Category: Alabama Legislature
School Funding Change on the Move in the Legislature
Between the fall of 2019 and fall 2020, 59 public school systems’ enrollment grew by nearly 6,500 students.
But under the state’s current funding structure, systems have to fund most of that growth, including hiring the needed teachers, out of their local tax revenue, and state funding is slow to catch up, if it ever does, educators say. For some of the systems with the largest growth, that’s hundreds of students and millions of dollars.
Senate Bill 9 would amend the state’s Foundation Program to calculate growth so systems don’t have to wait a year for per-student funding, which this year is about $6,271. It would estimate non-virtual enrollment based on the previous years’ growth. Read more.
5G Infrastructure Bill Clears Senate
MONTGOMERY — The Alabama Senate on Thursday approved legislation to create a statewide standard for deploying 5G cellular infrastructure and setting limits on how much money local governments can charge providers for access to utility structures.
“This legislation provides a consistent framework for the deployment of small cells, giving providers some certainty as they invest in local communities to expand this very necessary infrastructure,” bill sponsor Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, said. Read more.
More from the Legislature:
Medical Marijuana, Alcohol Delivery, COVID Liability Bills Pass First Tests
Legislative Session Starts With Caution, Big Bills
Bill Would Filter Emergency Health Orders Through Layman Board in Jefferson County
Read more on the legislative session, which began Tuesday.
Report: Changes to Habitual Offender Law Needed
A new report urges Alabama leaders to change state laws that mean “death in prison sentences” for inmates convicted of crimes in which victims were not injured.
“Condemned,” from the Alabama Appleseed Center for Law and Justice, details how Alabama’s Habitual Felony Offender Act is more punitive than most other Southern states’ laws and how keeping these men — many of them now senior citizens — in prisons is costing the state millions of dollars in medical care.
“We hope (lawmakers and other officials) realize that hundreds of people are still trapped in life without parole sentences for crimes where there was no physical injury and who if sentenced today would do a fraction of their current sentences,” Appleseed Executive Director Carla Crowder told Alabama Daily News. Read more.
More from the Legislature:
Legislative Session Starts With Caution, Big Bills
Marsh Steps Down, Reed Steps Into Pro Tem Role in the Senate
Bill Would Filter Emergency Health Orders Through Layman Board in Jefferson County
Read more on the legislative session, which began Tuesday.
Marsh Steps Down, Reed Steps Into Pro Tem Role in the Senate
MONTGOMERY — After ten years of leading the Alabama Senate as president pro tempore, Sen. Del Marsh, R-Anniston, officially stepped down from the upper chamber’s top job Tuesday, relinquishing the role to Sen. Greg Reed, R-Jasper.
The friendly leadership transition, first reported in November, became official as lawmakers opened the 2021 legislative session. Turning in his letter of resignation to the secretary of the Senate, Marsh thanked his colleagues, staff and family for their support during his tenure as pro tem, the longest in Senate history.
“It has been a privilege to serve as pro tem of this body since 2010,” Marsh said from the Senate floor, choking up at moments. “I believe we’ve accomplished some great things together.” Read more.
COVID-19 Protocols Limiting Public Access to Legislative Session
Watch the Legislature remotely
The Legislature’s external website has been upgraded to add enhanced streaming video of all business in the House and Senate chambers, as well as the meetings and hearings in committee rooms around the State House. There now are video links to both chambers and five committee rooms. You can watch proceedings on the Legislature’s video services page.
In-person public access to the legislative session that starts Tuesday will be severely limited, and State House leaders are asking people to watch the action online and communicate with representatives electronically.
“We need public input in what we do down here because the things we do make decisions on taxpayer dollars and public welfare,” Speaker of the House Mac McCutcheon, R-Monrovia, said. But in-person interactions with House or Senate members will require appointments.
“You won’t be able to just walk through the front door and go up to the seventh floor,” McCutcheon said. “What we’re telling people is, don’t come to the State House anticipating to meet someone unless you have made some phone calls and you have a prior appointment.” Read more.
