Welcome to the Thursday, May 15, 2025, Brew.
By: Lara Bonatesta
Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:
- Alabama will be the second state to decide on amendments to restrict bail in 2026
- House Judiciary Committee releases draft of budget reconciliation bill including REINS-style provisions
- John Ewing Jr. defeats incumbent Jean Stothert in the nonpartisan general election for Mayor of Omaha
Alabama will be the second state to decide on amendments to restrict bail in 2026
On April 29, Alabama became the second state to put a constitutional amendment on its 2026 ballot that would expand the list of offenses for which judges can deny bail. Tennessee was the first. Voters in Texas may also see amendments addressing bail on their 2025 ballot.
Other ballot measure topics that multiple states are deciding on in 2026 include citizenship requirements for voting, voter ID, and changes to ballot measure rules. Click here to learn more about statewide ballot measures in 2026.
Alabama
Alabama voters will decide on a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on May 26, 2026. It would expand the state’s bail law, known as Aniah’s Law, to allow judges to deny bail for:
- Shooting or discharging a firearm, explosive, or other weapon into an occupied dwelling, building, railroad locomotive, railroad car, aircraft, automobile, truck, or watercraft.
- Solicitation, attempt, or conspiracy to commit murder.
The amendment passed unanimously in both chambers of the Legislature.
In 2022, voters approved Amendment 1 80.5%-19.5%, creating Aniah’s Law and allowing judges to deny bail to individuals charged with certain violent crimes.
Aniah’s Law is named after Aniah Blanchard, a 19-year-old college student who was abducted and murdered in 2019. The man charged with her murder had been released on bond after a previous arrest for kidnapping and attempted murder.
Tennessee
As we mentioned in our May 1 edition of the Daily Brew, Tennessee voters will also decide on an amendment that would allow judges to deny bail to defendants accused of certain criminal offenses “when the proof is evident, or the presumption great.” These offenses include:
- Acts of terrorism
- Second-degree murder
- Aggravated rape of a child
- Aggravated rape
- Grave torture
Judges could also deny bail for “Any other offense for which, as of November 3, 2026, a defendant, if convicted, could not be released prior to the expiration of at least eighty-five percent of the entire sentence imposed.”
Currently, judges in Tennessee can only deny bail to defendants accused of capital offenses.
On March 17, the Senate voted 23-6 to pass SJR 25. Twenty-three Republicans voted yes, and one Republican and five Democrats voted no. On April 21, the House voted 84-10 to pass SJR 25. Seventy-one Republicans and 13 Democrats voted yes, and 10 Democrats voted no.
Texas
Voters in Texas may also decide on two amendments that would allow judges to deny bail for certain offenses in 2025.
- The first would allow a judge to deny bail to individuals who are charged with a felony and who are residing in the U.S. without legal permission.
- The other would allow a judge to deny bail to individuals accused of certain violent or sexual offenses or human trafficking.
Both amendments passed the state Senate 28-2. All Republicans and eight Democrats voted in favor, and two Democrats were opposed.
A two-thirds (66.67%) vote is required during one legislative session for the Texas Legislature to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 100 votes in the House and 21 votes in the Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor’s signature to be put on the ballot.
If approved in the House, both amendments will appear on the Nov. 4, 2025 ballot.
Bail policy ballot measures
Fifteen states have decided on 23 ballot measures related to bail policy since 1868. Voters approved 20 and defeated three, an 87% approval rate. Click here to see a comprehensive list of bail-related ballot measures organized by year and state.
House Judiciary Committee releases draft of budget reconciliation bill including REINS-style provisions
As Daily Brew readers may recall, we’ve been covering budget reconciliation since the start of President Donald Trump’s (R) second term in January. Here’s an update.
On April 27, the House Judiciary Committee released a draft of their budget reconciliation bill which includes provisions from the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act (REINS Act).
