The Alabama Legislature's new version of a medical marijuana bill wouldn't legalize its use but instead would set up a study commission to make recommendations for the 2020 legislative session.
MONTGOMERY – The Legislature gave final approval Tuesday to a bill that would allow Alabamians to wager on fantasy sports. Sponsored by Rep. Kyle South, R-Fayette, House Bill 361 would allow adults to place bets on fantasy sports through sites such as FanDuel and DraftKings. The bill passed the House on May 8 by a vote of 74-22. But the Senate amended it to raise the tax rate on operators. The House approved that amendment Tuesday, and it now goes to the governor. Read more.
MONTGOMERY — A bill to overhaul the state Board of Pardons and Paroles advanced through a Senate committee Tuesday over the objections of the current board leadership, Democrats and prisoner advocates. Read more.
The Alabama House of Representatives approved a $7.1 billion education budget Tuesday, but its final passage still depends on agreement with the Senate on several points, including health insurance for low-income children. House education budget chairman Rep. Bill Poole, R-Tuscaloosa, told his colleagues the proposed budget, a nearly $500,000,000 increase over the current budget, would not fix all of the state’s education problems but is part of the equation. “This is a positive budget for the state,” Poole said. It was approved 99 to 0 with four abstentions. Read more.
The Birmingham City Council voted Tuesday to rezone the current location of Sherman Industries, the concrete batch manufacturer that earlier this month drew controversy over its announced plans to relocate from downtown to Five Points West. Read more.
UPDATED — The Legislature today passed the Alabama Literacy Act to require flunking third graders who don’t read at grade level. The bill is headed to Gov. Kay Ivey’s desk. The bill was sponsored by Rep. Terri Collins, R-Decatur, and modeled on a Mississippi law. “In my heart I believe that if we pass a child out of the third grade that cannot read, we are failing that child,” Collins has said. But not everyone agrees on the idea of holding children back because they don’t have the reading skills of other children in their grade. Some educators, parents and policy makers believe the practice sets students up to fail. They also think that automatic retention penalizes poor children. One study found that children of wealthier parents are 14 percent less likely to be retained than the child of a high school dropout, even though the students’ test scores were the same. Jefferson County Schools Superintendent Craig Pouncey said the Literacy Act offers no long-lasting reforms and no recurring revenue. “The bill has its aspirational points, but there is no adequate funding,” Pouncey said before the final passage. “This bill ignores the retention aspects of schools,” Pouncey said. “If a student is retained, it is unlikely they will graduate, and no parent wants older, more mature boys (who have been held back) in their 12-year-old daughter’s class.” Read more.
MONTGOMERY — Alabama’s two proposed 2020 budgets are a combined $9.24 billion dollars, but their final passage depends on an agreement about $35 million for low-income children’s health insurance. “The CHIP issue is probably the biggest right now — who is going to handle the CHIP issue,” Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh said about funding the state’s $35 million match to the federal Children’s Health Insurance Program. Whether the state funds it through the $2.1 billion General Fund or the $7.1 billion Education Trust Fund remains the biggest sticking point facing lawmakers as they enter what is likely the last week of the 2019 legislative session. Read more. BirminghamWatch’s Nick Patterson looked at the importance of the CHIP program before it was renewed by Congress last year. What Happens If CHIP Goes Away? Congress’ Failure to Fund Popular Health Program for Kids Could Leave Thousands in Alabama Uninsured
WASHINGTON – Members of the U.S. House voted almost unanimously last week for a bill to expand tax-favored retirement plans and benefits. The bill would remove limits on the amount people can contribute to IRAs each year and raise the age at which they must start making withdrawals, among other things. All of Alabama’s representatives voted for the bill, which is headed to the Senate. Read more about this bill and other votes in Congress last week.
The American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Alabama and Planned Parenthood filed a federal lawsuit Friday seeking to block Alabama’s strict new abortion law. “We are proud to take this fight to the state,” Staci Fox, president of Planned Parenthood Southeast, said. “They asked for it, and we promised it, and today we delivered.” Read more.
MONTGOMERY -- Alabama lawmakers are close to removing many restrictions in state law about where convicted felons can work. “Everyone says we want people who get out of prison to be employed, taxpaying citizens," Sen. Cam Ward, R-Alabaster, said Thursday. "But then the government puts barriers in the way of people getting jobs.” There are more than 700 places in Alabama law that restrict the occupations and business licenses of the felons. For example, they can't be interior designers or get some cosmetology licenses, Ward said. Read more.
