MONTGOMERY — A bill that would create a new tier of improved retirement benefits for education employees passed the Alabama House unanimously on Tuesday, but some lawmakers still wonder if the change should apply only to K-12 classroom teachers. Read more.
UPDATED: MONTGOMERY — The Senate Governmental Affairs Committee on Tuesday advanced a measure aimed to slow down the process for cities enacting occupational taxes, despite opposition from several of the state's mayors. House Bill 147, sponsored by Rep. Chris Sells, R-Greenville, would limit municipalities from enacting occupational taxes by requiring any such policy to pass the Legislature as local legislation. The bill, which passed the House last week, now only lacks passage in the full Senate and signature by Gov. Kay Ivey to become law. Read more.
Jefferson County commissioners were taken aback today when they learned during their committee meeting of an effort to establish a department of security for the courthouse. Commissioner Sheila Tyson suggested the action, which was presented by county manager Tony Petelos. Weeks ago, Commissioner Lashunda Scales suggested that security at the courthouse be beefed up. Commissioner Joe Knight, the chair of the budget and finance committees, said he was caught off guard by the proposed resolution. “That’s another department, that’s another staffing,” he said. “We want to know how’s it going to be staffed. How many people do you need? Where are they going to be? And will this transpose over to our criminal court building to help over there with the safety over there across the street?” Read more.
The Shelby County Commission has set a public involvement meeting about a proposed private toll bridge over Lay Lake on the Coosa River for Tuesday, Feb. 18, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Shelby County Arts Center Grande Hall. If built, the bridge would be 1,600 feet long and connect Shelby and Talladega counties at Perkins Landing at Shelby County 28. Read more.
Voterama in Congress WASHINGTON – Voting 232 for and 183 against, the House on Feb. 13 adopted a measure (HJ Res 79) that would advance the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution by replacing a long-expired deadline for states to vote on ratification with an open-ended deadline. The ERA states: “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.” Alabama, joined by two other states, filed suit in December to block ratification of the amendment, saying the time for ratification had long since passed. Read more.
An Alabama lawmaker wants the state’s more than 100 licensing boards, the groups that regulate professionals from contractors to medical personnel, to provide public accountings of their revenue and spending, which he said is millions of dollars a year. A separate bill would require regular audits of the Alabama High School Athletic Association. Rep. Chris Pringle’s House Bill 61 would require boards’ expenditures, including contracts and grants, be published on their websites. Pringle, R-Mobile, said his bill originated from his work a few years ago on a budget reform task force. He said he found out many licensure boards don’t deposit the fees they collect into the state treasury, but have private bank accounts. “They answer to no one,” Pringle said. He said licensure fees are taxes. Read more.
Valentine’s Day took on new meaning Friday as members of five organizations continued their tour to get persons in jail and prison registered to vote by absentee ballot in the upcoming primary and beyond. “What we did (Friday) – and have been doing – is registering eligible voters inside of our jails and our prisons,” said Rodreshia Russaw, co-executive director of The Ordinary People Society. “We have made history in 2020 where it’s actually on the absentee ballot (application) that they can register inside of prison." Read more.
MONTGOMERY — Renewed efforts to eliminate the state’s sales tax on groceries has been gaining support in the Alabama Legislature, but some are still concerned about how to replace the loss of revenue — nearly $500 million a year — in the Education Trust Fund. Read more.
MONTGOMERY— A bill requiring transgender student athletes to compete on sports teams based on their gender at birth stalled without a vote in a House committee Thursday. Rep. Chris Pringle, R-Mobile, said his “Gender is Real Legislation” is not dead, despite no committee member moving to vote on the bill and advance it. Read more.
New polling shows that Alabamians overwhelmingly want a statewide lottery and a significant percentage are undecided on how to vote on the March 3 constitutional amendment to reorganize the state board of education. Read more.
