Tag: Alabama Legislature
Bills Would Limit Cities’ Gas Tax Spending
MONTGOMERY — Legislation in the State House would prevent local municipalities and counties from spending local gas tax revenue on anything other than roads and bridges.
Alabama law says revenue from gasoline and other motor fuel taxes levied by the state can be used only for infrastructure and similar uses, but there are no such restrictions on the local gas taxes collected by hundreds of governments.
House Bill 556 by Rep. Chris Sells, R-Greenville, and Senate Bill 281 by Sen. Shay Shelnutt, R-Trussville, says that all taxes on motor fuels, “whether called an excise tax, license tax, or otherwise, levied by a municipality or county or by local law may be used only for road and bridge construction and maintenance.”
href=”https://birminghamwatch.org/bills-would-limit-cities-gas-tax-spending/ “> Read more.
Bill Would Cut Pensions for Future Birmingham Employees, Raise Employee Contributions
Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin is supporting a bill in the Legislature that would both compel the city to fully fund its pension obligation and increase employee contributions to the pension fund by half a percent. The bill would be Woodfin’s latest step toward correcting the city’s longtime underfunding of the city’s pension plan, which he warned could cause a future financial crisis for the city.
HB510 is sponsored by Rep. Allen Treadaway, R-Morris, who was the Woodfin-appointed assistant chief of the Birmingham Police Department from 2018 until his retirement in October. Read more.
Gambling Bill: What Happened and What’s Next
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
$7.6B Education Budget Moves to House
MONTGOMERY — The Alabama Senate on Thursday unanimously approved a record-setting $7.6 billion education budget for 2022.
The proposal includes a 2% across-the-board cost of living pay increase for K-12 and community college employees and two other more targeted pay increases for teachers. The bill now goes to the House of Representatives.
The Senate also approved Senate Bill 327 to create a program to offer increased pay to middle and high school math and science teachers who meet certain qualifications. Additional money would also be available to those teachers who work in hard-to-staff schools. Read more.
Alabama House Passes Controversial Bills During Contentious Day of Debate
MONTGOMERY — A day full of contentious bills in the House of Representatives Thursday was paired with multiple motions to cut off debate, which many Democratic members said were “unjust.”
Rep. Mary Moore, D-Birmingham, said at one point during the debate that the cloture motions were taking away her right to debate on legislation.
“You’ve taken all my voice away when you give up that cloture,” Moore said.
House Majority Leader Nathaniel Ledbetter said the motions were necessary to keep Democrats from dragging out debate in an effort to delay or kill legislation. Read more.
Absentee Voting Bills Pass First Vote
MONTGOMERY — Legislation dealing with absentee voting in Alabama overcame the first legislative hurdle Wednesday as the bills passed through the House Constitution, Campaigns and Elections Committee.
A bill that would allow for more sites to be opened in a county to accept in-person absentee ballots was debated and approved, as was a bill to require absentee applications be submitted earlier. Read more.
More from the Legislature:
Committee-Approved $7.6B Education Budget Includes Multiple Pay Raises
Riot, Voter Bill Taken Up in Legislature
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Riot, Voter Bill Taken Up in Legislature
A House Committee passed a bill that would increase penalties for those who participate in riots with several changes. Also, the House passed a bill to allow certain individuals to omit their personal identifying information from the state’s voter registration list. Read more.
Committee-Approved $7.6B Education Budget Includes Multiple Pay Raises
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
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‘Doxing’ Ban Passes House
MONTGOMERY — A bill that would create the crime of doxing, or intentionally posting personal information online with the intent to harass or harm a person, passed the Alabama House of Representatives unanimously Thursday.
Rep. Shane Stringer, R-Citronelle, is the sponsor of House Bill 403 and said he developed the bill after seeing judges and public officials harmed or harassed after their private information was released.
“The internet and social media has become the new weapon of our day and age and we’re starting to see people use social media to harm people that they disagree with or don’t like their opinions or views, taking your private information and making it public,” Stringer said. Read more.
Also in the Legislature
Alabama to Receive $4B From Biden Relief and Stimulus Plan
Bill to Increase Charter School Funding Passes Committee
Senate Kills Lottery, Gambling Legislation
Bill to Limit Executive Branch Spending Advances
House Passes General Fund Budget that Increases Funding for State Agencies
Bill Stalled That Would Increase Penalties for Rioting
State Budgets, Legislative Authority, Gambling Bills in State House This Week
Public Records, Hairstyle Discrimination, Marijuana Among Issues Before Legislature
Alabama to Receive $4B From Biden Relief and Stimulus Plan
MONTGOMERY — Alabama is set to receive more than $4 billion from the COVID-19 relief and stimulus package enacted this week.
The bill, titled the American Rescue Plan Act, was passed by Congress this week and signed into law by President Joe Biden on Thursday. Spending in the bill totals $1.9 trillion, including $350 billion directed to state and local governments.
According to the Alabama Department of Finance, Alabama’s share of that will be $4.043 billion. Department spokesman Susan Wilhelm confirmed to Alabama Daily News that of that money: $2.1 billion is earmarked for a state relief fund; $192 million will go toward a state capital projects fund; $417 million will go to metropolitan cities; $362 million will go to non-county municipalities; $951 million will go to counties. Read more.
