Transgender Treatment Ban Fails in Alabama Legislature
- Alabama lawmakers ended their legislative session without a vote on one of the most controversial bills before them: a measure to outlaw gender-affirming medical treatments for transgender minors
- The Senate-passed bill died on the final night of the legislative session after it was placed at the end of a debate agenda that lawmakers did not have time to finish before the session adjourned around midnight on Monday
Lawmakers: Delay High-Stakes Reading Test for 3rd Graders
- After COVID-19 disrupted two school years, Alabama lawmakers on Monday voted to delay an upcoming state requirement for third-graders to pass a reading test before moving up to the fourth grade
- The House of Representatives voted 68-27 for the bill by Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, that would delay the promotion requirement, now set to take effect next year, by two years
- The high-stakes promotion requirement is set to take effect at the end of the 2021-2022 school year, but supporters argued it would be unfair to force the requirement on students who were out of the traditional classroom for long stretches during the pandemic
