Act

Our hair is REALLY on fire!

Don't let the name fool you. This legislation is NOT about saving Americans’ voter eligibility. It is about disenfranchising ALL voters. The new requirements could impact every citizen, not only those newly registering to vote.

Move to a new location and need to change your address?

YOU will need to present documents proving you are a US citizen.

If this legislation is enacted, voters would be required to present documentary proof of citizenship (DPOC) to register and/or vote. It is ALREADY illegal for noncitizens to register and vote in federal and state elections. Requiring DPOC is unnecessary and creates another barrier to voting. 

What would satisfy the DPOC requirements? Examples of DPOC include a birth certificate, U.S. Passport, Consular Report of Birth Abroad, Certificate of Citizenship, or a Naturalization Certificate. While Real IDs are often assumed to be a reliable proxy for citizenship, they do not definitively establish citizenship. 

While all eligible voters would be impacted, many communities would be unnecessarily burdened by the SAVE Act requirements. They include:

• Military voters, who would be required to present documentation every time they re-register to vote when their families move.

• Families who have been impacted by natural disasters and lost important documentation, who would be required to jump through hoops to replace these documents while also going through the traumatic process of rebuilding their lives.

• Married women and other Americans who have changed their names, who would also be required to secure updated documentation to register to vote.

• People of color. Compared to white U.S. citizens, citizens of color are three times more likely to lack documents such as birth certificates, passports, naturalization certificates, or certificates of citizenship or face difficulties accessing them. For example, while approximately half of all American adults possess a passport, two-thirds of Black Americans do not.

  
  

The documents needed to prove citizenship come at a cost, both monetarily and in the time and effort required to obtain them. This is just a poorly disguised poll tax that will prevent eligible citizens from exercising their right to vote.

These new requirements would also impact the ways citizens can register to vote. Because voters would be required to present proof of citizenship in-person, it would eliminate voter registration drives and mail-in and online voter registration. 

The House of Representatives passed the SAVE on Wednesday February 11, 2026. It is now headed to the Senate. 

ACTION REQUESTED

NOW is the time to let your Senator know you oppose the SAVE Act. 

CLICK to use the LWV form to send a communication to your senator.   Or better yet - use the numbers below to call them.  

Senator Tommy Tuberville 

Washington, D.C. office  202-224-4124

Mobile, AL office at 251-308-7233.

Link to Contact Form on Senator Tuberville's Website

Senator Katie Britt

Washington D.C. office 202-224-5744

Montgomery, AL office 334-777-1150

Link to Contact Form on Senator Britt's Website

OPPOSE SB71

This bill prohibits Alabama from adopting environmental protection criteria stricter than federal requirements.

This very bad bill, SB71, is inches from a vote in the House. 

SB71 will take away Alabama's ability to enact laws more protective of our water quality than federal minimums.

WHY would the citizens of Alabama want this to happen??  Alabama's waterways are unique to our state and beloved.  What about the deep Alabama commitment to state's rights? 

Wait, what's our motto?  "We Dare Defend Our Rights." 

Oh, except when we're talking about water quality.  

Alabama Rivers Alliance (and MANY Alabamians) believe it is Alabama regulators who should make the decisions about our state's beloved natural resources - not the federal government. 

ACTION REQUESTED:  Click HERE to use the Alabama Rivers Alliance form to communicate your opposition to SB71.  Add your own words/sentiments to customize the text.  (It's ok to use CAPS liberally) Please encourage your friends to take action as well.  

OPPOSE HB392 & SB268

Allows for appointment of PSC members rather than election.

We experienced some success last week with our efforts stopping HB392 and SB268 - but don't take your foot off the pedal.  HB392 was pulled from the calendar last week, and could return anytime.  We think SB268 is a little anxious about sticking its head out of the committee, but who knows. 

While you're making some of these other calls today, remind your senators and representatives again that Alabamians deserve to hold their Public Service Commission members accountable with their VOTE. 

If this bill passes, legislators who receive donations from regulated utilities will be the ones making the choices about who sets utility rates, not Alabama’s voters.

ACTION REQUESTED:  The LWVAL and the Alabama Rivers Alliance ask you to Click here to use Energy Alabama's form to voice your opposition to this terrible bill with your representative.   Add your own words/sentiments to customize the text. Encourage your friends to take action as well.  (Or even better -  call them and let them know how you feel about having your vote replaced with a political appointment)

SUPPORT SB120

Tristan Hollis Memorial Act

Creates policy standard for fast pursuits by law enforcement. 

SB120, sponsored by Senator Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, would create a standard for state, county, and municipal law enforcement to follow when “developing and implementing vehicular pursuit policies.”  Orr's bill would limit vehicular pursuits to occur only when an individual is suspected of having committed violent crimes or “any offense that creates an immediate threat of death or serious bodily injury to another individual.”

The bill was named the Tristan Hollis Memorial Act in honor of a 17-year-old who was killed lin September, 2025, in Hartselle when his vehicle was struck by a driver fleeing a police chase. Orr has cited that Alabama follows Georgia as the state with the second-highest rate of vehicular pursuit deaths per capita. A standard policy would assist law enforcement in Alabama. 

The COPS (Community Oriented Policing Services) Office (and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration partnered with the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) and the Pursuits Working Group to develop guidance for all types of law enforcement agencies to consult when developing or revising their vehicle pursuit policies.  The resulting publication, Vehicular Pursuits: A Guide for Law Enforcement Executives on Managing the Associated Risk recommended that pursuits should take place only when two very specific standards are met: (1) A violent crime has been committed and (2) the suspect poses an imminent threat to commit another violent crime. PERF's position is that if those two conditions are not met, agencies need to look for alternative ways to accomplish the same objective. 

ACTION REQUESTED:  Call your state senator and tell them you support SB120.