Government

Fantasy Sports Bill Stalls in Senate

MONTGOMERY -- A bill that would allow Alabamians to wager on fantasy sports stalled in the Senate Thursday but is expected to be brought back to the floor after the Memorial Day weekend. 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. Fantasy sports contests allow fans to draft players from real professional rosters and select teams to compete against peers in regular contests. Many sports are offered, but professional football, basketball and baseball are the most popular. Playing fantasy sports is legal and common in Alabama, but betting on the contests is no longer allowed. Read more.

by Will Whatley, Alabama Daily News

Lawmakers Reduce Time Between Primaries and Runoffs by 2 Weeks

The time between primary elections and primary runoffs in Alabama will shrink from six weeks to four weeks under a bill that cleared the Alabama Legislature on Thursday. That means two fewer weeks of campaign advertising and less money spent by candidates, Secretary of State John Merrill said Thursday. “We believe that will make most people very happy,” Merrill said.

by Mary Sell, Alabama Daily News

Jefferson County Commission Advances Morgan Road Project

Residents of southern Jefferson County could have been forgiven if they doubted that the widening of Morgan Road would ever take place. After all, the project has been the subject of discussions for more than two decades. But action at today’s Jefferson County Commission meeting brings the long-discussed project one step closer to reality. Commissioners authorized a construction funding agreement with the Alabama Department of Transportation for nearly $2.4 million to begin widening the road from Interstate 459 to the Shelby County line at South Shades Crest Road.  Read more.

by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.

Broadband Expansion Bill Gets Final Passage

MONTGOMERY -- A bill that would allow electric utility companies to offer high-speed internet to rural communities by way of their existing power networks cleared the Alabama Legislature Wednesday and now goes to the governor for her signature. Supporters say House Bill 400 would alleviate the cost of running new fiber lines to rural areas by allowing utilities such as Alabama Power Co., the Tennessee Valley Authority and regional electric cooperatives to piggyback their existing networks with high-speed cable lines. Read more.

by By Mary Sell, Alabama Daily News

Compromise Medical Marijuana Bill to Get House Committee Vote

MONTGOMERY — After the House Rules Chairman said a Senate-passed medical marijuana bill wouldn't advance in the House, lawmakers were working on a compromise Wednesday that takes a more incremental approach and keeps an existing experimental treatment program in place. Bill sponsor Sen. Tim Melson, R-Florence, told Alabama Daily News that a substitute bill to create a state commission to regulate medical marijuana will get a public hearing and committee vote Tuesday. If the bill is approved in the remaining week or two of this legislative session, that commission will make recommendations to lawmakers next year about medical marijuana laws. Read more.

by Mary Sell and Caroline Beck, Alabama Daily News

Lottery Stumbles in House, Fate Uncertain

MONTGOMERY — A proposal for a statewide lottery is in jeopardy in the Alabama House of Representatives, with advocates saying they will try to overcome objections from opponents and bring the bill up for debate again. Supporters tried to revive the bill during the evening after it appeared dead when a procedural vote failed earlier in the day. Rep. Steve Clouse, R-Ozark, who is carrying the bill in the House, said he thought he had enough votes to at least get the bill back on the floor, but he fell short by one vote. He said negotiations are continuing and he will try to bring the bill back to the floor before the end of the session. Read more.

by Caroline Beck, Alabama Daily News

BPD Chief Briefs Council on Crime

Birmingham Police Chief Patrick D. Smith presented the City Council with an update on violent crime Tuesday, sparking a discussion that delved into poverty, youth initiatives and some councilors’ dissatisfaction with Mayor Randall Woodfin’s proposed FY 2020 budget. Smith began his presentation by looking at the recent history of crime in Birmingham, which he said dramatically spiked between 2014 and 2018. “In 2014, the city of Birmingham had only 51 homicides within the city,” he said. “But in 2015, we moved up to 78. In 2016, we went to 92. In 2017, 99. In 2018, we reached 100. “So somewhere in there, something happened and we didn’t make the turn to make changes in what we do, make changes in our policing patterns and what we needed to improve the city … . We’ve got to do more to reach out, to help people, to save people in our community.” Smith added that 2019 was so far on par with 2018’s homicide rate, and he warned that summer months — June through September — would likely be the “most violent time of the year,” based on precedent. Read more.

by Sam Prickett

JeffCo Commissioners to Vote Thursday on Morgan Road Widening, Discusses Sewer Spill

The Jefferson County Commission sent a funding agreement for Morgan Road improvements to the agenda of its Thursday meeting. Commission President Jimmie Stephens said those improvements, which include making the road a five-lane thoroughfare from Interstate 459 to the Jefferson-Shelby counties line at Shades Crest Road, have been 22 years in the making. Read more.

by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.

Woodfin Says Abortion Law Is Costing Birmingham Tech Business

Updated — Two IT companies have canceled or put on hold discussions about moving to Birmingham because of the abortion ban signed into law last week, according to Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin. Woodfin told author Diane McWhorter about the changes for an opinion piece published Saturday on CNN. McWhorter wrote that Woodfin “confirmed to me today that the abortion ban affected two IT companies considering moves to the city – one canceled outright, while the other ‘put the brakes on negotiations.’” Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Budgets, Education Reform Among Bills Pending in Final Stretch of Legislative Session

Alabama lawmakers this year have approved a statewide gas tax increase, told sheriffs they can’t keep money meant for feeding jail inmates and said they want a shot at the U.S. Supreme Court with the nation’s most restrictive abortion ban. The Legislature has two to three weeks remaining in its 2019 session, and a lot of legislating is left to do. Still on the table are proposals for a lottery, the state’s budgets, education bills and medical marijuana, to name just the tip of the iceberg. For a look at some of the major bills that are pending and what might get punted to a special session later this year, Read more.

by Mary Sell, Alabama Daily News