Our taxes are low.
That's good for you guys because you're keeping I park rangers in low taxes.
I think it's better for you to keep your money than us to have your money.
So that's just what probably I guess one of those places
where we would agree to we have to agree to disagree.
I think it was better.
-- I like those nation -- right,
so that,
that is a,
but yeah,
that's a,
I mean,
it's a,
yes,
go ahead.
So what we're going,
so I've worked for 30 years I've worked for 3 companies
that two of them,
uh,
I work for a bunch of the tech person jump around all the time in the early stages,
but I worked for.com
where we signed the lease one week and we're shut down the next week.
I work for a company that
slowly.
Went away and they had to merge
in a public way.
I've learned enough by then I'm not sharpest thing I don't want to get out.
Um,
and I work for a financial institution that put in conservatorship,
and we turned it around.
The companies that survived made tough decisions to start.
The process we're going through right now,
I don't know if these,
these cuts are gonna stay.
Um,
my main concern would be making sure that we're not unfairly,
you know,
um,
make sure that,
you know,
all folks are looking out for us.
If everything has,
if if cuts are happening,
then you happen everywhere,
and if we only,
you know,
works are happening,
so they are happening,
right?
So my main concern,
so,
um.
If that money goes away we're gonna,
yeah,
we're gonna have to either pack our belts or come up with something,
but
um
like I said we,
we have $1.8 trillion.
That what I'm saying is this country is like those companies I work for.
And we've got to come up with a solution.
And if we don't,
we've got a little taste in 2008.
This is a government we got a little taste in
2020
with with inflation.
Those were just a little taste of what happens if we don't fix the problem.
OK,
so,
so is it,
so and on that,
on that point,
and,
uh,
this is maybe a silly question,
but
would there,
is there any circumstance?
I mean,
I know,
you know,
Republicans are always about.
Lower taxes,
lower taxes,
lower taxes.
Is there ever any situation in which you would say,
OK,
maybe it's time to rethink our
property tax situation,
for instance,
where large corporations are taxed at extremely low rates.
I mean,
you could,
you could literally double Alabama's property taxes,
and we still have the lowest in the nation.
Is there any circumstance in which you guys would consider
making up some of that budget shortfall with
with our Republicans say that.
Like they just did.
-- There's -- 3 -- it's too high.
It's too highly on this,
I love that our property taxes are the lowest in the nation.
It allows our
The American dream of owning a home
to be fulfilled and for me
that is sacred.
I'm proud of the fact that Alabama has the lowest property tax.
But there's so to,
to,
to your point there is because lots of people own homes in
California and New York and pay a lot of our taxes,
but they a little better service.
I,
well,
OK,
we can,
we can debate that,
but California and New York are not bad places to live.
So,
uh,
so anyway,
I,
I just,
uh,
so,
so what,
what,
what I wanna say is,
I mean,
OK.
So you can exempt
every single homeowner in the state of Alabama,
raise the taxes only on the people who are cutting down trees in my
-- home county of Clark County where they -- cut and they pay $6 a year
on an acre,
6 dollars a year on an acre to cut down trees,
and they make tens of thousands of dollars.
Is there no consideration to taxing those folks a little
bit higher to help everyone else keep the idea of,
-- for -- instance,
talk to the people of Alabama.
I think the vote would be on raising property taxes.
I know in this room.
I know what the
property that's it.
That's it.
Yes,
that's what,
that's what we would say is,
is what we would say is lower,
lower our sales taxes.
Let the poor not pay the highest percentage
of the higher percentage by paying 10% sales taxes
almost everywhere you have to go in the state of Alabama and raise
the property tax on the people much more able to pay them.
That's what that's our.
right,
-- and also has a sunset clause in like a year of -- grocery.
I think you just said something everybody can give on that.
-- I think you're confusing -- that with the overtime.
OK,
-- so that is a -- lockdown
and as soon as we hit that growth number
-- that was put in there to make sure we can continue -- to fund education,
it will automatically roll up.
Next question is,
yes,
next question.
We're moving on.
OK,
so,
and Representative,
you gotta leave in a few minutes.
So this is,
this is the,
this is the subject that I got the most questions
handed to me on Jose would love for you to
address this and you have to believe you can believe
and that is in regard to the proposed SB4,
the,
the so-called librarian bill,
um.
It's not funny.
I mean
the,
the only,
you know,
the,
the thing that many people want to know essentially is,
I mean,
why in the world are you going after librarians and what are you going after
and
why is this a priority for the Republican Party?
So I hope this helped you understand where I was coming from and I was laughing.
I actually worked a lot on this bill to change up last year because I actually agree.
Believe it or not,
I just think through every piece of legislation that we're looking at.
I'm not just this person that just walks in and I'm like,
we're gonna rubber stamp it.
Like I care that it actually makes a difference and it's meaningful change.
I do think that,
um,
at the end of the day,
I don't,
I don't even know that that I don't,
I don't know that that even makes it to the floor for a vote this year.
-- I have -- no idea.
But
last year when that bill was filed,
one of the things that we were working on was making sure that we did take care of our.
