January 29, 2018 Group Watch: News & Views from the State House

The Alabama Legislature convened last Tuesday and, as is often the case, education was a common thread in discussions and bills passed.

• On Tuesday (5th day of session): The House passed a number of bills of local application only and one general bill aimed at doing away with special elections for the U.S. Senate. The purpose of the measure is to save money, after it was revealed the state spent $11 million on the recent race. The Senate passed sunset legislation continuing the operation of the Home Builders Licensure Board, the State Board of Orthotists, the Public Accountancy Board and the State Board of Pharmacy. They also passed bills to increase the time of providing notice of employment and to further provide for fees relating to centralized waste treatment facilities.
• On Wednesday (a committee day): The House Education Policy Committee approved bills to require youth sports personnel to complete a youth injury mitigation course annually, to add four non-voting members to the State Board of Education, and to increase the time required for notice to K-12 teachers subject to termination of their employment. The House Ways and Means Education Committee approved a bill to exempt from sales and use tax sales of gold bullions. The House Commerce and Small Business Committee approved a bill to establish minimum requirements for transportation network companies and for oversight by the Public Service Commission. The Senate Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development Committee approved bills to require the employment of an auction company to sell state land, to eliminate the requirement to jointly file a petition for refund of sales and use taxes by a taxpayer and the consumer, and to further provide for income tax credits for investment in infrastructure in rural areas.
• On Thursday (6th day of session): The House passed a number of bills of local application only and general bills to provide for the qualifications of the Secretary of Early Childhood Education and to bring the Alabama Family Trust Corporation in compliance with federal Social Security rules and statutes. The Senate passed bills to lower the number of weeks of unemployment benefits from 26 to 14, to remove the requirement that K-12 educators charged with certain sexual crimes against students be placed on paid administrative leave, to establish the Alabama Public Transportation Trust Fund, and to establish minimum requirements for transportation network companies and for oversight by the Public Service Commission.

1/29/2018 Group Watch: AL Hits Record Low Unemployment

State officials recently announced that more people were working in Alabama in December than at any time on record. The state’s jobless rate was around 3.5 percent in December for the second straight month. The state added about 5,500 jobs from November to December to hit a new employment high: 2,093,063. The state reports that 20,000 people dropped out of the workforce during 2017. Experts say part of this is due to Alabama having many older workers, many of whom are now retiring since the stock market is soaring.

1/29/2018 Group Watch: Tax Cut Passes Senate

Senator Del Marsh’s (R-Anniston) tax bill passed the Senate last Thursday and goes to the House. It addresses the threshold for claiming the maximum exception for state income taxes and affects low- and middle-income earners, raising the threshold, resulting in savings on their overall tax bill.

1/29/2018 Group Watch: School Choice Rally

Last Thursday, around 1,000 people rallied on the lawn of the Alabama Capitol, reminding parents that students have a choice outside traditional public schools. The landscape of education is changing, and many of those at the rally have been impacted by the options of school choice. Public charter schools have been a part of the conversation for improvements within the Montgomery Public School System, however Dr. Ed Richardson stated any option would be more like a conversion charter. To date, the state has not received any formal applications or letters of intent for charters in Montgomery.

1/29/2018 Group Watch: Tweet of the Week

 @SenTomWhatley:
Jan 25
Just voted for a statewide TAX BREAK, SB76, #awesome #algop#alsenate #alpolitics

January 22, 2018 Group Watch: News & Views from the State House

Neither snow nor (freezing) rain… 

• On Tuesday (3rd day of session): The House honored military veterans and proceeded to pass several bills aimed at helping the lives of veterans, including bills to give veteran-owned businesses an advantaged in winning state contracts; providing additional tax credits for businesses hiring unemployed veterans; and providing free admission to state parks. They also passed a number of bills with local application only. The Senate passed several sunset bills continuing the operation of Board and Commissions, including the Sickle Cell Oversight and Regulatory Commission; the Board of Prosthetists and Orthotists; the Surface Mining Commission; the Oil and Gas Board; and the Elevator Safety Review Board. They also passed bills to eliminate marriage licenses and set up a process under which judges accept affidavits from couples as official records of marriage and to track racial profiling by police during traffic stops.
• On Wednesday: All meetings were postponed due to weather and road closings in and around Montgomery.
• On Thursday (4th day of session): The House Judiciary Committee approved bills to prohibit smoking of tobacco products in vehicles with minors present and to terminate the parental rights of any person committing rape. The House Ways and Means General Fund Committee approved a bill to further provide for certain tax-exempt water and sewer authorities. The House Education Policy Committee approved bills to provide for the qualifications of the Secretary of Early Childhood Education and to remove the requirement for public education employees to be on paid administrative leave when charged with certain sexual crimes against students. The House also passed several bills of local application only and general bills to revise the provisions governing the operation of the Examiners of Public Accounts; to further provide for the Alabama Partnership Act; and to further provide for the right-of-redemption in matters relating to residential redemption. The Senate Judiciary Committee approved a bill related to considerations for municipalities when dealing with summons and complaints. The Senate Finance and Taxation General Fund Committee considered bills relating to the Simplified Sellers Use Tax Program and to further provide for further distribution of state tax revenue, but took no actions after considerable discussion.

1/22/2018 Group Watch: AL Seeking Medicaid Waiver

Alabama may become one of nearly a dozen mostly Republican states that are seeking a waiver from the federal government that could allow the state to institute work requirements for some of those who are on Medicaid. Governor Kay Ivey recently said that she has directed the Medicaid Commissioner to begin working on seeking a waiver for the requirement and increasing co-pays for beneficiaries. States are typically required to request waivers from the federal government for changes to their Medicaid programs.

1/22/2018 Group Watch: Tweet of the Week

@GovernorKayIvey 

Jan 16: “I’m saddened to hear of the death of state Rep. George Bandy. Since his election in 1994, he has been a dedicated public servant to the people of Lee and Russell counties. My thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and fellow legislators during this difficult time.”

1/22/2018 Group Watch: Senator Calls for Stiffer Human Trafficking Penalties

Senator Cam Ward introduced a bill last week to increase the penalties for human trafficking in Alabama. Read more in Alabama Today.

January 15, 2018 Group Watch: News & Views from the State House

And so it begins.

• The House Education Policy Committeeapproved a bill to replace the State Superintendent of Education with an at-large member of the University of North Alabama Board of Trustees, to remove the requirement that public education employees charged with certain sex crimes against students be paid administrative leave, and to provide for the qualifications of Secretary for Early Childhood Education. A number of local bills were also reported out of committee.
• The Senate Judiciary Committee approved several bills, including ones to define the conditions under which defendants in municipal courts are to be released as an unsecured appearance bond or personal recognizance and to provide for the probate recording of marriage contracts.
• The Senate Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development Committee approved Sunset Bills to continue the Sickle Cell Oversight and Regulatory Commission; State Board of Prosthetists and Orthotists; the Pilotage Commission; the Surface Mining Commission; the Oil and Gas Board; and the Elevator Safety Review Board.