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Alabama Legislature

State Puts $5M Toward Coronavirus Prep, Testing

Alabama Daily News The Alabama Legislature and Gov. Kay Ivey on Thursday issued $5 million to help the Alabama Department of Public Health prepare for and test more Alabamians for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. As of Thursday evening, State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris said there have been no positive cases found in the limited number of Alabamians tested for COVID-19. But he believes the virus is in the state. “I don’t think there is any doubt we have disease circulating to some degree," Harris said. Read more.

by Mary Sell, Alabama Daily News

Yoga Still Being Taught to Some Students Despite 27-Year-Old Ban

WBHM Alabama is one step closer to overturning a decades-old ban on yoga in public schools. This week, the Alabama House of Representatives voted in favor of democratic Representative Jeremy Gray’s bill – which would give school systems the option to teach yoga poses and stretches as long as they don’t chant, recite mantras or say “namaste.” Jimi Lee heads the non-profit Yoga & Love and volunteers with Alabama 4H. He tells WBHM’s Janae Pierre that, despite the ban, he’s led yoga at some schools; they just had to call the practice by another name. Read more.

by Janae Pierre, WBHM

Prison Reform Bills Advance

MONTGOMERY — A number of criminal justice bills were approved in Alabama House and Senate committees Wednesday, marking progress for Gov. Kay Ivey's endorsed prison reform proposals and others. Read more.

by Caroline Beck, Alabama Daily News

Lottery, Gambling Compact Bills Introduced in State House

MONTGOMERY — A new version of a lottery bill has been filed in the Alabama House with enough co-sponsors to easily get it through that chamber, if it makes it to a vote. A different lottery bill filed recently in the Senate also sets up a compact with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians to allow table games at its casinos, including two new sites in Jefferson County and north Alabama. Both bills are constitutional amendments requiring voter approval. Read more.

by Mary Sell, Alabama Daily News

School Calendar, Literacy Rollback Bills Stir Debate in State House

MONTGOMERY — An Alabama senator wants to undo a major provision of the 2019 Alabama Literacy Act with legislation eliminating the mandate that students not reading on grade level must repeat the third grade. In the House, another bill to require longer summer breaks has some powerful co-sponsors. Both bills were filed last week and are now awaiting committee action, but they are already stirring debate in the State House. Read more.

by Caroline Beck, Alabama Daily News

Mental Health Bills Advancing in State House

MONTGOMERY — Lawmakers this week began taking action on a package of bills and resolutions related to mental health in Alabama. “The mental health problem in Alabama is an epidemic, not just a problem,” said Sen. Garlan Gudger, R-Cullman. “The Legislature before most of us got here had to cut the funding … because we were in the Great Recession in 2010. “We’re feeling the repercussions of that now in today’s society from more and more people that are needing in-patient and out-patient (mental health care), there’s not enough on both sides,” he said. Those cuts included the closures of three mental health hospitals in 2012 and 2015. Read more.

by Abby Driggers and Devin Pavlou, Alabama Daily News

Lawmakers: Schools Unfairly Hurt by Report Cards’ Treatment of Non-English Speakers

On the most recent state-mandated school report card, Russellville City Schools had a graduation rate of almost 96% and its score for academic growth — improvements made by students — was an impressive 99.46. Ninety-one percent of students were considered college and career ready, better than the state average of 75%, and it had a low chronic absenteeism rate. Still, the system is labeled a “B,” largely because of its performance in academic achievement, a category of the report card based on students’ performance on a standardized test. Of Russellville City Schools’ nearly 2,500 students, more than 600 are English language learners who are not proficient in the language. “That’s 23% of my students who can’t read the test,” Superintendent Heath Grimes said. “We’re giving 660 students a test they can’t read.” Read more.

by Mary Sell and Caroline Beck, Alabama Daily News

Statewide 5G Infrastructure Bill Passes First Vote But Cities Still Concerned

MONTGOMERY -- A bill that would set a statewide standard for deploying 5G cellular infrastructure, including how much money cities can charge providers for access to existing utility structures, has support from multiple lawmakers, but municipal leaders say the bill takes away too much local control. Senate Bill 172 would mandate a request process for cities to follow when approached by wireless providers such as AT&T and Verizon and sets a cap on the fees municipalities can charge companies for the use of city-owned rights-of-ways. It passed out of the Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development committee last week with no opposition. Read more.

by Caroline Beck, Alabama Daily New
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