Government

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.

by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.

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

by Caroline Beck, Alabama Daily News

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.

by Sara MacNei, for Alabama Daily News

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.

by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.

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.

by Sam Prickett

Change Proposed in State Funding for Students in Growing School Systems

A bill in the Alabama Senate would change the per-student funding model for growing K-12 schools, taking some burden off of local systems to pay for additional students, advocates say. Currently, systems receive a per-pupil allocation from the state based on prior year enrollments. Senate Bill 316 would change the funding formula to account for enrollment increases, projecting growth based on the previous two years’ enrollment growth. Read more.

by Mary Sell, Alabama Daily News

Bill Would Change Rules for States of Emergency, Public Health Orders

Some state senators want more say in extended emergency orders like the ones put in place in response to the coronavirus. Current law says the Alabama governor can issue a state of emergency for up to 60 days. A bill filed Monday in the State House would limit that to 14 days and then require legislative approval for an extension. Senate Bill 334 also says that no public health order issued by the state health officer will take effect until it is signed by the governor and delivered to the secretary of state. Current orders, like the late March order that closed many Alabama businesses and limited public gatherings, are signed by Public Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris alone. Read more.

by Mary Sell and Caroline Beck, Alabama Daily News

Lawmakers Return to Changed Legislative Session

MONTGOMERY — The Alabama Legislature resumed Monday a legislative session that looks much different from when it began three months ago. Wearing masks and sitting apart, lawmakers gathered without lobbyists in the hallways or members of the public in the galleries, kept out of the State House over coronavirus health concerns. In the House, many Democrats stayed home Monday in protest, saying lawmakers shouldn't be meeting or passing budgets yet. While passing the General Fund and education budgets are the stated purpose of resuming the session that must end by May 18, they're not the only bills in play. The Alabama Senate on Monday considered local bills and formal resolutions but also passed Gov. Kay Ivey's bond issue proposal borrowing $1.25 billion for school construction and capital improvements. Senators on Tuesday could consider legislation giving them and their House colleagues significant say in how the state’s nearly $1.8 billion in federal coronavirus relief money, and future funds, are spent. Read more.

by Mary Sell and Caroline Beck, Alabama Daily News

Senate Passes $1.25 Billion Bond Issue for Schools

MONTGOMERY — The Alabama State Senate on Monday passed legislation to authorize a $1.25 billion bond issue to fund school construction and other capital improvement projects. Senate Bill 242 passed 29-0 in the Senate and now goes to the House of Representatives for consideration. First proposed by Gov. Kay Ivey in her State of the State address, the bond issue would help K-12 schools and state colleges pay for capital improvements, from construction projects to technology upgrades. Read more.

by Todd Stacy, Alabama Daily News

DAs Look to Legislature for Funding Help After COVID-19

MONTGOMERY — Several district attorneys in Alabama say the coronavirus pandemic has reduced funding for their offices and they’re looking to the Legislature for help. At least two DAs have already cut staffing or salaries because of the drop in revenue, they said. District attorneys receive about 30% of their funding from the state’s General Fund budget. The other 70% comes from court fees and fines. “To collect that 70%, three things have to be working,” Morgan County DA Scott Anderson recently said. “The economy, law enforcement writing tickets and making arrests and the courts holding court. All three of those things came to a halt with the coronavirus.” Read more.

by Caroline Beck and Mary Sell, Alabama Daily News