February 19, 2024 Group Watch: School Choice Bill Making Progress

Governor Ivey named expanding school choice a top priority for this session, and a Senate bill, entitled The CHOOSE Act, to do just that is currently being revised to address concerns about the level of state funding before a committee vote. The CHOOSE Act is intended to bring the range of choices available to Alabama students and families on par with options recently expanded in other states. A public hearing last Wednesday allowed multiple voices to be heard. In addition, in a gathering of school choice advocates organized by the Alabama Policy Institute held last week, Lt. Governor Will Ainsworth addressed the crowd in support of the expansion of educational freedom as did a mother of five, who said universal school choice restores the proper role of the parent in the education process, and reintroduces competition and innovation in the education space, making all institutions better. Read more here.

February 19, 2024 Group Watch: Bill to Protect Elections Passes Senate

SB1, sponsored by Senator Garlan Gudger (R-Cullman), passed the Senate last week; the bill criminalizes ballot harvesting in effort to prevent voter fraud. If it becomes law, anyone who receives payment to help an Alabama voter fill out an absentee ballot could face up to 20 years in jail. It was approved by a vote of 27-8. The legislation makes it a Class C felony for a third party to knowingly receive payment or gift for distributing, ordering, requesting, collecting, completing, prefilling, obtaining or delivering a voter’s absentee ballot application and a Class B felony for someone to knowingly pay or provide a gift to a third party to distribute, order, request, collect, prefill, complete, obtain or deliver a voter’s absentee ballot application. Helping someone with an absentee ballot without being paid would be a Class A misdemeanor. The bill makes exceptions for voters who are blind, disabled, unable to read or write. Such voters can designate a helper other than the voter’s employer or agent of that employer or officer or agent of the voter’s union. Read more here.

February 19, 2024 Group Watch: AL Grocery Tax Likely to Remain Unchanged This Year

Growth in the Education Trust Fund missed the target that would trigger a 1 percent reduction in the state tax rate on groceries, meaning Alabamians will have to wait at least another year for a further reduction. A Legislative Services Agency official reported last week that revenues to the Education Trust Fund budget will grow less than 2 percent, below the 3.5 percent that would trigger a 1 percent cut in the tax under a law that passed last year. Alabama is one of 13 states that taxes groceries, and until September, was one of three states that fully taxed groceries. The 4 percent state tax, combined with local levies, added up to 10 percent to people’s food bills.

February 19, 2024 Group Watch: Bill to Un-Tax Maternal and Feminine Hygiene Products Approved in Committee

The Senate Finance and Taxation Education Committee unanimously approved a bill that would take state sales and use taxes off certain maternity and feminine hygiene products. AB 62 by Senator Arthur Orr of Decatur would remove state sales taxes from baby formula, baby bottles, baby wipes, breast milk pumping equipment, breast pumps, diapers, maternity clothing and menstrual hygiene products for personal use. The Legislative Services Agency estimates the bill would cost the Education Trust Fund $8.7 million and the General Fund $2.5 million. An amendment altered the bill’s treatment of local taxes.

February 19, Group Watch: AL Senate Approves Bill Allowing Removals of Library Board Members

Last week, the Alabama Senate passed legislation allowing local city councils and county commissions to remove members of their local library boards. According to the bill’s sponsor, once board members are appointed, the current law does not expressly allow for their removal by the appointing authority. The full Senate tabled a committee amendment and replaced it instead with an amendment by Senator Clyde Chambliss of Prattville. His amendment requires a two-thirds majority necessary to remove someone from a library board. It also clarifies that joint libraries between counties and cities have the same language as libraries with just one government. Senator Rodger Smitherman of Birmingham added an amendment requiring the appointing authorities coordinate their appointments to ensure appointments reflect inclusion and the urban, rural and economic diversity of the state and each community. Senator Bobby Singleton of Greensboro added an amendment requiring each board report annually to the Governor, House Speaker and President Pro Tempore of the Senate any actions it has taken regarding the review or removal of items in their collection during the previous 12 months.