Librarian
and we were making amendments.
Um,
I know Susan even worked with me on these amendments,
but myself,
Susan,
and Jacob Faulkner,
who also represents Hoover
worked actually very hard to try to mitigate some
of those things that we thought were problematic,
um.
I'm not
uh gonna say that what
what is filed right now.
I mean,
I have my problems with it.
I do not have a problem with keeping
you,
you may not agree on this part.
I do not have a problem with keeping,
and I believe this is right,
keeping inappropriate children in front of children without parental consent.
So let me finish answering my question.
So I don't have any problem whatsoever with that.
I think that is reasonable to protect children,
and I will never ever not think that.
However,
I don't know that I agree that this is the right way to go about that.
OK,
to me,
I work in a library.
-- I would like -- to follow up on your statement there.
OK,
real quick,
OK,
-- I work in a -- library now,
and I just have to ask,
and this is to all of y'all,
especially Rep Ghost,
because I know that you appreciate librarians.
I need y'all to be specific.
-- In what you're -- talking about
very specific,
OK,
very good.
Shaw has a has a position here in that his daughter actually works for the library,
and my grandfather was a librarian and we have
in my district have two really good libraries,
uh,
and answer your question.
Material harmful to minors is a well-defined legal term.
Um,
there's 3 or 4 court cases.
That's a follow-up question.
Can't write them off.
So anyway,
that,
and that's one thing about these bills.
-- Please read the bills and if you -- can follow up with me I'm not talking about this bill.
I'm talking about,
yeah,
material harmful minors is,
is the,
how is that happening in the library?
-- Please explain to me how that's happening in -- the,
OK,
so,
yes,
yeah,
you,
so.
What I tell my librarians because I don't think my two libraries are,
are a problem.
I don't have a problem,
but
there's a lot of exemptions for libraries that
some librarians in the state and the nation
have abused that exemption
to kind of pick fights and what I tell my librarians you a look.
There are people picking fights with people they don't need to pick fights
with and as a results really strong legislation you give an example.
The important thing to remember is that legislation is a process.
What you see filed is not
99% of the time what's gonna pass.
-- We're -- here because we understand that.
Yeah,
so what,
what Lee's talking about is
there's a lot of things in that bill
that I don't like,
you know,
and I think we're gonna fix it.
I don't like I don't know.
-- I don't know exactly what's in this -- one.
-- I just know that -- I've read it once and I
got,
I've read like 100.
-- I've read over 100 -- bills already this session.
I can't retain
-- pretty much anything that's -- in
-- in any of them without you know -- if I need to work on it for
changes or if I need to kill it or if I need to support it.
OK,
hold on a second,
see if,
if you want to say anything about.
or just in general,
should we,
I mean,
I would,
should we be trusting librarians to do their job?
-- I -- will say that is a work in process
and um what is has currently been dropped is not what
we're gonna end up voting on if that gives you,
if that gives you any comfort.
-- I have not gotten any -- answer that question.
The bill is a working process,
-- so I can't tell you -- specifically suggestions you can send them to
you don't disagree with it.
One of the reasons that Lee and I a lot of times that we have signed
up as co-sponsors of that bill is because we want to be part of the process.
We want to be part of helping to make the bill be the best it can be.
I mean.
OK,
maybe this is one of those things you can disagree on.
I believe that there are books
that um are inappropriate for children.
OK,
you can check them out with the parent present.
That has always been a thing.
OK,
so there you go.
18 and under card.
The parent doesn't have to be present.
The child would be restricted from being in the children's section.
The parent signs them up for the card.
OK,
parent is the responsible,
but some libraries like ours County have an 18 and under.
It's not an all not all libraries.
If I can just
I just want to put a bow on this,
and I just wanna say,
I mean,
please don't criminalize librarians.
-- That's all I'm -- saying I mean.
OK,
very good.
You need to go now at 7:30.
I got one more if you wanna if you wanna do it.
It's a tough one.
So this,
this is a tough one,
but I,
I,
I like it,
OK.
There's gonna be a lot of,
there's gonna be a lot of moaning in the room when I read this question.
Let me tell you.
All right,
so,
and so I has been
around Hoover.
They've been finding people in local businesses.
They've been
taking people off of construction sites.
They've been coming into fast food restaurants.
What
should you be doing?
What should the state be doing
to protect the immigrant community?
I think truthfully,
and this is part of what I like about tonight is like getting out here,
but I honestly wish we were talking more about,
no,
I seriously,
I wish we were talking more about like
state.
A lot of that stuff is being
and,
and I,
I,
I get it.
We all have questions about that,
but it's,
it's really not what we do.
So I,
-- I think a lot of those -- things are,
-- there are -- a lot,
there are a lot of immigrant bills that are in front,
they haven't come in front of us yet.
I know that they're being looked at and I'm honestly in my area
it's not something that I have not heard from constituents about it,
don't have problems with it,
but I know there are pockets in the state that are having some problems.
I don't live there,
so I cannot speak to what their community is struggling.