Read more on the legislative session, which begins Tuesday.
Ivey Signs Leases for Two Prisons, Part of $3 Billion Plan
Gov. Kay Ivey signed lease agreements for two men’s prisons on Monday, part of her plan for three new facilities the state will lease for 30 years at an estimated total cost of about $3 billion.
Construction for the two facilities is expected to begin later this year or the beginning of 2022.
The two lease agreements are with entities of prison builder CoreCivic. They will construct, own and maintain the facilities. It will be the Alabama Department of Corrections that staffs and administers the prisons.
Read more.
Lawmakers Cautious of ‘Uncertain Environment’ for 2022 Budgets
MONTGOMERY — Passing the state’s two budgets is the Legislature’s only constitutionally required action each year. But in a COVID-19-altered session that will be anything but regular, even the most basic of tasks could prove to be a challenge.
“Realistically, hopefully we can keep the budgets on the fast track, but when you look at the budgets and the work that needs to be done, it’s probably middle to end of March, preferably the first of April, before we could get budgets out,” Speaker Mac McCutcheon, R-Monrovia, said.
Both Rep. Bill Poole, R-Tuscaloosa, the education budget committee chairman in the House, and Sen. Greg Albritton, the Senate’s General Fund committee chairman, have said lawmakers will be cautious in their 2022 spending plans.
Albritton said the General Fund’s December revenue growth was essentially flat compared to December 2019.
“I’m not suggesting level funding at this point, but I’m just concerned with the growth we’ve grown accustomed to and what we’re seeing now,” Albritton said. Read more.
Read more on the upcoming legislative session.
Alabama’s 2021 Session Starts With Two-Week Focus
MONTGOMERY — Alabama lawmakers on Tuesday kickoff a legislative session like none they’ve seen before.
COVID-19 protocols are limiting public access to the State House, the number of committees that can meet at a given time and, some say, the amount of bills lawmakers will be able to consider.
This year’s schedule is largely tentative, as leaders acknowledge a virus outbreak could disrupt the session at any time. For now, leaders are planning to meet the first two weeks of February to pass essential bills, then take a week-long break to reassess their COVID-19 protocols and priorities.
Lawmakers are expected to focus on bills to: clarify that federal COVID relief funds received by Alabamians and their businesses aren’t subject to state taxes; provide entities with liability protection from COVID-related lawsuits; and revise, revamp and expand economic incentives offered to businesses. Read more.
Read the pre-session interview with Gov. Kay Ivey, Ivey Wants 2% Pay Raise for Teachers and State Employees, and more on the upcoming legislative session.
Long-Awaited Incentives Package Filed Ahead of Session
Legislation filed to renew and revamp state tax incentives for Alabama businesses includes new credits for women- and minority-owned enterprises, increasing the cap on one of the state’s “backbone” incentives and giving a break to automakers who will ship vehicles out of the Port of Mobile.
House Bill 192, expected to be a high priority for passage when the 2021 legislative session begins next week, was pre-filed Thursday. Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield this week discussed some of the details with Alabama Daily News.
“The bill reestablishes and builds on the success of Alabama’s performance-driven incentive tools,” Canfield said. “And those are specifically being addressed in the Alabama Jobs Act, the Growing Alabama Credit and the Alabama Port Credit.” Read more.
More stories on legislative budget hearings held before the session starts Tuesday.
Ivey Wants 2% Pay Raise for Teachers and State Employees
Law Enforcement Agencies Ask for Increased State Funding; General Fund Budget Looks OK
Mental Health Services in Schools Improving, More Help Needed
Lawmakers Discuss Education Pay Raises, a Focus on Literacy and Learning Loss
Ivey Wants 2% Pay Raise for Teachers and State Employees
MONTGOMERY — Gov. Kay Ivey said she wants to give pay raises to state employees and teachers in the next budget year. In an interview Thursday with Alabama Daily News, Ivey said her state budget proposals, which are set to be presented to lawmakers next week, will include the pay raises in both the General Fund and Education Trust Fund budgets.
Read more.