February 13, 2024 Group Watch: News & Views from the State House

The Alabama Legislature returned to Montgomery last Tuesday, and the 2024 regular session began. Both chambers convened in the historic old House chamber on Tuesday evening for Governor Kay Ivey’s State of the State address, where she declared the state “strong and prepared to move forward.”

Ivey outlined her agenda for this session and touted recent progress in the state including the $48 billion in investment and 86,000 new jobs that have been created during her tenure. She next announced that the new Commerce Secretary is launching a strategic plan to keep the progress going into the 2030’s.

We’ve got more information on all this, as well as other important #alpolitics topics below.

February 13, 2024 Group Watch: Tweet of the Week

@GovernorKayIvey
Feb 9
One of our greatest needs is within our healthcare workforce, especially in Rural Alabama. Last year, I introduced The Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences. I thank Sen. Singleton and Rep. Almond for their support — read their OpEd below: #alpolitics

February 13, 2024 Group Watch: Day-by-Day, Play-by-Play

Tuesday, 1st day: Governor’s Session Agenda (delivered in her State of the State speech):

• She is supporting legislation to prohibit ballot harvesting and closing loopholes that allow political operatives to pressure voters through the absentee voting process. 
• She wants to let the issue of gaming in the state be decided by Alabamians at the ballot box. She called for a crackdown on illegal gambling and for responsible regulation of limited forms of legal gaming, including a statewide lottery.
• She asked the legislature to invest in school safety through a $100 million grant program. Lawmakers also being asked to approve a proposed Sound of Freedom Act that will mandate life in prison for those who traffic minors. 
• Last year, the governor introduced the idea of the Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences. After a year of planning, she is proposing to locate the school in Demopolis.
• She is supporting legislation entitled the CHOOSE Act, which would provide for a $7,000 education savings account to be used by parents for their children to attend the school of their choice. 
• The governor reiterated her commitment to expanding quality mental health services, completing the construction of the two mega prisons, and continuing the success in foster care, adoptions and childcare.

Wednesday, 2nd day and a committee day:

• The Senate Governmental Affairs Committee approved bills to prevent ballot harvesting and to amend the dam safety and inspection process. 
• The Senate County and Municipal Government Committee approved bills relating to the appointment of county and municipal library boards; to authorize local law enforcement to contract with a nonpublic K-12 school to provide school resource officers; and bills relating to retirees under the Employees Retirement System and the Teachers Retirement System.

Thursday, 3rd day: 

• The Senate passed bills to provide for elective procedures for inspecting and maintaining state-owned dams; to require the State Textbook Review Committee to review periodicals; and to authorize the posting of school curricula on school websites and allow for parental review.

February 13, 2024 Group Watch: Gambling Bills Introduced in the House

The issue of gambling is back in the Alabama Legislature, and last week, two bills were introduced in the House to legalize a lottery, sports betting, casinos and create an Alabama Gaming Commission to regulate it all. Governor Ivey believes Alabamians should have their say via a statewide vote, but the bills have a long road ahead of them to reach the ballot. It hasn’t happened since 1999. Read more here.

February 13, 2024 Group Watch: AL School Of Healthcare Sciences Foundation Receives Funding 

The Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences Foundation, in partnership with the Alabama Department of Education and Whitfield Regional Hospital, has received a $26.4 million investment from Bloomberg Philanthropies to help fund the proposed Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences. The funding is contingent on approval of the school by the Alabama Legislature. The development of this residential high school, which intends to prepare students from across the state for careers in the healthcare industry while addressing rural education and healthcare workforce development needs, has been supported by the University of Alabama at Birmingham and a consortium of Alabama health systems, as well as state two- and four-year colleges and universities. The school is proposed to be open in 2026 in Demopolis and serve between 85-100 students in each graduating class.