Alabama Legislature

Open Enrollment School Bill Advances

MONTGOMERY -- A bill to require Alabama school systems to adopt open enrollment policies to accept students outside their districts cleared its first vote on Tuesday. Some education groups spoke against Senate Bill 365 by Sen. Del Marsh, R-Anniston, who pledged to work with them as the bill moves forward. Marsh, a school choice advocate, said the state has to provide more educational options for families. He said 47 states have open enrollment policies. “It basically says you’re not limited by your ZIP code where you’re going to school,” Marsh told the Senate Education Policy Committee. Read more. More from the Legislature this week: Legislature Sends Alcohol Delivery Bill to Governor House Passes CA Prohibiting Legislative Changes Within Six Months of Elections Distracted Driving Bill Fails Bill Increases Tax Credit Limit for Accountability Act Donors

by Mary Sell, Alabama Daily News

Bill Would Let K-12 Students Enroll in Any School in the State — For a Fee.

Senate Bill 365 by Sen. Del Marsh, R-Anniston, says that starting in the 2022-2023 school year, students from outside a system can enroll in its schools. A student enrolling in a school outside of his or her district of residence “shall pay the enrolling school district an amount that is equal to the per student share of the net local tax revenue” as determined by the State Department of Education. Local school boards would be required to adopt application processes and “shall consider” giving low-performing students from failing schools, as determined by the Alabama Accountability Act, enrollment priority. Marsh filed the bill, called the Open Schools Act, on Thursday. It’s been assigned to the Senate Education Policy Committee, and a public hearing is set for 10:45 a.m.Tuesday. Read more. More from the Legislature this week: Bill Increases Tax Credit Limit for Accountability Act Donors

by Mary Sell, Alabama Daily News

Bill Increases Tax Credit Limit for Accountability Act Donors

Legislation in the Alabama State House would increase the allowable tax credit for individuals and corporations that donate to private school scholarships through the Alabama Accountability Act. The 2013 law allows for tax credit-funded scholarships for families leaving the state’s lowest-performing public schools. There also is a separate $30 million-per-year scholarship fund for private school tuition. Businesses and individuals who donate to the fund receive income tax credits — money that would otherwise go to the state education budget. Scholarship granting organizations, or SGOs, collect and distribute the money to low-income families. Those students are not required to come from failing schools. House Bill 559 by Rep. Charlotte Meadows, R-Montgomery, does not change that $30 million cap but expands the allowable credit from 50% of an individual’s tax burden to 75%, capped at $75,000. Read more.

by Mary Sell, Alabama Daily News

Bill to Allow Churches and Small Businesses to Stay Open During Emergencies Goes to Governor

The Alabama Legislature on Thursday approved a bill that would allow churches and small businesses to remain open during states of emergency. It now goes to the governor. House Bill 103 by Rep. Jamie Kiel, R-Russellville, would allow businesses and places of worship to remain open as long as they comply with any emergency order, rules or regulations issued by the governor and state or local agencies. It would do away with the idea of “essential businesses.” Kiel has said small local retailers shouldn’t have been forced to close last year under public health orders while big box stores remained open. Democrats called the bill dangerous and said it could lead to super-spreader events in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Sen. Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro, led Senate Democrats in a filibuster of the bill, arguing it put business interests over public health. Read more.

by Mary Sell, Alabama Daily News

Lawmakers Question Prison Department’s $1.5M PR Contract

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.

by Mary Sell, Alabama Daily News

Alcohol Delivery and Wine Delivery Pass the House

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.

by Caroline Beck, Alabama Daily News

Transgender Athletes, Mandatory Kindergarten, Medical Pot, Double Voting, Police Database, Habitual Offender Laws Debated in Committees

MONTGOMERY —  It was committee day in the State House Wednesday as several House and Senate panels met to consider proposals moving through the legislative process. Read more.

by Caroline Beck, Alabama Daily News

Open Records Bill Clears Committee, Lawmakers Want More Work on It

Legislation to strengthen Alabama’s open records law and create penalties for government agencies that don’t comply in a timely manner cleared a Senate committee on Wednesday. But Republicans, Democrats and bill sponsor Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, said more work is needed before the legislation gets a full Senate vote. “We’re 51st in the country on this issue … we can do better,” Orr told his colleagues about the current law that does not specify a response timeline or set fees for records requests filed by citizens and members of the media. After a public hearing Tuesday morning, Orr said he’d continue to work with groups that expressed opposition to his bill, including the Association of County Commissions of Alabama. Read more.

by Mary Sell, Alabama Daily News

Advancement and Technology Fund Could Send $282M to K-12, Higher Ed

Alabama K-12 schools and colleges could receive about $282 million this year separate from the state education budget or any federal relief money flowing to them. Senate Bill 193 would allocate money through the state’s Advancement and Technology Fund, which can be spent on one-time purchases in tech, capital improvements and a few other select expenses. The proposal that passed the Senate distributes nearly $76.3 million to higher education institutions and nearly $206 million to K-12. For the smallest school systems, it’s several hundred thousand dollars. Mobile County, the state’s largest K-12 system, would get $14.8 million. Every school’s proposed allocation is listed in the bill approved by the Senate and now in the House. Schools would receive the money this summer. Read more.

by Mary Sell, Alabama Daily News

House and Senate Resume Legislative Session in Slo-Mo

MONTGOMERY — On their first day back in session after spring break, lawmakers in the House and Senate slowed down legislative action to draw out debate and call attention to lack of movement of bills. Read more. More from the Legislature House Passes Bill to Shorten Absentee Application Time Open Records Bill Clears Committee, Lawmakers Want More Work On It Transgender Athletes, Mandatory Kindergarten, Medical Pot, Double Voting, Police Database, Habitual Offender Laws Debated in Committees

by Caroline Beck and Mary Sell, Alabama Daily News