MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — A panel of six Alabama lawmakers faced Mobile residents on Monday night to discuss their top priorities for the 2024 legislative session.

“We need to have engagement with those who put us in these offices, so this was rather encouraging,” Alabama State Rep. Barbara Drummond said.

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Vivian Davis Figures, Napoleon Bracy Jr., Adline Clarke, Sam Jones and Barbara Drummond represent the Democratic party while Chris Pringle represents the Republican party.

Drummond said that she is advocating for stricter penalties when it comes to drive-by shootings into occupied or unoccupied dwellings, especially after recent deaths in Mobile.

“These are senseless deaths there’s no rhyme or reason,” Drummond said. “Right now, in the state of Alabama, that’s a class B felony. I’m going to be working to move it to a class A felony, to make the penalties a little bit tougher.”

Every lawmaker on the panel brought attention to the possible good and bad gambling could have on the state.

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Pringle said it’s already a criminal issue that will cause larger issues.

“It’s a big problem,” Pringle said. “Whether you are for gambling or opposed to gambling, it’s time we have to do something about the illegal gambling in this state.”

State Senator Davis Figures said that it could be beneficial to the state.

“It would bring additional revenue to Alabama,” Davis Figures said. “Since Alabama is known to have the lowest property tax rate in this country, that would give us more revenue without having to rely on increasing those taxes.”

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Davis Figures also voiced her priorities on body rights for women in the 2024 session.

“I think that the women should have a voice with the bill that I have prefilled,” Davis Figures said. “That would give them a voice to say what they want to do with their bodies, not the 140 legislators of whom consists of mostly male legislators.”

Other priorities include the future of vaping products, absentee ballots and the expansion of healthcare in the State of Alabama.

The 2024 Legislative session begins on Feb 6.

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