Dealing with
and I don't,
I,
I tend to always one,
I'll always be honest with you.
I'll tell you what I don't know,
but it's,
it's more helpful for me to communicate with you about
the local issues because that's what I'm involved in.
I don't get involved in the federal
stuff,
so I'm not,
again,
it's,
it's a hard one.
I'm not sure yet.
I don't even know what's going to come before us.
There's a lot of negotiating that I know is taking place.
But I'm not pretty good at conversations right now because I work on
different legislation and I serve on different committees and so I see that stuff
constantly that I'm having to work on.
OK.
Representatives,
Representative Shaw,
have either one of y'all seen any of the immigrant bills,
know anything about the various immigrant bills there is there are,
there are a bunch of them out there,
you know,
1000 bills get filed right and
A lot of them never even come to committee.
A lot of them never even come to the floor for a vote.
We start paying attention to them when they move through,
but I will say this
one of the governor's priorities
and one of our priorities is to,
um,
reduce crime
in our state.
A lot of that is inner city crime.
A lot of that's being committed by 18 to 24 year olds.
A lot of that's gun violence.
It's the city of.
Birmingham,
it's the city of Montgomery.
It's the city of Mobile,
some of these inner city pockets.
That is a priority for the governor.
That's a priority for our whole state.
-- So if there is a whole package of bills -- involved in that.
So,
so what I would say,
and I mean as far as that relates to the immigrant community,
of course we're not talking about immigrants that are here legally.
-- That's not -- illegal
-- immigrants -- still have rights.
-- But -- what we're talking about with ICE from the federal level,
from what I understand is removing illegal immigrants
that are here illegally that have committed crimes.
That's what we've been told.
that's,
that's not.
So,
so,
a couple of things there,
a couple things there,
but coming into,
coming into the country,
coming into the country is not a crime.
It's a civil issue.
We know that.
I mean,
just,
just because someone is here,
you know,
because they,
they,
they came across the border when they weren't supposed to.
That's not a crime.
And I,
I work for the sheriff's office and I look at the crime.
I but they might,
but they're wrong.
So I mean,
I'm a lawyer.
I know this.
It's not a crime.
It's it's a civil law,
so OK.
My,
my district is where a lot of folks there.
Valley Elementaries in my district.
I work with,
you know,
a lot of,
um,
English and second language kids there.
I've done a lot of stuff for international folks in my community,
do,
do my best to recognize that the Hoover is
a very diverse place and I think that's great.
um,
both our children have,
um,
uh,
friends from Mexico and Peru and all this.
I don't know if they were legal.
I don't know if they were.
I didn't ask,
and if I did,
they probably,
I wouldn't have understand.
Um,
I sent many Christmas or birthday parties and houses where I,
I was the only English speaker,
so we had a lot of people in my district that would,
would fall into that.
Um,
I've no,
no,
nobody there has ever reached out to me and confirmed about,
OK,
and I did a lot.
I won't put my hand too much,
but during the,
um,
uh,
during the campaign I did a lot to reach out to,
to,
to Spanish speakers,
uh voters,
and
I haven't heard from
Christian did as well.
I know,
so,
right,
so,
um,
yeah,
OK,
well,
those of you who are interested in this issue,
you just heard an invitation.
I mean,
drugs in shop definitely he's got a lot of coach folks in his district.
Talk to him.
So there you go.
All right,
so
right,
just,
I yeah,
I can't really take a lot of questions from the audience y'all.
I've,
I've probably been too liberal about that.
I'm sorry about that.
OK,
so,
uh,
so I'm,
I'm,
I apologize for that.
I,
I see what's that.
OK,
so,
um,
but,
but one thing I would say to you,
Repent both with regard to,
because I work for the sheriff's office,
so I look at these things a lot.
I mean,
I'm on,
I'm on 3 different committees right now.
They,
they're,
uh,
designed to combat violent crime in Jefferson County and C.
OK,
so I,
I work on this issue a lot.
It's
not
the immigrants.
It's just not.
Yeah,
OK good.
Yes,
immigrants are
welcome,
but there are immigrants that are here illegally.
That's the difference.
-- That's -- illegal.
-- It's not a criminal -- immigrants who have broken laws.
And
immigrants that are here,
yeah,
if we're we're talking about if we're talking about immigrants
who commit crimes in the in the state of Alabama,
to witness her well I mean I've been mutilated,
you know,
we can we can we can talk about we can talk about.
Large do these folks,
you know,
live in our community.
They work in our community.
They build our houses.
They put roofs on our houses.
They cook our hamburgers.
I mean,
my son's worked,
my son's worked with Johnny Rockets for 2 years,
and there was not a single
legal
immigrants
in that kitchen.
-- They all were there and they were all good -- citizens.
Yay,
yes.
and more pathway to citizenship.
Way
too complicated and takes far too.
Future daughter-in-law is a citizen of the of the nation of China,
and she has to go home every year for 6 weeks and spend 6 weeks in China
and come back and she's a very valuable worker in Nashville and engaged to my son.
I'm learning Mandarin so I can go to China for their wedding in in December.
