Government

Managing Spread of COVID-19 is a Balancing Act Between Health and the Economy

Acknowledging the balancing act between protecting the health of citizens and the health of the economy, Jefferson County Health Officer Dr. Mark Wilson on Friday expressed concern about the state’s relaxing of restrictions put in place to combat the spread of COVID-19. Wilson did not issue a new emergency order for the county, but he issued a strong recommendation that people in Jefferson County refrain from having public gatheri­­ngs of greater than 10 people, including worship services, for at least another two weeks after this weekend. He said he wants to see the effect of the governor’s new order. The new Proceeding With Caution order, which Gov. Kay Ivey announced Friday morning, allows restaurants, bars, athletic facilities and close-contact service providers such as nail salons and barber shops to reopen starting Monday. It also lifts the 10-person cap on non-work gatherings, but it stresses that people must maintain six feet between themselves and others from different households while in public. The new order expires May 22. “We're going to be opening a lot of things,” he said. “I'm very concerned that we could start to see an increase in disease.” He wasn’t the only voice calling for caution as the state starts to reopen amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Other health care officials and government leaders expressed concern, most of them saying they also understand the need to get people back to work. Read more.

Gov. Kay Ivey Reopens Restaurants, Gyms and Salons, Says More Openings Likely Next Week

Lawmakers Prep for Possible Ivey Veto of Budget

Legislative leadership expects to pass the state’s 2021 education budget Saturday, but they’re also bracing for Gov. Kay Ivey to veto the General Fund Budget they sent her Thursday. “Gov. Ivey has indicated she will veto the budget we sent to her (Thursday) as she plans to cede full authority over COVID-19 funds to the Alabama Legislature,” Rep. Steve Clouse, R-Ozark, said in a written statement Friday. State leaders are expecting nearly $1.8 billion in federal funds to be used on coronavirus-related expenses. Saturday could be the final day of the session, although lawmakers will have the option to come back for another day if the governor vetoes the budget. Read more.

Gov. Kay Ivey Reopens Restaurants, Gyms and Salons, Says More Openings Likely Next Week

UPDATED — Restaurants, bars, athletic facilities and close-contact service providers such as nail salons and barber shops will be reopening in Alabama Monday. Gov. Kay Ivey today amended her Safer-at-Home order and said she hopes to announce more re-openings by the middle of next week. The new order lifts the 10-person cap on non-work gatherings but states that people must maintain six feet between themselves and others from different households. This provision effectively allows churches to reopen, provided they can provide for social distancing. The same holds true for gatherings on Alabama’s beaches. The new order expires May 22. “400,000+ unemployment claims have been filed w/ (the state labor department). These are innocent people whose lives have been turned upside down & it’s not their fault. We hear your voices, your frustrations, your fears. Today’s order will hopefully begin providing some hope again,” Ivey said on Twitter this morning. Much of public life has been shut down in Alabama since April 3. Last week Ivey loosened restrictions to allow stores, businesses and beaches to open. The state’s cases of COVID-19 still are trending upward, with 355 new cases and 26 deaths Thursday alone. In reaction, to Ivey’s announcement, Jefferson County Health Officer Dr. Mark Wilson issued a strong recommendation that people refrain from having gatherings of more than 10 people for at least two weeks after this weekend to see what effect opening up the state more is going to have. He said COVID-19 is still in the community. “I’m very concerned that we could start to see an increase in disease,” he said. Read more.

House Passes Education Budget, General Fund Goes to Ivey

MONTGOMERY — Alabama lawmakers continued their budget-focused, abbreviated session Thursday, sending the General Fund budget to Gov. Kay Ivey's desk and getting one step closer to final passage of the education budget. Read more.

Ivey Cedes Control of Coronavirus Funds, Chides Legislature for Spending ‘Wish List’

MONTGOMERY — After private wrangling between the Legislature and Gov. Kay Ivey over the authority to spend nearly $1.8 billion in federal coronavirus relief money, Ivey on Thursday publicly ceded primary responsibility to lawmakers. “I have never desired to control a single penny of this money and if the Legislature feels so strongly that they should have that authority, I yield to them both the money and the responsibility to make good decisions – in the light of day where the people of Alabama know what is happening,” Ivey said in a written statement to reporters Thursday afternoon. But, she said, she will not call the Legislature back into special session until it publicly releases a detailed list of how the money will be spent. And it better not include $200 million for a State House, she warned. That proposed expenditure was on a wish list of spending circulated at the State House this week and obtained by Alabama Daily News. Legislative leaders disavowed any knowledge of the proposal. Read more. Also in the Legislature:

House Passes Education Budget, General Fund Goes to Ivey

Jeffco Commission Goes Behind Closed Doors Over Stimulus Money

The Jefferson County Commission followed a 45-minute meeting with an hour-long executive session today as commissioners received guidance on their use of federal stimulus money because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In calling for an executive session, County Attorney Theo Lawson cited the state statute regarding pending litigation and matters likely to be litigated in court. “There are already three entities that are already set up by the President to do audits and investigations on the manner in which these moneys are to be spent.” Lawson told BirminghamWatch. “That could include law suits to bring back and recoup those moneys in the event something happens.  Read more.

Budgets on the Move; Speaker Says No Other Bills Will Be Considered

A House committee Wednesday approved the Senate-passed $2.38 billion General Fund budget, putting it and the $7.3 billion education budget in line for final passage by Saturday. House leadership on Wednesday afternoon said it will not be taking up bills that aren't directly tied to the budgets or local to members' districts, effectively killing some senators' proposed legislation. Read more. Also in the Legislature on Tuesday: Senate Passes General Fund Budget, Stakes Domain Over Coronavirus Funds Push for No-Excuse Absentee Voting Likely Going Nowhere

Push for No-Excuse Absentee Voting Likely Going Nowhere

The Alabama Senate approved Tuesday a resolution that says it’s “imperative to the democratic process to propose and adopt” no-excuse absentee voting, but the passage of actual legislation to loosen restrictions on the ballots seems unlikely in the Republican-controlled body. Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, filed a bill Monday that would authorize no-excuse absentee voting. Smitherman’s Senate Bill 335 strikes out the list of excuses that qualify a voter for an absentee ballot and deletes a section of state law that says a voter must have one of those excuses to apply for an absentee ballot. Some cities have been pushing for no-excuse absentee voting in recent weeks. Read more.

Jeffco Commission to Get Information on County’s Stimulus Money

The Jefferson County Commission is likely to go into executive session at its meeting Thursday to get information about the $115 million in stimulus money it received to help the county deal with the effects of the novel coronavirus. The subject came up during today’s commission committee meeting. “There has been lots of information that has come out regarding the use and expenditure of these funds,” said County Attorney Theo Lawson, “and the way that it will be looked at in terms of illegal spending and potential exposure that we have or may not have depending on how we use those funds.” Read more.

City Council Places May 15 Deadline on Birmingham’s Mask, Public Safety Ordinances

Birmingham has placed a May 15 deadline on its mask and public safety ordinances, bringing them in line with Gov. Kay Ivey’s safer-at-home order. The face mask order — which requires Birmingham residents to cover their faces in public to slow the spread of COVID-19 — was originally passed by the City Council on April 28, but with no expiration date; that omission led District 2 Councilor Hunter Williams to vote against the bill. The council extended the deadline to May 15 a meeting today. Read more.