Government
Sine Die: Legislators Pass Redistricting, Historic Preservation Tax Credit in Waning Hours of the Session
Legislators checked off everything on their must-do list and adjourned for the year Friday, passing redistricting plans mandated by the court on their final day and finishing off the last of the budgets earlier in the week.
But not everything on the priority list made it through the gauntlet, and Gov. Kay Ivey said she might have to call legislators back into session later this year to address conditions in the state’s prisons. A bill to finance construction of new prisons was debated in the regular session but died for lack of consensus.
Other bills did squeeze through in the waning days of the session, including one to renew a tax credit program to encourage renovation of historic buildings. Jefferson County legislators, Democrats and Republicans alike, had listed that bill as their top priority for the session.
Here is a sampling of legislative action of interest in the Birmingham area and statewide:
Legislature OKs Redistricting Plan on Last Day of the Session (BirminghamWatch)
Tax Credits for Renovating Historic Buildings Passed by the Legislature (BirminghamWatch)
Briarwood Presbyterian Church Police Department Bill Died for Lack of Action in the Legislature (BirminghamWatch)
Speaker: House Members Will Get Sensitivity Training (Decatur Daily)
Alabama Lawmakers End Tumultuous Legislative Session (Associated Press)
A Look at What Passed and Failed in the 2017 Session (Associated Press)
Gov. Kay Ivey Says Special Session on Prisons Possible (AL.com)
Changes to Accountability Act Fail in House (Montgomery Advertiser)
Day Care Oversight Bill Dies in Alabama Senate (Montgomery Advertiser)
Ivey Signs Autism Bill Into Law (Montgomery Advertiser)
Historic Monuments Bill Goes to Governor (Montgomery Advertiser)
South Alabama Lawmaker Eyeing TVA Money (Decatur Daily)