Category: Alabama Legislature
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
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
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
Bill Would Remove Red Tape for Local School Projects, but Contractors Aren’t on Board
MONTGOMERY— A bill in the Alabama Senate regarding the construction of public buildings has some concerned about what it could mean to the safety of school buildings, while proponents see the legislation as a way to help education entities save money.
Bill sponsor Rep. Nathaniel Ledbetter, R-Rainsville, said House Bill 220 would help decrease building costs for public schools by reducing bureaucratic red tape, enabling money to be better used. He gave an example of a $2.4 million project being reduced to $1.7 million.
“I’ve heard from K-12 and (Alabama Community College System) about the construction costs increasing due to red tape,” Ledbetter, the House majority leader, said. “This bill would help them save money, money that can be better spent elsewhere.” Read more.
Innovation Corporation Bills Pass the House
MONTGOMERY — Two bills meant to promote and boost entrepreneurship in the state overwhelmingly passed the Alabama House of Representatives on Thursday.
House Bill 540 from Rep. Bill Poole, R-Tuscaloosa, would create the Alabama Innovation Corporation to help increase Alabama’s competitiveness in areas of technology and innovation as it relates to economic development strategies.
Read more.
Charter School Funding Bill Fails in the House
MONTGOMERY — A bill that would have allowed public charter schools to receive more local tax dollars failed to advance the Alabama House of Representatives Thursday. Read more.
Senate Approves Ban on Double Voting, Delays Decision on Curbside Ban
The Alabama Senate on Thursday approved several measures related to elections and alleged voter fraud.
“There are few pillars of our democracy more important than the security of our elections,” Senate President Pro Tem Greg Reed, R-Jasper, said after the votes. “Free and fair elections, conducted in a secure manner, are a hallmark of our country, and serve as a defender of the freedoms that we enjoy as Americans.”
Among those measures are ones that would make it a felony to vote twice in any election, require legislation related to the conduct of general elections be passed at least six months before the election, and move up the deadline for applying to vote by absentee ballot. Read more.
More from the Legislature:
Charter School Funding Bill Fails in the House
Innovation Corporation Bills Pass the House
Legislative Oversight and State Parks Bills Advance, Other Bills Considered by Committees
Civil Asset Forfeiture Compromise Clears Senate
Legislative Briefs: Nursing Home, Hospital Visitation; Drive-Through Alcohol Sales
Legislative Oversight and State Parks Bills Advance, Other Bills Considered by Committees
MONTGOMERY — Several legislative committees met Wednesday as the Alabama Legislature continues its final month of the 2021 regular session. Here’s a rundown of what happened at the State House.
Legislative Oversight Bill Passed by Committee
A bill that would create a joint legislative oversight committee to review any large expenditures from state agencies passed the Senate General Fund Committee on Wednesday. Read more.
More from the Legislature:
Civil Asset Forfeiture Compromise Clears Senate
Legislative Briefs: Nursing Home, Hospital Visitation; Drive-Through Alcohol Sales
Lottery, Casino, Sports Betting Legislation Sent to House Committee
The Alabama House of Representatives on Thursday received a Senate-passed gambling measure that had morphed from one entirely focused on a state lottery into an umbrella bill with the lottery, casinos and sports betting.
The bill got a first reading and was sent to the tourism committee. This is the twisted trail of a legislative effort to enhance state revenues without directly imposing new taxes. Read more.
More from the Legislature this week:
Broadband Expansion Bill Close to Final Vote
Bill Would Create Scholarships for Rural Teachers
Teacher Retirement Bill Advances
ADOC Reporting, Sexual Assault Victim Bills Advance, Grand Jury Bill Delayed
Bill Would Change State’s Grand Jury Secrecy Laws, Free Witnesses to Talk About Testimony
Broadband Expansion Bill Close to Final Vote
MONTGOMERY — Legislation to create a new state agency to oversee the expansion and availability of high-speed broadband internet services throughout the state is close to final passage in the State House.
Various broadband and technology entities in the state voiced their support for Senate Bill 215 from Sen. Del Marsh, R-Anniston, on Thursday during a public hearing. The House Urban and Rural Development Committee did not vote on the bill but plans to next week. Read more.
More from the Legislature this week:
Bill Would Create Scholarships for Rural Teachers
Teacher Retirement Bill Advances
ADOC Reporting, Sexual Assault Victim Bills Advance, Grand Jury Bill Delayed
Bill Would Change State’s Grand Jury Secrecy Laws, Free Witnesses to Talk About Testimony
