Government

Bill to Delay Rules That Would Fail Third Graders Who Don’t Read Well Enough Advances

A bill that would delay by three years a provision to require holding back third graders who don’t read at a sufficient level received unanimous support in the Senate Education Policy Committee on Wednesday. The provision is in the Alabama Literacy Act, which was approved by lawmakers in 2019. It aims to increase reading skills in young students. The act currently requires that, starting at the end of the 2021-2022 school year, third grade students demonstrate specific reading skills before being promoted to fourth grade. Smitherman’s bill delays that retention requirement until the 2024-2025 school year. He said the delay is needed because the COVID-19 pandemic led to remote learning for many students, and they’re not getting the educational support they need. He also said teachers haven’t been able to get the training they need. Read more. More from the Legislature This Week: Bill to Close ABC Stores Gets Committee Approval Concealed Carry, Law Enforcement Checks, Jail Issues Taken Up Thursday by Legislature Ban on Curbside Voting Passes, Special Session Bill Dies Monuments Bill Killed; Lawmaker Calls Members Racist House Passes Business-Friendly State Emergency Bill Read complete legislative coverage.

by Mary Sell, Alabama Daily News

Special Session, Oversight Bills Advance

MONTGOMERY — A bill to allow the Legislature to call itself into a special session was approved Tuesday in the Senate Government Affairs Committee. The House version of the bill is in committee Wednesday. Read more.

by Mary Sell and Caroline Beck, Alabama Daily News

House Passes Business-Friendly State Emergency Bill

The Alabama House passed a bill Tuesday that would ensure some businesses can’t be closed during states of emergency while their competitors remain open. House Bill 103 by Rep. Jamie Kiel, R-Russellville, would allow businesses and places of worship to remain open as long as they comply with any emergency order, rules or regulations issued by the governor and state or local agencies. “This bill does away with the connotation of essential and non-essential businesses existing in the state,” Kiel said on the House floor. Kiel previously told Alabama Daily News that last year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, he saw local clothing stores and boutiques and sporting goods stores forced to close while other larger stores remained open selling the same products. “If you’re gonna allow a business that sells T-shirts to stay open, then all businesses that sell T-shirts should be able to stay open,” Kiel previously said. “If one business is allowed to open under certain conditions, then all businesses can be open under those same conditions.” Read more. More from the Legislature: Special Session, Oversight Bills Advance

by Caroline Beck, Alabama Daily News

Birmingham Divvies Up $500K in Bold Funding for Nonprofits

Nine Birmingham nonprofits will receive funding from the city’s Building Opportunities for Lasting Development grant initiative this year, despite an overall reduction in funding for the program. The Birmingham Business Alliance, Birmingham Business Resource Center, Bronze Valley, Bush Hills Connections Inc., Community Care Development Network, Create Birmingham, TruFund Financial Services, Women’s Fund of Greater Birmingham and Workshops Empowerment Inc. were selected from a group of 22 applicants, with award amounts ranging from $20,000 to $90,000. “The top-line narrative here is us really working to do more with less, to think about how can we leverage city dollars and support in the community to maximize our investment,” Amelia Muller, civic design principal for the city’s department of innovation and economic opportunity, said in a presentation to the Birmingham City Council. Read more.

by Sam Prickett

Alabama’s House Republicans Oppose COVID Relief Bill That Passed the House; Senate Takes Up Issue This Week

WASHINGTON — Members of Alabama’s House delegation, except for Democratic Rep. Terri Sewell, voted against the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package that passed the House on a 219-212 vote Saturday. HR 1319, which the Senate is expected to take up this week, would expand unemployment benefits by $400 per week from March 14 through Aug. 29; deliver payments of $1,400 per person to individuals earning up to $75,000 and couples up to $150,000; raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 per hour by 2025; expand Paycheck Protection Program benefits for small businesses and non-profits; establish a $25 billion grant program for the restaurant industry; and increase Affordable Care Act premium subsidies for a large number of the uninsured. See what else is in the relief package.

by Voterama in Congress

Bill Would Allow Law Enforcement to Take Those in Mental Health Crisis Into Protective Custody

A bill working its way through the Legislature would allow law enforcement officers from designated agencies around the state to take people into protective custody if there is “reasonable cause to believe that the individual has a mental illness and is an immediate danger to himself or herself or others.” The individual doesn’t have to be charged with a crime and the detainment is not an arrest. The hold can last up to 72 hours if not extended by a probate judge. “This is for those acute cases, to get those individuals stabilized in a hospital setting and hopefully get them care,” sponsor Rep. Wes Allen, R-Troy, told the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. Read more.

by Mary Sell, Alabama Daily News

Senate Approves School Board Bill, Other Legislative Briefs

A bill that would create more enforcement mechanisms for local school board members to ensure state requirements are being followed passed the Senate on Thursday. The Senate approved several amendments to Sen. Vivian Figure’s Senate Bill 170, including a change from Sen. Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro, to give more weight to recommendations of penalties by a peer review panel created in the bill and removes the State Superintendent from the disciplinary decision process. “I am all about due process and making sure everyone is treated fairly at every level,” Figures, D-Mobile, said about the amendment. Read more.

by Mary Sell and Caroline Beck, Alabama Daily News

Jeffco Commission Gets Clean Bill of Health After State Review of Its Accounts

Jimmie Stephens ended Thursday’s meeting of the Jefferson County Commission by saying that the county had received a clean bill of health from the Alabama Examiners of Public Accounts. “They come in and check our books, our records, to make sure that everything is done in accordance with state law,” the commission president said. “No news is good news, and this is a no-news report that we have.” Had there been significant findings, Stephens said, the commission would have been duty bound to report that also. The report assessed the current commission and the one immediately before it. Each included Stephens and Commissioner Joe Knight. Read more.

by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.

Medical Marijuana Bill Gains Senate Approval

A bill to legalize and regulate medical marijuana passed the Alabama Senate Wednesday, a major step forward in a years-long effort to allow the use of the drug to treat chronic pain and other conditions. Senate Bill 46 sponsored by Sen. Tim Melson, R-Florence, would allow doctors to prescribe medical marijuana products to treat more

by Mary Sell and Caroline Beck, Alabama Daily News

Bill Would Allow No-Excuse Absentee Voting

A bill that would allow no-excuse absentee voting in Alabama has support from the secretary of state, but it faced some pushback during a public hearing on Wednesday.    House Bill 396 from Rep. Laura Hall, D-Huntsville, removes the excuse provision for absentee voting and allows absentee election managers to appoint additional assistants. Current law allows absentee voting only for a few reasons, including expecting to be out of the country, having a job that requires working a 10-hour shift that coincides with polling hours or having a homebound family member. Voters must check a box next to the reason that applies to them. Falsifying the application is a Class C felony, according to state law. Read more.

by Caroline Beck, Alabama Daily News