But at the same,
but,
but you know,
she,
but her requirements for that visa are
ridiculous.
I mean,
it really,
we really do need a more common.
Common sense immigrant.
OK,
we're good.
Glad,
glad that we agree on that.
OK,
so,
um,
so the second,
uh,
well,
um,
I actually,
Ashley Dunham,
I'm gonna make an exception.
Do you wanna ask,
so we have y'all wanna say hello to that we have here
the,
the individual who probably knows more about IVF in the state of Alabama
than anyone who's not a doctor
who is performing IVF,
OK?
So.
-- Ash is a referee -- in the family court,
uh,
of Jefferson County.
Excellent,
does an excellent job there.
And Ashley,
do you want to ask,
I,
I'll,
I'll give you the privilege of just asking your question about IVF
for,
for to these two folks if you don't mind.
Of course.
So about a year ago,
-- our -- state had the privilege of embarrassing us in front of the entire nation.
With that fetal personhood ruling,
so
-- what's being done to give us little permanent uh access and protection of -- IDF,
-- and -- this is a multi-parter.
In addition to that,
are there any regulations that are being suggested?
-- And -- if -- there are,
-- have -- y'all -- talked to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine,
which is located in Vadio?
Well,
I would say within 5 days of that court ruling
we passed a bill
and I'm sure you are paying attention that allows all
the IVF clinics and get immunity to the IVF clinics.
Yes,
-- and it is -- unconstitutional.
-- So is there -- any steps being taken to,
it's being challenged on constitutionality issues that are
being taken to amend the constitution so that
that stays in place so that all the people who.
are able to continue to use it well,
you said it's unconstitutional.
The court ruled on that yet,
but no,
-- but they were almost certainly there was a -- challenge,
but then they decided to dismiss that in November.
-- Nobody -- even knew.
I mean,
the bills in the past actually is very favorable to IVF clinics.
So
where things are right now is,
is excellent.
Bills get challenged all the time.
That doesn't mean it's good.
That the bill,
what we did
in 5 days to reopen all these IVF clinics was very favorable to IVF clinics
and to not to not to the patients why not because it gave simple.
Community
-- to -- providers to
-- producers of goods and -- services related to IEA.
-- So -- then if you think about it,
say that the um embryo solution that was sent from New York.
surgical.
-- They sent an embryo solution -- that made all of the embryos they used to arrest,
so the embryos were as,
as,
uh,
I,
I agree.
So we need to tight.
I agree.
I have not heard of any proposed idea of regulations.
I'm not on the health committee.
We have a committee,
a subcommittee that's been studying that.
I don't know that that's gonna come up this year,
but I agree on the immune,
on the immune,
and that's a personal concern of mine as well.
OK.
All right,
thank you,
Ashley.
All right,
so we knew we had to get to this.
Um,
I'm gonna,
I'm gonna read this question as it was handed to me because I,
uh,
it expresses what about a half dozen other people.
Uh,
one of my extended family members is a loving,
hardworking,
one of the most generous people I know.
She's also transgender.
Why focus your priority on removing the rights of transgender people,
the basic self-determination,
or to,
to make them,
you know,
different than what they are and you tend to be?
Why was that such a priority
in this legislative session?
You talking about my what is a woman?
Yes,
yes,
um,
well,
I work on lots of bills and we do lots of bills in our legislature,
but this happens to be one of the very first ones I started working on.
And the purpose of that bill has nothing to do with eliminating
transgender people or taking away any of their rights or
letting them identify any way that they want to,
right?
It has nothing to do with gender identification
and y'all.
So what is the purpose of the bill?
Yeah,
I,
-- I think people in the room would disagree -- with you.
I disagree.
I would like to finish if y'all will let me if y'all still let me the bill defines male,
female,
mother,
father,
daughter,
son,
boy,
girl.
So why do we need to define those
because when those,
when those words were used in our laws and
For example,
one that has been used 147 times in our laws over the past
decades and decades and decades.
It was assumed that the biological definition was the word,
was the intent of that word.
Everybody agreed on the definition of woman
over the decades when these laws were written.
So this clarified.
For the courts and for transparency,
what the meaning of that word is,
OK,
so for example,
I'm working on a bill
that exempts,
I'm just gonna give an example,
um,
that exempts,
um,
breastfeeding women from jury duty.
This is a bipartisan legislation that you may have heard of.
Yeah.
So
that is,
that is well applied to the definition of woman,
which is a biological woman.
So a reproductive,
a trans woman will not be eligible to be exempt
-- from jury duty because a trans woman doesn't -- have so.
-- Now isn't that -- crazy,
but you asked me.
So the definition,
I know,
I know fundamentally we're gonna disagree on this.
OK,
yeah,
don't think that there's only two sexes and that there's male
and there are not on this point on this point,
on this point,
so,
so.
Let me just ask it in a very general way,
you know,
I,
I'll ask it to you.
So,
uh,
understanding,
I mean,
I,
I think I heard Representative Bo say this was not about transgender rights.
It wasn't about preventing.
