Gas Tax Revisit Bill Uncertain in House
A bill to stop the possible automatic increases or decreases in Alabama’s new gas tax was on a House committee schedule for this week but was pulled.
Virginia Martin
Literacy Bill Focuses on Early Reading, Holding Back Third-Graders With Poor Skills
Updated — Alabama public school third-graders who don’t have sufficient reading skills will not move on to fourth grade under proposed legislation that will dedicate more time, training and financial resources to early elementary literacy. “If a child can’t read by third grade, their chances for retention later go up, their chances of not graduating go up,” Rep. Terri Collins, R-Decatur, told Alabama Daily News on Monday. She plans to file legislation called the Alabama Literacy Act this week. Read more.
Congressional Votes for the Week Ending April 5
WASHINGTON – The U.S. House last week voted to approve a five-year extension of the Violence Against Women Act, including expansion of some of its provisions to help victims fleeing violent domestic situations and protect women in violent situations. Alabama’s representatives voted along party lines, with Rep. Terry Sewell voting in favor of the extension and the state’s other representatives voting against it. Read how area members of Congress voted on that and other measures during the legislative week ending April 5. Read more.
GOP Lawmakers Say Abortion Ban Bill Worth Potential Fight
MONTGOMERY — Legislation to criminalize the performance of almost all abortions in Alabama goes further than many of the more than two dozen anti-abortion bills proposed in other conservative states this year. The heavy restrictions in the bill are exactly why more than 70 GOP lawmakers have signed on as co-sponsors, hoping the U.S. Supreme Court, now with five Republican-appointed justices, will limit constitutional protections on abortions. Several lawmakers told Alabama Daily News the legislation would be worth a costly legal fight when pro-choice groups challenge it. Read more.
After Recent CASAC Meeting, Former Chairman Says, “If I Were Still Working for EPA, I Would Resign”
The recent public hearing of a top air pollution advisory committee exposed faults so grave that a former chair of the group wrote an article in the Washington Post on Tuesday that was headlined, “If I Were Still Working At the EPA, I Would Resign.” Jefferson County air pollution engineer Corey Masuca, a member of the committee, wouldn’t go that far, but on Thursday he told BirminghamWatch that he thought the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee did need greater support from the Environmental Protection Agency to properly evaluate whether current pollution standards are adequate to protect public health. Read more.
Ethics Exemption Passes House Overwhelmingly
MONTGOMERY — A bill to exempt economic developers from state ethics rules governing lobbyists passed the Alabama House of Representatives overwhelmingly Thursday. The vote was 94-4, with three abstentions. The legislation is seen as essential by the state's economic development community, which argues that treating site selectors like lobbyists and requiring them to publicly disclose their clients will result in Alabama missing out on the next Mercedes, Honda or Mazda-Toyota type of projects. Read more.
Birmingham Launches A Citizen’s Experience to Connect Residents to City Hall
Applications are now open for A Citizen’s Experience, a new initiative from the city of Birmingham designed to promote civic engagement. The free, seven-week program is slated to begin in June and is open only to Birmingham residents who are 18 years old or older. Applications are being accepted this month. Read more.
Percentage of College Freshmen Who Need Remedial Courses Drops
A smaller portion of new high school graduates is having to take remedial classes when they first go to college, according to a PARCA report on data from the Alabama Commission on Higher Education. The rate of students needing remediation is dropping even though high schools have pushed to raise the graduation rate and are sending more students to college than they have in recent years. Read more.
Vaping Regulation Bill Advances
MONTGOMERY — Citing increased usage by teens, Alabama lawmakers want to put more regulations on the sale of vaping devices and electronic cigarettes. House Bill 41 was approved unanimously by the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. The bill updates the state's definition of alternative nicotine products to include electronic cigarettes, vaporizing devices and liquids intended to be vaporized. A substitute bill adopted Wednesday added nicotine gums, mints and lozenges to that list. “The main goal of this was to put checks and balances in place to regulate the sale of these devices to minors and to regulate the sale and advertisement of the different flavors for the devices in and around schools,” bill sponsor Rep. Shane Stringer, R-Citronelle, said during the committee meeting. Read more.
DOJ Alleges Alabama Prisons Violate the Constitution
WBHM Federal officials released a report Wednesday alleging conditions in the state’s male prisons violate the Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, along with three U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the State of Alabama issued the findings. Read more.