Category: Alabama Legislature
Reading Proficiency, Third Grade Holdback Bill Approved in House Committee
A bill approved Wednesday by a House committee would provide resources to get more Alabama third graders reading proficiently and requires that those who aren’t be held back.
Bill sponsor Rep. Terri Collins, R- Decatur, said during a public hearing: “I’ve read estimates that only 35% of our children are reading proficiently, that is 65% that are not. So I hope that shows the urgency of which we need to deal with this issue.”
The state Department of Education estimates it would cost about $90 million annually to implement the proposal, according to a fiscal note on the bill. Read more.
Formerly Imprisoned Lawmaker’s Campaign Finance Report Raises Questions
State officials have questions about a campaign finance report filed this month by former Alabama House Majority Leader Micky Hammon, who spent three months in federal prison last year for using campaign money on personal expenses.
On April 2, Hammon turned in late his 2017 campaign finance report, a document required of public officials that details spending from their campaign funds. The report lists one expenditure: $52,533 to Hammon in January 2017. Under the explanation of expense section of the form, “to be determined” was typed.
“That’s a problem,” Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill told Alabama Daily News when asked about the report. He said his office would reach out to Hammon.
Hugh Evans, general counsel for the Secretary of State, said he is attempting to speak with Hammon’s attorney.
“I don’t know what the story is, but you can’t use campaign funds for your personal use,” Evans said. Read more.
Bill Would Put Charter Funding on Par With Traditional Schools
MONTGOMERY — Legislation in the Alabama Senate would prevent local school systems from limiting the flow of per-student tax dollars to public charter schools.
Senate Bill 311 is sponsored by Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh, R-Anniston, who said it clarifies that money for a child’s education stays with that child, no matter what school he or she attends. Marsh was the sponsor of the 2015 legislation that allowed for the creation of charter schools.
“It was always intended that on a local level the local funds that were allocated per child would also follow the student to the public charter school,” Marsh said this week.
Marsh said some existing public school systems have failed to cooperate with the charter school law. Read more.
In Teacher Shortage, Educators Support Bill for Non-Certified Teachers
Roanoke City Schools Superintendent Chuck Marcum needs more teachers.
Specifically, he needs more educators who are certified in the subjects they’re teaching. But during a teacher shortage that some say has reached a crisis level in parts of the state, Marcum and others hope lawmakers will let them keep non-certified educators in their classrooms longer.
“The education colleges are turning out great teachers, just not enough of them,” Marcum said Friday. “Even if we hired all of them, it wouldn’t be enough.”
Hundreds of schools each year hire educators on a one-year emergency contract. The educators must have a bachelor’s degree, but no education training or experience. After that year, the individual can’t have another emergency contract with a school anywhere in the state.
Senate Bill 304 would change the word “emergency” to “urgent” and allow the contracts for up to six years.
Sen. Clyde Chambliss, R-Prattville, said he sponsored the bill after watching his daughter’s high school struggle to fill a physics teaching position.
His bill would make it easier for professionals with real-world experience and ability, but not a certificate, teach for longer, Chambliss said. Read more.
Bill Giving More Options for Armed School Security Clears Senate
MONTGOMERY – A bill to make it easier for retired law enforcement officers to become armed school security personnel passed the Alabama Senate on Thursday and could get a vote in the House next week. Read more.
Ivey’s Approval Rating in Alabama Higher Than Trump’s
Gov. Kay Ivey has a higher approval rating in Alabama than President Donald Trump, according to a new poll released this week.
Sixty percent of Alabamians approve of the job Ivey, elected to her first full term last year, is doing. Another 28 percent disapprove and 12 percent are not sure, according to a poll released today by Florida-based Mason-Dixon Polling and Strategy. Read more.
Gun Surrender, Permit Bills Debated in Legislature
Alabama lawmakers debated two very different gun regulation bills on Wednesday.
One would eliminate the need for permits to carry a concealed weapon; the other would allow for the court-ordered removal of weapons from someone who is considered to be dangerous. Read more.
Legislature Takes Up Wine Delivery Bill, Other Alcohol-Related Measures
MONTGOMERY — A proposal in the Alabama Legislature would let people have wine shipped directly to their homes, something the state Alcoholic Beverage Control Board doesn’t currently allow. Read more.
Open Sesame: Bill Would Give People More Power to Access Government Records
The Alabama Legislature will consider a proposed overhaul of the state’s Open Records Act this week.
A bill sponsored by Sen. Cam Ward, R-Alabaster, and Rep. Chris Pringle, R-Mobile, would establish new procedures for public document requests and set penalties for custodians who do not follow those procedures.
Those penalties would be enforced by the Office of the Public Access Counselor, also created by the new bill, which would manage public inquiries and appeals.
The new bill would entirely replace the state’s existing open records law, which has been criticized for its lack of specificity and enforceability. Read more.
Bill Would Stop Seizure of Assets Without Criminal Conviction; Law Enforcement Opposed
Legislation pending in the Alabama Senate would prohibit law enforcement agencies from seizing the assets of people who haven’t been convicted of a crime.
“I think that’s how the public assumes it works — before the government takes people’s stuff, there has to be a conviction or a plea,” said Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur.
But that’s not always the case under Alabama’s civil asset forfeiture law. Currently, police can seize property if they have reason to believe it was criminally gained. Even if there’s no conviction, law enforcement can keep the property with a civil court order. The property owner must prove his or her property wasn’t part of a crime — at his or her own expense.
“The law was originally established to go after the ill-gotten gains of drug kingpins and those who were profiting from their criminal activities,” Orr said. “But it’s being used for low-level crimes for defendants who can’t afford a lawyer on the civil side (to get their property returned).” Read more.
