Virginia Martin, Author at BirminghamWatch - Page 199 of 480
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Virginia Martin

Bill Requiring Accommodations for Pregnant Workers, Other Bills Won’t Get Vote

MONTGOMERY — The House Judiciary Committee heard Wednesday about Democrats' bills to protect pregnant employees in the workplace, prevent discrimination based on hairstyles and alter some of the state's parole rules. But committee chairman Rep. Jim Hill, R-Moody, didn't have the committee vote on any of the proposals, saying it was too late in the session. With four legislative days left, bills would have to be fast-tracked to clear both chambers.  Read more.

by Caroline Beck, Alabama Daily News

Literacy Act Delay Bill Running Out of Time

A bill to delay next year’s requirement to hold back third grade students who aren’t proficient in reading is running out of time in the Legislature. The Senate-passed measure was discussed for more than an hour in a public hearing Wednesday in the House Education Policy Committee. Committee Chairwoman Rep. Terri Collins, R-Decatur, opted not to vote on the bill and said the committee may take it up Tuesday. If approved there, it would need a House vote during the two remaining legislative days of this session. Sponsor Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, said the pandemic has greatly altered education delivery in the state to the disadvantage of students. He argued the holdback requirement, part of the 2019 Literacy Act, should be delayed two years. Otherwise, too many students will be held back. Read more. More from the Legislature this week: Bill to Limit State Emergency Declarations Moving in the House Bill Requiring Accommodations for Pregnant Workers, Other Bills Won't Get Vote Bill Puts Into Law Unemployment Benefit Fraud Protections Bill Would Ban All Chemical Abortions in Alabama Legislature Nearing Passage of State Budgets as Session Nears End

by Mary Sell, Alabama Daily News

The Tornado Outbreak of April 27, 2011: Are We Better Prepared Now?

It’s been roughly a decade since April 27, 2011, a day that marked U.S. weather history. The South saw hundreds of tornadoes, 62 of which were in Alabama. Some of the tornadoes tracked more than 80 miles long, bringing wind speeds up to 210 mph in some areas. The storm killed about 250 people in Alabama alone. On this 10-year anniversary, we’re asking the question: Are we better prepared now for a tornado outbreak than we were a decade ago? Read more.

by Miranda Fulmore, WBHM

Bill Puts Into Law Unemployment Benefit Fraud Protections

Earlier this month, Lad Drago received an email notification from the Alabama Department of Labor saying someone had filed an unemployment insurance claim against his Spanish Fort insurance agency. He went to the state’s online system for more information. “Lo and behold, Lad Drago was the claimant, and they had my Social Security number, as well as my date of birth,” Drago said. This began hours of trying to get more information about the fraudulent claim, including telling a Department of Labor representative it was a fake. He was pointed to a claims dispute webpage. “That’s where everything really started getting frustrating,” Drago told Alabama Daily News. He said he tried multiple ways to convey to Labor that payments shouldn’t be made to the bank account set up to collect the money. He said there’s an out-of-state phone number attached to the claim and a strange email address. On Monday, he received a notice of payment on the claim. Read more. More from the Legislature this week: Bill Would Ban All Chemical Abortions in Alabama Legislature Nearing Passage of State Budgets as Session Nears End

by Mary Sell, Alabama Daily News

Bill Would Ban All Chemical Abortions in Alabama

MONTGOMERY — A bill that would outlaw all chemical abortions, or the use of prescription “abortion pills,” in Alabama will get a public hearing Wednesday in a House committee. House Bill 377, from Rep. Andrew Sorrell, R-Muscle Shoals, would make it a Class C felony for anyone in the state to administer medication that is commonly used to end a pregnancy during the first trimester. Sorrell said he thought the bill was needed now after seeing a push in some states to increase access to the medications through telemedicine means, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more. More from the Legislature this week: Legislature Nearing Passage of State Budgets as Session Nears End

by Caroline Beck, Alabama Daily News

Birmingham Agrees to Sell Old Ensley High to Be Redeveloped as 244-Unit Housing

Plans are moving forward to redevelop the former Ensley High School property as a 244-unit housing development. The Birmingham City Council approved an ordinance Tuesday selling the campus, which has been abandoned since 2006, to the North Carolina-based Zimmerman Properties for $50,000. The city also will provide incentives for the project in the form of a grant of up to $1.5 million, some of which will come from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Home Investment Partnerships Program. Read more.

by Sam Prickett

The Census Is In: Alabama Will Keep 7 US House Seats for the Next Decade

Alabama will retain all seven of its seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, Gov. Kay Ivey announced Monday after seeing statewide population totals and Congressional apportionment results released by the Census Bureau. The results show that Alabama has grown 5.03 million residents, up from 4.8 million when the 2010 census was conducted. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch
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