A panel of state lawmakers on Thursday questioned an Alabama Department of Corrections public relations contract worth up to $1.5 million and criticized communications from the department during the COVID-19 pandemic. “I just don’t see the need,” Sen. Tom Butler, R-Madison, said about PR work for prisons. “We’re not marketing resort hotels. Everyone has a pretty good concept of what a prison is.” Read more.
Bills that would allow the home delivery of beer, wine and liquor passed the House of Representatives Thursday. Senate Bill 126 from Sen. Jabo Waggoner, R-Vestavia Hills, would allow customers to have alcoholic products home delivered from grocery or liquor stores and restaurants. A separate bill, House Bill 437 from Rep. Terri Collins, R-Decatur, would allow customers to have wine shipped directly from wineries to their homes. Read more.
A bill that would shorten the time allowed to return absentee ballot applications passed the Alabama House on Tuesday. Read more.
MONTGOMERY -- In the wake of the 2020 elections, measures to change voting procedures and regulations have been introduced at the federal and state levels, revealing a deep partisan divide over how voting should work. While Democrats in Congress are pushing legislation that would limit states' ability to enact strict voting requirements, Republicans in state legislatures are considering bills to tighten voting regulations in the name of securing voter integrity. Alabama has followed suit, as a number of election-centered bills have been introduced during the ongoing 2021 regular session. Around 32 bills from both Democrats and Republicans introduced this year have dealt with Alabama election law. Some of the conservative measures have drawn sharp concern from Democrats saying the bills promote voter suppression and are in reaction to President Donald Trump’s false accusations of widespread voter fraud during the 2020 election. Read more. More from the Legislature: Bills Would Limit Cities’ Gas Tax Spending Senator Looking for Fix on Tax-Filing Interest Issue
A new site distributing the COVID-19 virus vaccine has been opened on the east side of Legion Field. The site is open to anyone who is eligible under state guidelines, and no appointment is necessary. Read more.
MONTGOMERY – When a wide-ranging gambling bill failed to pass the state Senate earlier this month, it was a stunning defeat for the most high-profile legislation of the Alabama Legislature’s 2021 session so far. But supporters of the plan say there is still hope to pass it or something like it in the two months that remain in the session, and the impending involvement of the governor as a vocal proponent could change the game completely. Read more. More from the Legislature: Bills Would Limit Cities’ Gas Tax Spending
MONTGOMERY — Across the state, there are about 7,500 positions for math and science teachers in public schools. About 4,600 are filled with credentialed educators, Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, said Tuesday. In an effort to attract and retain more math and science teachers, Orr and other lawmakers are proposing spending about $100 million on a new program to boost qualifying teachers’ pay. The proposal is part of the $7.67 billion 2022 education budget approved Tuesday in the Senate Finance and Taxation Committee. “We’re being more strategic in our compensation conversations,” Orr told Alabama Daily News. He chairs the committee. Read more. More from the Legislature: Riot, Voter Bill Taken Up in Legislature Read complete legislative coverage
MONTGOMERY — A bill to close the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board’s about 170 retail stores by 2026 cleared the Senate Tourism Committee on Thursday. Multiple versions of an ABC store phase-out bill have been filed by Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, in the past decade. “I truly believe if we were designing state government today, we would not say, let’s get into the retail sale of alcohol and let’s compete against the private sector,” Orr told the committee. There are more than 500 private retailers in the state. Read more.
The weekly average number of new cases of COVID-19 per day in Alabama has fallen by about 67% since the beginning of this year, according to the state Department of Public Health's daily update on Saturday. The agency reported 1,189 new cases of the disease during the latest 24-hour period, raising the number of cases since the pandemic began last March to 479,856. The state has averaged 1,220 cases per day over the past week, down from the average of 3,718 cases a day for the week that ended Jan. 1. There have been 9,242 deaths from the coronavirus throughout the pandemic, including 62 in Saturday's update. Read more.
MONTGOMERY — Here's what happened in the State House on Thursday. Artificial Intelligence Senate Bill 113 was approved in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Sen. Arthur Orr’s bill would put limits on how law enforcement agencies can use artificial intelligence and facial recognition to make arrests. Other factors or evidence must be used, as well. Read More.
