Virginia Martin, Author at BirminghamWatch - Page 209 of 480
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Virginia Martin

Congress Gives Final OK to Relief Bill, Takes Up Gun Checks and Confirmations

Voterama in Congress WASHINGTON — Congress gave final approval to the coronavirus relief bill this week, but there were other essential issues discussed in Washington, as well. The House passed two bills aimed at strengthening background checks on gun sales, for instance, and the Senate confirmed several key appointments by Biden, including Merrick Garland as attorney general. Here are votes on major issues during the legislative week ending March 12. HOUSE Final OK to Virus Relief Voting 220 for and 211 against, the House on March 10 gave final congressional approval to a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package. Read more.

by Voterama in Congress

Increased Federal Funding Renews Medicaid Expansion Push

MONTGOMERY — The newest federal coronavirus relief bill's enactment has renewed calls to expand Alabama's Medicaid program. According to early estimates, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 could mean an additional $940 million over a two-year span for the Alabama Medicaid Agency if it were to expand. That's enough to exceed the full state cost of expanding the program for at least four years, supporters and policy groups say. Read more.

by Will Whatley and Mary Sell, Alabama Daily News

COVID Vaccine Eligibility Expanding to Include Those 55 and Older

As of March 22, Alabama will expand coronavirus vaccine eligibility to include people ages 55 and older, people 16 and older who have high-risk medical conditions, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and additional critical workers. That’s about 2 million more people who will become eligible for the vaccine, while the state receives between 110,000 and 120,000 first doses of the vaccine each week, according to a statement released Friday by the Alabama Department of Public Health. Once the new categories are added, two-thirds of Alabama residents will be eligible for the vaccine. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

‘Doxing’ Ban Passes House

MONTGOMERY — A bill that would create the crime of doxing, or intentionally posting personal information online with the intent to harass or harm a person, passed the Alabama House of Representatives unanimously Thursday. Rep. Shane Stringer, R-Citronelle, is the sponsor of House Bill 403 and said he developed the bill after seeing judges and public officials harmed or harassed after their private information was released. “The internet and social media has become the new weapon of our day and age and we’re starting to see people use social media to harm people that they disagree with or don’t like their opinions or views, taking your private information and making it public,” Stringer said. Read more. Also in the Legislature Alabama to Receive $4B From Biden Relief and Stimulus Plan Bill to Increase Charter School Funding Passes Committee Senate Kills Lottery, Gambling Legislation Bill to Limit Executive Branch Spending Advances House Passes General Fund Budget that Increases Funding for State Agencies Bill Stalled That Would Increase Penalties for Rioting State Budgets, Legislative Authority, Gambling Bills in State House This Week Public Records, Hairstyle Discrimination, Marijuana Among Issues Before Legislature

by Caroline Beck, Alabama Daily News

Alabama to Receive $4B From Biden Relief and Stimulus Plan

MONTGOMERY — Alabama is set to receive more than $4 billion from the COVID-19 relief and stimulus package enacted this week. The bill, titled the American Rescue Plan Act, was passed by Congress this week and signed into law by President Joe Biden on Thursday. Spending in the bill totals $1.9 trillion, including $350 billion directed to state and local governments. According to the Alabama Department of Finance, Alabama's share of that will be $4.043 billion. Department spokesman Susan Wilhelm confirmed to Alabama Daily News that of that money: $2.1 billion is earmarked for a state relief fund; $192 million will go toward a state capital projects fund; $417 million will go to metropolitan cities; $362 million will go to non-county municipalities; $951 million will go to counties. Read more.

by Todd Stacy and Mary Sell, Alabama Daily News

March 11, 2020: The Day COVID-19 Became Real for America, and What’s Happened Since

The first time the world found out about the coronavirus now known as COVID-19 was through an announcement of the first case in the Wuhan province of China on the last day of 2019. That was the start of the virus that has now spread around the world. But COVID-19 didn’t really hit home for Americans until March 11, 2020 — a day that changed the country. One year ago Thursday, the World Health Organization declared the fast-spreading outbreak to be a pandemic. Before then, there were more cases in Europe than China, with Italy hardest hit. That soon changed. The WHO announcement didn’t make many waves in the United States that morning. But later that evening, it was the sports world that gave Americans their first glimpse of how everyone’s world was about to turn upside down. Viewers on ESPN saw history unfold at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, where three referees from the National Basketball Association were in an intense courtside conversation with Utah Jazz coach Quin Snyder and his Oklahoma City Thunder counterpart, Billy Donovan. Minutes before their teams were scheduled to play, Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver made a nearly instantaneous decision to shut the entire league down, sending fans in Oklahoma City home with scant explanation. Other leagues quickly followed suit. The National Hockey League suspended play the next day, Major League Baseball canceled the start of spring training, Major League Soccer halted its 2021 season two weeks after it began. The PGA Tour halted the Players Championship golf tournament after one round of play, and NASCAR called off its weekend of racing at Atlanta. College sports were also stopped, with the NCAA men’s and women’s national basketball championships eventually canceled and all spring sports wiped out entirely. The shutdowns marked the beginning of a series of events that changed virtually every facet of American life. In the days to come, schools of all levels were closed while administrators figured out what to do next. Churches moved their weekend services to livestreaming video before empty sanctuaries or canceled the services altogether; participation plummeted in the weeks to come. Governments put severe limitations on business operations, especially retailers and hospitality industries. Restaurants, in particular, suddenly saw customers banned from their dining rooms, forcing some to close — sometimes permanently. Food and grocery delivery became the norm, with companies such as DoorDash and GrubHub thriving while other businesses were in peril. Read more.

by Robert Carter

Lighting Up the Night Again

The neon sign for the historic A.G. Gaston Motel was lit Tuesday night in a ceremony marking the end of phase 1 of the site’s restoration. Birmingham Mayor Randall L. Woodfin attended along with representatives from the city and the National Park Service. “The A.G. Gaston motel sign served as a beacon to black families traveling through the segregated South,” Woodfin said. “It’s a sign that will now shine in remembrance of Dr. A.G. Gaston’s legacy – a legacy of black prosperity, equal opportunity, Southern hospitality and freedom.” The motel was used frequently by civil rights leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as they strategized their campaigns against injustice. Restoration of the 1958 wing of the hotel has been completed. Work to restore the 1968 wing and courtyard is next, with a projected completion date of June 2022. (Photo from City of Birmingham Facebook video)

by BirminghamWatch

Bill to Increase Charter School Funding Passes Committee

MONTGOMERY — Legislation advanced Wednesday to change how local tax dollars fund charter schools, a move proponents say is needed to make their funding more equal to that of traditional public schools. Rep. Terri Collins, R-Decatur, sponsored the 2015 legislation that allows charter schools in the state. “Over the last five years, we’ve learned some things we need to tweak,” Collins told Alabama Daily News. Read more. Also in the Legislature Alabama to Receive $4B From Biden Relief and Stimulus Plan Senate Kills Lottery, Gambling Legislation Bill to Limit Executive Branch Spending Advances House Passes General Fund Budget that Increases Funding for State Agencies Bill Stalled That Would Increase Penalties for Rioting State Budgets, Legislative Authority, Gambling Bills in State House This Week Public Records, Hairstyle Discrimination, Marijuana Among Issues Before Legislature

by Mary Sell, Alabama Daily News
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