Tag: Alabama Legislature
Transgender Athlete Bill Stalls in House Committee
MONTGOMERY— A bill requiring transgender student athletes to compete on sports teams based on their gender at birth stalled without a vote in a House committee Thursday. Rep. Chris Pringle, R-Mobile, said his “Gender is Real Legislation” is not dead, despite no committee member moving to vote on the bill and advance it. Read more.
Senate Panel Discusses Confederate Monuments Bill
MONTGOMERY — A state lawmaker wants to increase penalties for cities that violate the state’s law protecting Confederate monuments, but others are concerned about creating financial burdens for smaller cities and the lack of an appeal process.
Sen. Gerald Allen, R-Cottondale, said he introduced the bill in order to preserve the state’s history. “How can you tell the complete story by taking away, by whitewashing, by doing away with something that really you can learn something from it,” Allen said.
Allen’s Senate Bill 127 would increase penalties for violating the 2017 Alabama Memorial Preservation Act from a total of $25,000 to $10,000 a day. Read more.
Ivey Budget Proposal Includes North Alabama Forensics Lab, Taylor Hardin Addition
Gov. Kay Ivey’s proposed 2021 General Fund budget includes money for a range of one-time projects focused on mental health, forensic sciences and youth services.
Ivey’s budget includes funds for a new forensic science lab in North Alabama and more beds at one of the state’s three mental health hospitals in Tuscaloosa.
Also, money for renovations at the Department of Youth Services’ residential facility near Montgomery is included in capital project line items totaling $95.3 million. Read more.
Ivey Wants Facts on Gaming; Some Lawmakers Ready to Move Forward With Lottery
MONTGOMERY — Gov. Kay Ivey has told lawmakers she wants the facts on the financial impact of a lottery and expanded gambling in Alabama and is putting together a working group to get them. She won’t take any action on the matter until then, she said.
But that information is months away, and a key lawmaker said Wednesday he’s moving forward with a proposal for a statewide lottery.
Ivey’s working group also will analyze a possible compact with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians.
“I’ll give them to the year’s end, but if they get through sooner, that’ll be fine too,” Ivey told reporters Wednesday. “But I want them to be thorough and get the facts, that’s all I want is the facts, not recommendations. We just want the facts about how much money the state can expect to gain if we do a lottery or if we do expanded gaming or a compact and what the heck does a compact look like?” Read more.
Bills That Would Deny Bail for Violent Offenders Face Constitutionality Questions
MONTGOMERY — Bills to deny bail for those accused of violent crimes were discussed in House and Senate committees Wednesday but did not advance.
In the Senate, a constitutional amendment by Sen. Cam Ward, R-Alabaster, would automatically deny bail for six specific violent offenses: murder, first-degree rape, first-degree sodomy, kidnapping, sexual abuse or sexual torture and human trafficking.
The bill, which opponents say would unconstitutionally pre-convict a suspect, is being considered in the Senate Judiciary Committee, where Ward is chairman.
Chemical Castration Law’s Impact Could Be Minimal
MONTGOMERY — A law requiring chemical castration for some convicted child sex offenders will go into effect in September but will not apply to many of the worst child sex offenders. Read more.
Court Hearing Focuses on Alabama’s Minimum Wage Law
Judges for the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments Tuesday on Alabama’s minimum wage law.
The law was passed by the state Legislature in 2016, quashing an attempt by Birmingham’s city government to raise its minimum wage from the federal minimum of $7.25 to $10.10. The act gives that authority exclusively to the state.
Plaintiffs in the case argue that the law was racially motivated. But judges hearing the case Tuesday focused mainly on a procedural issue, questioning whether the lawsuit was properly filed against the state attorney general, the Associated Press reported. Read more.
Why No One Opposed a $31M Transfer From Alabama’s Education Budget
MONTGOMERY — In the last days of the legislative session, in late May, lawmakers quickly and quietly transferred a tax revenue worth nearly $31 million a year from the state’s education budget to the General Fund budget to fill a “hole” created by other financial commitments.
Those normally opposed to diverting money from schools to other state expenses didn’t complain.
Education advocacy groups were relieved the education budget didn’t get stuck with the growing expense of the Children’s Health Insurance Program, so losing a small, flat revenue source was an acceptable tradeoff.
Some Republicans have said they didn’t know many details of the transfer, but leadership said the idea wasn’t new.
Democrats in the House say they didn’t have time to oppose it. They found out about it when it was on the House floor on the second to last day of the session via an amendment to an economic incentives bill they supported. If they tried to kill the transfer, they’d kill the incentives.
“What do you do?” said House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels, D-Huntsville. “You go on record voting against a bill for rural incentives?” Daniels said.
“Or do you approve an amendment that there’s a year to contend with?” Read more.
New Law Will Help Medicaid Recoup Money From Estates
MONTGOMERY — Federal rules allow state Medicaid programs to recover money they spent on some enrollees after their deaths, including costs for recipients’ nursing home care and other medical care.
But Alabama Medicaid doesn’t always find out when recipients or their spouses die and their assets, such as homes, are sold, state officials said.
Now, a new law will require specific notice to Medicaid at the commencement of a probate proceeding. Read more.
New Law Helps Firefighters Diagnosed with Cancer
In Gene Necklaus’ 36-person Scottsboro Fire Department, he’s seen three firefighters in recent years diagnosed with occupation-related cancers. One of them died last year. The other two were able to return to work after treatment. One had $20,000 in out-of-pocket expenses, including deductibles and co-pays, Nicklaus said.
“It shouldn’t cost him because he got cancer on the job,” Necklaus, president of the Alabama Association of Fire Chiefs said.
Fire officials around the state praised a new Alabama law that will require local governments to provide supplemental insurance coverage for career firefighters diagnosed with cancer. Read more.
