The sponsor of legislation to create a paper lottery in Alabama says getting the bill to final passage may be difficult. “It’s a rocky road between here and there,” Sen. Greg Albritton told Alabama Daily News. The House Economic Development and Tourism Committee is expected to vote on Senate Bill 220 Wednesday afternoon. Read more.
River advocacy groups are promoting passage of a bill that would provide clear standards in times of drought for the state to step in to allocate use of water for agriculture, recreation, drinking and other uses. The bill, HB 476, also would set up a system of “conservation credits” for agricultural and other large water users who institute water-saving measures before periods of drought. Under the bill, when water flow in a river or stream falls below predetermined, science-based levels, state agencies could more quickly impose limits on usage to protect the health of the waterway. That would impact the quality of water for drinking, recreation and aquatic life, advocates say. Meanwhile, farmers are concerned that the bill could let the state cut back on their water use just when they need it most. The bill is awaiting action in a committee. Read more.
A bill that would set rules for the state to step in and allocate use of water during droughts, HB 476, would divide the state’s counties into surface water regions for purposes of determining water availability and needs. Read more.
Legislation to potentially replace Alabama’s elected K-12 board of education with a commission of governor appointees will be voted on Tuesday in a Senate committee. The proposed constitutional amendment from Sen. Del Marsh, R-Anniston, has the support of Gov. Kay Ivey, who is also president of board of education. “As we know all too well, statistic after statistic — and study after study — shows that our children are not getting the best education possible or even the best education that is available,” Ivey said in a letter to board members last week. Read more.
Multiple times in the past four years, three rural Alabama counties — Perry, Pickens and Russell — have reported having students without immunization documents at more than four times the statewide rate. Health providers say a main reason for that gap is a general lack of health care in sparsely populated areas. Those counties are short on health care providers, and county health departments are understaffed. A lack of knowledge about the need for vaccines also is a factor. Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 764 cases of measles were confirmed this year across 23 states. According to the agency, that’s the highest number since 1994 — for a disease that was eradicated in the U.S. in 2000. Read more.
The baby in St. Clair County believed to have had Alabama’s first case of measles has tested negative for the disease. The Alabama Department of Public Health had reported that the baby had a presumptive positive measles case after initial tests run by a commercial lab returned a positive result. But when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did a more detailed test, the baby was diagnosed as not having the disease, according to a press release issued by the state health department. Read more.
A vote in the Alabama House of Representatives on a bill to prohibit the use of hand-held cell phones and other devices was delayed this week, but the measure could go back before legislators next week. Read more.
The Alabama House of Representatives debated for more than five hours this week legislation that Democrats argued gave the governor’s office too much control over the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles. The bill passed Thursday evening along party lines, 73 to 27. It now goes to the Senate. Read more.
On Tuesday, Mayor Randall Woodfin will unveil his proposed FY 2020 budget to the Birmingham City Council. It will follow this year’s $436 million budget, the city’s largest ever and the first that the Woodfin administration had overseen from the ground up. That budget implemented a new “zero-based” strategy, which meant that appropriations were based on need rather than the previous year’s budget. In March, Woodfin compared the FY 2020 budget to a “need-only Christmas,” where socks, not toys, are the gifts. “That’s how this budget’s going to be,” he said. Read more.
MONTGOMERY — The Alabama Senate passed legislation Thursday regulating medical marijuana for patients with certain conditions. The bill now goes to the Alabama House. Senate Bill 236, dubbed the Care Act, would establish the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission to administer a patient registry system and issue medical cannabis cards. The bill lists about 30 qualifying conditions, including addiction, cancer, autism, epilepsy, terminal conditions and end-of-life care. Patients would need a prescription from a doctor and a second recommendation from a specialist to obtain medical marijuana. Read more.
