Tag: Alabama Legislature
Revamped Gambling Package Goes to House Floor
MONTGOMERY — A wide-ranging gambling package advanced in the Alabama Legislature Tuesday and is expected to be considered on the floor of the House of Representatives on Thursday.
The plan, which passed the Senate in April, would institute a lottery, authorize sports betting and legalize casinos around the state. It has since been awaiting action in the House of Representatives, where previous gambling legislation has struggled in recent years.
There are three pieces of legislation: a constitutional amendment that would go before voters in November 2022 and two enabling bills fleshing out the details of gambling policy and enforcement procedures. Each passed through its respective House committee Tuesday.
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More from the Legislature:
Judicial, DA Pay Changes Go to the Governor
Bill Would Allow Police to Issue Citations Rather Than Make Arrests
Bill Would Allow Police to Issue Citations Rather Than Make Arrests
MONTGOMERY — Alabama lawmakers are close to allowing city police officers to issue citations for some misdemeanor offenses rather than taking offenders into custody.
Senate Bill 59 by Sen. Tim Melson, R-Florence, would require cities to pass ordinances specifying what offenses could get court summonses rather than immediate arrests.
Rep. Chris England, D-Tuscaloosa, carried the bill in the House.
“The intent is to take what would be minor offenses and give the officer a chance to issue a citation rather than making an arrest,” England said. “…They will still require a court appearance, but we’re not going to take you into custody that day.”
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In Final Days of 2021 Session, House May Tackle Three Heated Issues
MONTGOMERY – With three voting days remaining in the Alabama Legislature’s 2021 regular session, State House leaders are preparing for a final push on some of the most controversial bills of the session.
The House of Representatives has yet to vote on bills allowing medical marijuana, a comprehensive gambling package and a ban on medical treatments, including puberty blockers and surgery, for transgender youth.
House Speaker Mac McCutcheon, R-Monrovia, told reporters that the prospect of floor votes on the gambling and medical marijuana bills was “promising” in the House, but wasn’t as certain for the transgender medical bill.
“We’re working with Senate leadership, so I can’t speak as firm on that one as we can the gaming or the medical marijuana, but it is being considered,” McCutcheon said. The Legislature has already passed and Gov. Kay Ivey has signed a bill allowing high school athletes to compete only in sports as their gender assigned at birth.
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More from the Legislature:
Bill Would Allow Police to Issue Citations Rather Than Make Arrests
Legislature Takes Up Wine Delivery, Budgets, Bonds for Parks and More Bills as Session Winds Down
MONTGOMERY — The Alabama Legislature met for the 27th legislative day of its 30-day regular session Thursday. Here’s what happened at the State House.
Home Delivery of Wine
Alabamians could start ordering wine shipped directly to their homes starting Aug. 1 if Gov. Kay Ivey signs a bill sent to her Thursday. Read more.
More from the Legislature this week:
Literacy Act Delay Bill Running Out of Time
Bill to Limit State Emergency Declarations Moving in the House
Bill Requiring Accommodations for Pregnant Workers, Other Bills Won’t Get Vote
Bill Requiring Accommodations for Pregnant Workers, Other Bills Won’t Get Vote
MONTGOMERY — The House Judiciary Committee heard Wednesday about Democrats’ bills to protect pregnant employees in the workplace, prevent discrimination based on hairstyles and alter some of the state’s parole rules.
But committee chairman Rep. Jim Hill, R-Moody, didn’t have the committee vote on any of the proposals, saying it was too late in the session. With four legislative days left, bills would have to be fast-tracked to clear both chambers. Read more.
Bill to Limit State Emergency Declarations Moving in the House
MONTGOMERY — A bill to shorten state of emergency orders and take away the governor’s power to restrict activities during a public health emergency passed a House committee Wednesday. Read more.
Literacy Act Delay Bill Running Out of Time
A bill to delay next year’s requirement to hold back third grade students who aren’t proficient in reading is running out of time in the Legislature.
The Senate-passed measure was discussed for more than an hour in a public hearing Wednesday in the House Education Policy Committee. Committee Chairwoman Rep. Terri Collins, R-Decatur, opted not to vote on the bill and said the committee may take it up Tuesday. If approved there, it would need a House vote during the two remaining legislative days of this session.
Sponsor Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, said the pandemic has greatly altered education delivery in the state to the disadvantage of students. He argued the holdback requirement, part of the 2019 Literacy Act, should be delayed two years. Otherwise, too many students will be held back. Read more.
More from the Legislature this week:
Bill to Limit State Emergency Declarations Moving in the House
Bill Requiring Accommodations for Pregnant Workers, Other Bills Won’t Get Vote
Bill Puts Into Law Unemployment Benefit Fraud Protections
Bill Would Ban All Chemical Abortions in Alabama
Legislature Nearing Passage of State Budgets as Session Nears End
Bill Puts Into Law Unemployment Benefit Fraud Protections
Earlier this month, Lad Drago received an email notification from the Alabama Department of Labor saying someone had filed an unemployment insurance claim against his Spanish Fort insurance agency.
He went to the state’s online system for more information.
“Lo and behold, Lad Drago was the claimant, and they had my Social Security number, as well as my date of birth,” Drago said.
This began hours of trying to get more information about the fraudulent claim, including telling a Department of Labor representative it was a fake.
He was pointed to a claims dispute webpage.
“That’s where everything really started getting frustrating,” Drago told Alabama Daily News. He said he tried multiple ways to convey to Labor that payments shouldn’t be made to the bank account set up to collect the money. He said there’s an out-of-state phone number attached to the claim and a strange email address.
On Monday, he received a notice of payment on the claim. Read more.
More from the Legislature this week:
Bill Would Ban All Chemical Abortions in Alabama
Legislature Nearing Passage of State Budgets as Session Nears End
Bill Would Ban All Chemical Abortions in Alabama
MONTGOMERY — A bill that would outlaw all chemical abortions, or the use of prescription “abortion pills,” in Alabama will get a public hearing Wednesday in a House committee. House Bill 377, from Rep. Andrew Sorrell, R-Muscle Shoals, would make it a Class C felony for anyone in the state to administer medication that is commonly used to end a pregnancy during the first trimester.
Sorrell said he thought the bill was needed now after seeing a push in some states to increase access to the medications through telemedicine means, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more.
More from the Legislature this week:
Legislature Nearing Passage of State Budgets as Session Nears End
Legislature Nearing Passage of State Budgets as Session Nears End
MONTGOMERY — More progress was made on both state budgets on Tuesday, with lawmakers closing in on a final vote on both during the last days of the Alabama Legislature’s 2021 regular session.
The House of Representatives passed a record $7.6 billion Education Trust Fund budget with some slight increases from the Senate-passed version. The bill now goes back to the Senate, where senators can either vote to concur with the House changes and send it to the governor or vote to form a joint conference committee to work out the differences.
House education budget chairman Bill Poole, R-Tuscaloosa, cited the resiliency of Alabamians during the COVID-19 pandemic for making it possible for the budget to avoid cuts.
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