Those provisions include:
- Requirements for agency reports on certain proposed agency actions
- Tasking the Comptroller General with determining if agency actions are major rules and requiring the Comptroller to report on these findings
- Requiring a joint resolution of approval for major rules that increase revenues to take effect
- Allowing review of past agency rules, similar to the Congressional Review Act
- Provisions for the review of agency rules currently in effect
In case you’re not familiar with it, the REINS Act is a proposed bill to increase congressional oversight of federal agency rulemaking that lawmakers have introduced in every Congress since 2009. The House has passed several versions of the REINS Act, but the Senate has yet to approve it. On Jan. 3, 2025, Rep. Kat Cammack (R) reintroduced the REINS Act in the 119th Congress.
Supporters of the REINS Act say it would restore the separation of powers, make Congress accountable for regulatory decisions, and increase transparency in the rulemaking process.
Opponents say it could hinder the efficiency of regulatory agencies, delay necessary regulations, undermine agencies’ expertise, and increase political gridlock.
There is also debate over whether the REINS-style provisions could be struck if a senator raises a point of order against them under the Byrd Rule. A point of order is a motion to delete a provision that a senator believes is extraneous to the reconciliation directives.
As the Senate’s presiding officer, the vice president decides on Byrd Rule points of order. The Senate Parliamentarian advises the vice president on Byrd Rule points of order.
Where are we now in the budget reconciliation process?
As we mentioned in our April 14 edition of the Daily Brew, the 2025 budget resolution was adopted on April 10. The resolution instructs certain House and Senate committees to draft legislation to either reduce or increase spending from 2025 through 2034. Click here to read more about each committee’s directives.
After the committees draft their bills, the House and Senate Budget Committees compile them into omnibus budget reconciliation bills, which members then debate on the House and Senate floors. If both chambers pass the same version, it is sent to the president to be signed or vetoed.
Watch our Feb. 6 video to learn more about the REINS Act. To find a list of federal and state bills with REINS-style provisions, view Ballotpedia’s Administrative State Legislation Tracker.
To learn more about the budget reconciliation process, listen to our Jan. 24 episode of On The Ballot, watch our March 7 video, or click here. To see our coverage on budget reconciliation since the start of Trump’s presidency, check out the following editions of the Brew:
John Ewing Jr. defeats incumbent Jean Stothert in the nonpartisan general election for mayor of Omaha
As we continue our coverage of mayoral elections in all 100 of the nation’s largest cities. Here’s a look at the results of Tuesday’s election in Omaha, Nebraska.
John Ewing Jr. defeated incumbent Jean Stothert in the general election. As of 11:25 p.m. on May 13, the vote was 56.3%-43.7%. While mayoral elections are nonpartisan in Omaha, Stothert is affiliated with the Republican Party, and Ewing Jr. is affiliated with the Democratic Party. Omaha is the first of the 100 largest U.S. cities by population to have a change in mayoral partisanship in 2025. This is also the second time an incumbent top-100 mayor has been defeated this year. The first time was last month when Cara Spencer defeated incumbent Tishaura Jones in the election for mayor of St. Louis, Missouri. Spencer and Jones are both Democrats.
This is the first time Omaha has elected a Democratic mayor since former mayor Jim Suttle was elected in 2009. Stothert has served as mayor since she defeated Suttle 57.2%-42.8% in 2013.
Currently, Stothert is one of 25 Republican top 100 mayors. If there are no other changes, the breakdown of the mayoral partisan affiliations in all top 100 cities will be as follows when Ewing Jr. is sworn in on June 9.
Between 2018 and 2024, an average of about four top-100 cities had changes in mayoral partisanship each year. The year with the most changes was 2020, when there were seven. The years with the fewest changes were 2018 and 2021, when there were two.
Omaha is one of the 28 top-100 U.S. cities by population holding a mayoral election in 2025. Seven top-100 cities have held general elections for mayor so far this year, including two cities holding run-off elections in June. Click here to learn more about how Ballotpedia covers partisanship in mayoral elections. Click here to see our full coverage of Omaha’s 2025 mayoral election, and click here to learn more about mayoral elections happening in 2025.