So
would you be willing,
would you consider,
would you
have any qualms about
passing some sort of statute that actually protects the rights of transgender.
So protects,
for instance,
their right to have top surgery
in the state of Alabama.
So that's a tough one because I come from multiple generations of doctors and I,
I broke the mold.
I didn't do that,
but
one of the first rules is is they help people.
Cutting off healthy breasts,
uh.
No.
Oh.
Wait,
wait,
-- tell us the -- BRCA positive breast
bilateral breast mastectomies prior
to the onset of cancer and they do that.
Thank you.
OK,
Mark,
Mark say that a trans operation is on a healthy person.
Gender dysphoria is not unhealthy.
Just
We're not gonna agree with the commit suicide
at a higher rate than the general population.
I mean,
and that is not
a good definition for an unhealthy person.
Well,
actually I'm,
I'm,
but it,
it might be now,
but what I'm saying is,
would you,
would you be your favorite protector like that in our state.
It's OK,
so,
so it is,
it is true,
it is true for those who haven't seen the statistics,
but since
certain event occurred on November 5th of 2024,
uh,
calls to suicide hotlines by transgender people are through the roof
because.
Because of
their fear
of what might happen to them under the current administration,
OK,
I'm,
I'm asking you,
would,
is there anything the Alabama legislature can do to assuage those fears
to help those people understand to try to prevent them from killing?
And I have said this publicly,
every human being transgender,
uh,
whatever,
every one of those initials are deserves.
-- I'm sorry y'all LGBTQ plus that's -- right.
Every person deserves to be treated with respect,
dignity,
love.
They just,
they should be able to work,
live,
and play in our community,
-- all of us -- together.
-- There's none of us to be -- taken from anybody,
and I said this,
and I,
and I have said this all the time.
If,
if they are not being treated,
if they are being denied a job or housing or anything,
that's wrong,
that should not be going on,
and we need to know about it.
-- so -- we have a lot
-- of -- women's faces when her bill goes into a starting on October 1st.
I'm sorry,
I will also talk about potentially doing the bill enri rights.
I asked her if after her bill passed if she would be willing to put
forth a narrow bill to allow gender marker changes because my gender marker on my
document says F.
and if I didn't tell you,
Representative Shaw,
you wouldn't have known.
-- I remember meetings back -- in the day.
It's good to see you again,
by the way,
isn't it have changed once you've had all the surgeries.
You start with that.
No,
-- Daily -- Wire documentary.
Knowles from the Daily Wire says he wants
to eradicate transgenderism from daily life of Americans.
OK,
-- so I -- named it after that.
I named it during that Supreme Court hearing
whenever the senator asked the Supreme Court.
she knew,
you know what a woman is,
that's what I'm about to know.
OK.
So wait,
wait,
I'm gonna give,
I'm gonna get the,
the that
that her hand up right there.
You,
you have an opportunity real quick.
Just ask very quickly and then we're gonna move on from this issue right after this,
OK,
sorry,
I'm I'm outside that Alison?
Uh,
yeah,
it's Alison.
Hey,
I'm,
I'm dressed kind of like you today.
It is,
it is what it is.
I'm gonna think of what it was.
But yeah,
so
let's see if I could maybe help the discussion and you're I am,
yes,
um,
I'm down here for a punk show for my friend's birthday,
and this happened to line up,
uh,
which is why I'm dressed like this,
but,
uh,
yeah,
so like,
let's see,
as for the point about,
um,
asking about top surgery,
um,
so some.
non-transgender or we say preferreds of cisgender boys who are,
you know,
they're born and the doctor says it's a boy and that works out for them,
thankfully.
Um,
so these,
these cisgender boys,
uh,
some of them end up having a condition called gynecomastia,
um,
and I'm sure all the men in the room can attest to
if you grew breasts,
that would be
pretty shocking and disturbing to you,
right,
you know,
you,
you wouldn't want to grow breasts,
and unfortunately that does happen to some boys who are going through puberty.
Uh,
gynecomastia.
And so these cisgender boys can sometimes
get,
uh,
what amounts to
the same kind of top surgery that that person was talking about to alleviate
the gender dysphoria of these cis boys.
Um,
and so
something that's really helped me to understand is like,
oh these trans boys
are just like these cis boys,
you know,
they're going through these changes to their body
that like
Just don't match up with what their brain is expecting their
body to be and like who they are as people inside,
um,
you know,
like we,
we have a lot of like terminology
that uh
that
there we go.
I hope I'm
actually heard um we have like.
A lot of terminology that is like
for that is like a regular part of discussing these kinds of things,
and I
completely understand.
It's like,
uh,
it's,
it's hard to get your head around the first,
for sure,
and especially when like
we use so much jargon in the discussion,
right?
Um,
so
yeah,
the,
uh,
gender identity that you'll hear about a lot,
that's just
You know,
you have an identity as a person.
It's the gender part of that,
you know,
like it's,
it's how you know
you're a man or you're a woman,
even without anybody telling you,
even without,
you know,
even if your body was different,
you would still go,
well,
think about it.
I am who I am.
