State Representatives
Bills Sponsored:
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This bill would propose an amendment to Alabama’s constitution to let the citizens of the state propose their own general laws and constitutional amendments by an initiative measure. These laws and amendments would still be subject to the same limitations that the Legislature has to follow, and the Legislature would also be able to offer an alternative proposal.
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This bill authorizes the State Board of Midwifery to accept gifts and grants
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This bill would authorize licensed midwives to administer newborn screening tests for disease instead of having to order these tests.
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This bill would establish several programs that would seek to provide technical assistance and services to aerospace companies, as well as creating an Aerospace Trade Monitoring Council. The intention is to protect the state from international trade disruptions, support innovation, and ensure security in our export pathways.
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This bill would provide redevelopment grant programs to support business startups, reuse vacant properties, preserve historic buildings and more by providing technical and financial support to update planning, zoning, and land use regulation in an effort to revitalize small cities’ downtown areas.
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This bill would provide an income tax credit to organizations that invest in research and development in order to encourage innovation and job creation in important sectors.
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This bill builds on an existing one that states personal property, up to a value of $100,000, is exempt from the state’s property tax. This bill would increase the maximum market value of a property to $120,000 for businesses with less than 50 employees.
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This bill would recognize and protect the right to distribute and use contraceptives and/or assisted reproductive technologies, like in vitro fertilization. It would also explicitly allow individuals, health care providers, and the Attorney General to bring a lawsuit to stop the enforcement of any law that would infringe on these rights.
Marilyn Lands in her own words:
On Marilyn Land’s website, she states her guiding principles are “compassion, inclusivity, and integrity”. The three main issues she lists are: creating economic opportunity, cultivating education, and protecting health care and reproductive freedom. All of the bills she has proposed in the last year fall in line with these tenants, and her website has some out-of-date but good resources for learning more about the work she and other Alabama Democrats were doing in 2024.
Marilyn Lands in the bills she’s sponsored:
Marilyn Lands clearly puts in the work as far as sponsoring bills, but it appears she’s having trouble getting that legislation passed. She’s put forth a bill to protect women’s reproductive rights (not even abortion, just things like reproductive aid and contraceptives) and it’s been shut down, she’s put forth a bill to fund businesses and push for economic development in small towns and it’s been shut down, she’s put forth a bill to give tax credits to organizations that invest in research and development and it’s been shut down. So many bills that in my opinion, just make good common sense, and they get read to the House and immediately sent to a House Committee to die.
I don’t know enough about how the legislature functions to be able to say for sure what the problem is. If the problem was that the bills weren’t written well enough, they would be referred to a House Committee and revised before being read in the House again. Instead, these bills are being referred to House Committees, which then do nothing with them. What the hell is going on? She’s got good ideas that would help her constituents. Is the problem that she’s untalented as a legislator, or that the House Majority is stacked against her? I’m not literate enough in court documents to say, but it’s certainly frustrating to see.
Her potential successor:
Marilyn Lands is currently running in the general election against Aaron Thomas. His campaign website features a vague outline of his ideals - affordability, strong infrastructure, support for small businesses - without really elaborating on how he hopes to achieve that. While Marilyn Lands has had clear ideas of what she wants to accomplish and has attempted to put them into action, I fear being labeled a Democrat in a Republican house majority may have crippled her ability to actually legislate effectively. If you’re a Democrat, or a woman, or a person of color, or openly gay, or anything in between, you’re almost certainly well aware of the disdain Republicans hold for any of our ideas and the all-too-common immediate dismissal of anything we say. My point being, Aaron Thomas’s vague ideals seem similar to those of Marilyn Land. Is it possible he would be more effective in passing legislation similar to hers, simply because he shares a label with the majority? I personally don’t like him as much, but the ultimate goal for electing officials is to improve the lives of their constituents, and that’s hard to do when your ideas are hobbled by the letter next to your name or way you present.