Um,
let's see.
The other point was,
oh yeah,
so like
I,
you know,
I'm not making the best case for myself for womanhood right now.
Yeah,
great,
lesbian,
um,
but you know,
so
I,
it's been uniquely frustrating
as a woman who's had to like.
Really work for it and really,
really uh struggle to get to where I am today,
um.
I read this bill and it talks about.
It may not talk about me directly,
but it does describe me.
Um,
and
that's been really difficult to
see this go through with,
um,
no consideration for how it will affect people like me.
And,
um,
just
Seeing it be unclear like
the ways in which it will affect me because there,
there is,
right,
um,
current
state law that allows for the change of gender markers.
Um,
I've used that process myself.
Um,
however,
the passage of this law,
um,
Makes the code in conflict with itself
and so unless we provide a carve out there
transgender people will suffer um and thank you so
much for accepting Neil's amendment on that last year.
um,
I really wish that it had been accepted this
year or even the amendment to prohibit the established.
-- Of any kind of I don't know -- I had a few more amendments.
It just didn't get passed in the Senate,
yeah,
um,
so
would y'all be amenable to,
would,
would you push as hard for a carve out to
keep us free
as you would
for that bill?
I'll have,
you know,
I don't really understand enough about gender barers to
answer that question,
and I don't understand enough about,
um,
I mean our current law,
the way we have it
with the judge of probate that may have been the process that you went through
to get your birth certificate changed once you've had surgery.
You know,
as far as I know that that process is still in place.
I mean,
it does show an asterisk.
It does say your sex has been changed,
so it's known,
you know,
that you were originally a woman and you went through a process,
and now
you're a man and
or
or whichever way you got it,
yeah,
-- so there -- is currently that process.
I haven't heard that that process is.
Gonna be eliminated.
I don't know,
so you want to say anything about this,
or you wanna move on?
I mean like,
OK,
the thing I think is important about is when we write laws
we're actually more careful than than people think as I am.
Um,
I don't know about the body,
but
this is all a new thing.
You know,
I mean,
and when we get calls from people
who have had
my,
my daughter went to camp and
there to make appointments or they're getting dressed and as well he's,
he's he wants to be grown up.
-- I mean these -- things.
Have you gotten one of those calls?
Yeah,
so I don't know there's,
yeah,
so.
This is a big change,
big societal change,
and I say this is an 80% thing,
you know,
this the people who elect us
are when those things are happening in the boys and girls sports,
I mean that's just not fair and it's,
and a lot of Democrats in the House agree with us on that,
-- you -- know,
um,
so it's that you're thinking it's time.
What are you gonna do about all the trans men
who are about to have to be in women's restrooms,
OK,
all right,
so we're gonna,
we're gonna move on.
I got 2 more,
2 more subjects covered in like 6 minutes.
So,
uh,
this one,
I,
so yeah,
all right,
so I,
well,
I,
it wasn't,
but that's,
you know,
I'm,
I'm going from the questions that people ask me,
but I'll give you an opportunity to take my school.
at the at the end,
how about that?
OK,
so,
uh,
yeah,
that's right,
uh,
right.
So,
um,
but that,
but something everybody really does care about,
I think this one will be a quick answer.
I hope so anyway.
This is one I got.
I got 2 or 3 people ask me,
uh,
this is,
it's no,
this is not,
it's not federal.
This is,
this is,
uh,
we've been asked.
There's,
so there's a huge,
huge majority to,
to your point.
Over 80% of the people in the state of Alabama
believe that contraception should be protected,
but,
but there were bills to do so that apparently have died.
It is there,
I mean,
You guys
believe in a person's right to contraception,
even as a pro-life person.
Do you think it should be protected right in Alabama,
or is it something we just don't need to worry about?
I'll answer that.
Yes,
I believe in contraceptive.
There is no,
uh,
movement that I'm aware of that I've ever heard of.
Oh,
-- there's plenty -- that's it's called the Roman Catholic Church.
I.
no,
there is no movement
that I'm aware of that to eliminate contraception.
Now if you're a member,
if you're a practicing Catholic
and you don't want to use contraception
or you're a faith-based organization and you don't want to pay for contraception,
that's your right.
But to we're not trying to take it away from the general public.
Nobody is.
I,
I don't understand where that's coming from.
I say nobody is wrong.
There are people at all.
-- 178 that -- will remove the talk
about
-- contraceptives -- in sex education
completely wipe.
OK.
Oh wait,
let me,
let me back that up.
I carried that bill.
It explicitly does not
and and explicitly.
does talk about contraception
and I have been to the sex ed classes and
I've heard those discussions and I've been very embarrassed,
but I listened to it anyway
because it needs to be discussed and it
is discussed and there was absolutely no movement.
So if there becomes a movement,
-- will you -- guarantee that you will fight?
Yes,
you will fight.
Well,
all the conditions that contraception discussions were gonna be included.
Did you read that?
raises the rates of teen pregnancy dramatically.
Abstinence only education raises the rates of teen pregnancy dramatically.
-- So -- what is the point?
The point is to we're updating terminology.
We're making sure it's,
there's a lot of things that goes on with this like increasing teen pregnan.
-- Alabama -- has
has already been plan on answering the question.
They want the babies,
not the people.
No,
look,
contraception is being discussed,
uh,
a lot,
a lot of important plants,
a lot of things are discussed in,
in sex ed,
and I,
I agree
that it should be in schools.
There are some people that don't,
but it's,
and I agree that it should be optional that that parents should be able to opt out.
So that's one thing I'm trying to make clear it's.
So anyway,
the point is your question.
I believe in contraception and I believe it
should be discussed and taught along with STDs
-- and a lot of important information that teenagers -- need.
OK,
so that's run out of time.
I,
this is,
I'm gonna be very selfish and ask a question that applies to me,
uh.
That's a lot to be past my y'all,
most people in the room know my passion issue is people,
people are mentally ill.
I mean,
I,
I have a lot of ills in my family,
uh,
but,
uh,
their addiction is rampant in my family.
For those who haven't heard the story,
I mean,
uh,
my dad was also at the age of 6 because of,
uh,
because of alcohol addiction.
Um,
I,
that's why I don't drink.
If anybody wants to know why I don't share your wines because I,
you know,
but,
but
I have found
that.
One of the biggest places,
one of the most significant treatments of mental illness in
the state of Alabama is really in our prison system.
I mean,
we,
we see at the Jefferson County jail,
and the reason I,
I get is the reason Mark that way gave me my job,
he said,
Wayne,
we gotta do better by our inmates
and their mental health system.
So that's something that,
you know,
we talk about federal issues,
but this is very much a state issue.
Can you guys tell us,
give us an idea of
what's going on.
On in regard to mental health funding,
is there gonna be an increase?
Is there gonna be a decrease?
Are,
are we going to,
I think there are
some of,
along with transgender people,
along with immigrants,
some of the most vulnerable people in our society,
what efforts are you guys making to ensure that people with
mental illness are better taken care of in our state?
Well,
I'll answer first.
I lost someone very close to me.
It was,
um,
terrible experience,
um.
Bipolar
and all over all over the state had um I had to go to the probate multiple times.
Try to get us and all the resources of the world and still tell me
um
so I'll def I mean yeah remember we're freshmen and we're
not in the community I would absolutely support more funding.
How it's been is very important,
but I mean that's something that's very important to my family,
and,
and I know it's important to everybody else's family,
and I would be
more than willing to work on the specifics of how
that because I,
I got,
I got a,
uh,
maybe a two-year degree we'll call it in,
in that process and how it failed,
um,
what I care about.
Yes,
yes,
and we see it every day,
-- so -- I think that's one that we can all
agree that mental health in our state is deplorable.
We know that,
uh,
it's been a,
it's been an emphasis at the Speaker of the House.
I've heard of why do we keep building prisons and
not giving back into our community that help people.
So our
our prison should not be a place to house mentally ill people.
I
With it
there it
takes time to fix all these things and from what I understand,
this started decades ago when we closed down some of our institutions
and the money was not real like it should have been so it's a problem.
It is a problem we know that and I know we
are putting a lot of money in our Shelby County.
-- Y'all -- said no to
Medicaid for all and so what y'all want me to answer this question?
I'm not really I don't have.
Yeah,
it's OK.
All right,
so,
all right,
so it's 8 o'clock.
I know it's time for you guys to go,
but I will throw you the big softball or propose and say tell us about school choice.
Nobody was here.
Anybody wanna hear about it?
No.
I want to hear back from the OK you don't leave now.
OK,
so we have past school choice.
I just want y'all to know about it.
We have past school choice in the state of Alabama.
It goes into effect next fall.
This is the sign-up period.
If you have any children,
grandchildren.
Nieces,
nephews,
whatever that may for some reason want to go
to a different school than their public school.
There are $7000 available
this year and next year
to students and families that make less than 300% of poverty rate,
which is about $95,000 for a family of four.
This gives a child an opportunity if they want
to go to the Spring Valley Dyslexia school.
OK,
but Highland school is $20,000 a year.
I get that.
But there if you want.
Go to a parochial school which is under 7000 years.
We go to.
If there are private Christian schools that are less than
religious schools are the only ones you have to be.
This is not I'm giving you the option
to
to think about it if you know anybody that would like to have another option,
-- not all children fit in every -- the public schools.
-- We're -- not taking money from public schools.
We we allocated $150 for $100.
-- We have a 10 just so we get -- $10 billion educational
trust fund.
So billion dollars,
so put the money into the public schools.
100 million dollars for school choice.
About 16,000 out of 720,000 students will have this opportunity.
If you don't want to do it,
you don't have to.
I just want to tell y'all that because I think that
there are some people that may be interested in that.
Representative and they should pay for it for a moment of personal privilege.
I learn how to say that.
Yes,
I know the bounce.
But first of all,
that was,
let me,
so my new colleagues,
I've been there 3 weeks now 9 days,
I think we done far maybe tomorrow night,
but,
uh,
Susan,
Mike,
and,
and Lee have been phenomenal to me,
and they don't have to be a black Democrat
from Wesley in Birmingham
whose vote they don't need
and so.
I might disagree with them on 10,
uh 8 out of 10 issues,
but I'm hoping that we're building a kind of
relationship that we can work together on that too.
-- So that's where -- the.
I do want to do it but I,
I do want to thank all three of them for,
for coming,
uh,
tonight.
I do wanna say this is one thing about this one shit because Susan and I disagree on it,
but I think our heart's in the right place.
I just disagree with her.
I think school choice
isn't real
and how we approach it.
I think if we wanna say school choice is real,
then let every kid who goes to a public school
go to any public school they want to in Alabama.
-- That's -- not a problem
because
because they don't want every kid to go to Mountain Brook.
Yeah,
the schools are so great.
I don't give up.
I don't,
I don't wanna.
I'm not,
I don't wanna skip back and forth I
because 7000 my kids go to a private school,
but I went to a public school
that,
you know,
my mom took 5 kids through college only because
we had a really good public school and a lot of small town invests in Alabama,
and,
and
5 kids went to college
amazingly
through,
through that small public school.
$7000.
Doesn't approach
what my what I pay for my kids at
at uh at that and my choice is I don't drive
a new car so my kids can go get that education.
So that's their choice.
And I,
everybody this is right,
$7000 over get covered.
So if we wanna be authentic about school choice,
I think we make
every kid
go to every school
or every kid get a scholarship totally that covers every school.
So that's where I think it's gonna be really.
That's
I do I think she honestly cares about this issue.
OK.
-- We had -- 1200
kids in the city of Birmingham sign up for school choice so far.
Those are 1200 kids whose life will be transformed because you've
ever looked at the scores in our Birmingham public schools,
they are deplorable.
-- It's -- embarrassing.
-- So really for those -- schools,
-- let's just send these kids to a -- nicer place,
right?
So like I said um we all had orientation as freshmen because we came in on a lero cycle.
These poor guys and gals,
they,
they're,
you're in the middle of everything.
You don't,
seriously,
you don't know where the bathroom is.
You don't know where a lot of that stuff is.
But I'm really,
uh,
I mean some of my best friends in the house are becoming,
uh,
are,
uh,
Democrats.
I sit in several of them in,
um,
-- now we disagree on anything -- educational.
We disagree on anything regarding the police,
um,
anything,
well,
to be on our side,
but.
um,
we try to be
respect the office,
respect the office of each other because these are elected offices and they,
they deserve effect,
you know,
we'll,
we'll be in and out over some but we're enjoy getting up,
uh,
Kevin so far and then,
um,
he said it's 2 over for me.
-- So -- alright,
OK,
so I'm gonna turn back.
Our chair Christian Coleman,
thank you everyone for being here.
I appreciate it all.
I will synthesize.
-- I will -- synthesize the questions that are similar,
and the question did not get answered tonight.
I'm gonna give it to these three folks,
and I will get the answers back through Christian and the Democrats.
Christian,
it's all your buddy,
-- here's -- your show.
Yeah,
Wayne,
Wayne did a pretty good job,
right.
Um,
I appreciate the representatives coming to
something that could,
that could have been slightly hostile.
Oh
thank you.
You know,
we are their constituents as well.
We pay you.
I mean,
not,
but they pay you and keep the people with real jobs,
military.
Christian,
Chris,
can I say one thing very quickly?
I just wanna make it very clear.
Hoover Democrats has no connection other than by
similar views to the Alabama Democratic Party,
the Shelby Democratic Party,
the Jeff Democratic Party.
There's the Hoover Democrats uses the name Democrats because of how we believe,
but this is not an official party function.
Anybody thought it was.
You're not an official party function,
OK?
We'll find your official party function.
You need to come one.
This is not,
OK.
This is a group of people,
ah,
yeah,
yeah.
This is a group of people who believe similarly,
who vote similarly,
who have,
uh,
very,
you know,
different view of the issues than than these folks do,
but I just wanna make very clear this is not an official Democratic Party function,
OK?
This,
and it never is never will be.
OK,
sorry,
I should have said that earlier,
Chris.
Yes,
yes,
do,
do not,
you know,
go to Wayne's Jefferson County Democrats mad about,
you know,
what I've done here.
please,
but I,
um,
I can get you his phone number though if you want.
Hey,
I'll talk to anybody.
Y'all know that.
Uh,
yes,
thank you for the representatives.
We are going to have another Hoover Democrats meeting at some
date that somebody else will know.
It's probably not gonna be the 24th of March because that is spring break,
so it's probably gonna be the 31st,
right.
be the next,
yeah,
and I be the 17th of March.
I might be on an airport 17th,
-- 17th of March Saint Patrick's Day wear like Mark 17th -- of March.
Batman time.
Batman.
Right.
Oh.
No,
I,
I see.
Yes
So.
She knows what she.
I just want my pants.
I like
I had a,
uh,
like a,
I was in and I,
I,
I wore last week
-- of -- every day
they're,
they're like.