3/15/2013 Group Watch: Governor Backs Changes to Medicaid

Governor Robert Bentley announced his support for his Medicaid commission’s recommendations to overhaul the way the state delivers services in the healthcare program for the poor. Bentley said the proposal will end the state’s fee-for-service model in favor of a network of locally run managed-care networks. State Health Officer Don Williamson called the plan “potentially the most important health transformation” the state has seen. According to Williamson, the plan is built on the notion of paying for outcome and quality instead of visits and volume. The plan is estimated to save the state $50 million to $75 million each year over what Medicaid would otherwise cost. The Alabama Medicaid Agency will establish up to eight regions that will group Medicaid patients and hospitals and providers. The networks would help manage a patient’s care and provide wrap-around services to help get people to the doctor. There are approximately 940,000 people in Alabama on Medicaid – roughly 20 percent of the state’s population. Medicaid covers 53 percent of births, 43 percent of children and almost 67 percent of people in nursing homes. Many in the legislature favor a hybrid plan that would include local managed-care networks and commercial managed-care networks.

March 8, 2013 Group Watch: News & Views from the State House

The Alabama Legislature returned to work on Tuesday for the 10^th legislative day of the session with each chamber meeting for several hours without passing any bills thanks to most of the attention at the State House being focused on Montgomery courtroom where Circuit Judge Charles Price heard arguments in a lawsuit regarding legislation passed last Thursday.

Tuesday: The House spent the day hearing Democrats denounce the passage of the tax credits bill that’s now tied up in a lawsuit. They objected to its substance and the process. The Senate adopted a list of bills to consider, but adjourned while still debating the first one. The Senate Judiciary Committee approved a compromise version of a gun bill by Senator Scott Beason of Gardendale. The bill would require sheriffs to grant people concealed weapon permits unless the sheriff can establish documented, specific reasons for denying the permit.

Wednesday (a committee day):The Senate Health Committee approved a House-passed bill to add new regulations for abortions clinics. The Senate Education Committee narrowly approved a bill to allow home-schooled children across the state to participate in public school athletics. That same committee postponed for a week voting on a bill to overturn the state school board’s adoption of Common Core curriculum standards and require legislative approval for future statewide standards and limit the sharing of student and teacher data with entities outside the state. They also took no action on a bill to prohibit schools from considering seniority when they decide whom to layoff during workforce reductions. The Senate Finance and Taxation General Fund Committee approved the General Fund budget bill, the Children First Appropriations Bill and a bill to transfer certain tobacco revenue to the General Fund in the 2014 fiscal year.

Thursday: The House passed a Senate-passed bill to create the cabinet level position of Secretary of Information Technology and a legislative oversight committee with certain powers and duties. They also passed a supplemental appropriation for the current year for the Department of Commerce and to the Department of Veterans’ Affairs. This measure also has passed the Senate. The House refused to override the governor’s veto of Franklin County bill that would let some teachers carry guns. Administration sources say they appreciate what the bill’s sponsor was trying to do, but the administration believes that only trained, certified law enforcement officers should be carrying weapons in schools. The Senate passed a bill establishing policy and causes of actions relating to Right to Work. Work in both chambers was deliberate and slow and not much was achieved.

3/8/2013 Group Watch: AL Accountability Act Challenged in Court

On Tuesday, a Montgomery judge heard testimony before granting a temporary restraining order to prevent Governor Robert Bentley from signing into law a controversial bill giving tax credits to families zoned for “failing schools” to help pay for private school. The order comes on the heels of a lawsuit filed by the Alabama Education Association over the matter. On Wednesday, Montgomery Circuit Charles Price heard more testimony and extended his order until a hearing on March 15. The lawsuit alleges lawmakers violated the Open Meetings Act and their own legislative rules when they added what some call essentially a school voucher program to a bill on a different subject. Judge Price said that evidence presented during hearings indicated that lawmakers might have violated their own rules and the state constitution. The Republican leadership in the legislature says they will appeal to the state Supreme Court.

3/8/2013 Group Watch: Governor Recognizes Companies for Excellence

This week, Alabama Governor Robert Bentley recognized eight Alabama companies that are excelling in international trade. The value of Alabama exports reached a record $19.5 billion last year, a 9.4 percent improvement from 2011. The 2013 Governors Trade Excellence Awards went to the following: Atlas RFID Solutions of Birmingham, Intergraph of Madison, Mack Manufacturing of Theodore, Quincy Compressor of Bay Minette, Induron Coatings LLC of Birmingham, LINE-X LLC of Huntsville, Motion Industries of Birmingham and Von Corporation of Birmingham. Governor Bentley said that the success of these companies shows how Alabama products are reaching a global marketplace.

March 1, 2013 Group Watch: News & Views from the State House

The Alabama Legislature returned to work on Tuesday, the 8th day of the 2013 regular session. The hot topic this week was education.

Tuesday: The House Committee on Transportation, Utilities and Infrastructure favorably reported out a bill that passed the Senate last Thursday. This measure would allow persons who impair utility service work to be charged with criminal tampering. The House and Senate Judiciary Committees approved bills to limit the timeframe for lawsuits against Airbus and its suppliers. The House passed a number of sunset bills to allow certain boards, commissions and agencies to operate. They also approved a “Caylee’s Law”-type bill to make it a Class C felony to fail to report a missing child and a bill that authorizes warrantless arrest for people trespassing on school property. The Senate approved a bill allowing the Mobile County Board of Education to have security personnel or resource officers employed by the county school system carry firearms. They also approved a local bill allowing Franklin County school employees to train as reserve law enforcement officers and possibly carry guns at school as part of a school defense force. They also approved a $25 million bond issue to help some counties obtain matching funds to draw federal money for road and bridge projects.

Wednesday (a committee day): A public hearing was held by the House and Senate committees on Education Policy. The committee heard testimony on a bill designed to wrest control over common core policy decisions from the State Board of Education. The concern over curriculum was described as opening the door for unnecessary federal intrusion into K-12 education under the Obama administration. State Superintendent of Education contradicted claims by supporters of the bills, saying the state voluntarily adopted the current standards and did not cede any control to the federal government by using them. He also stated that the state was involved in the development of the standards and is not sharing student or teacher personal information with the federal government. The committee did not vote on the proposals.  The House Economic Development and Tourism Committee voted 13-2 to approve legislation to let the state partner with a private developer to build a hotel and convention center on prime state-owned beachfront property in Gulf Shores. The Senate Finance and Taxation Committee approved a bill that would call for a $50 million bond issue for public school boards to purchase career and technical education equipment. The same bill has already passed the House. The Senate Health Committee considered, but took no action on, a House-passed bill that would require doctors who perform abortions to have hospital admitting privileges in the cities where they perform abortions. The Senate Judiciary Committee approved a bill that amends current state law that prohibits local governments from imposing a ban on handguns. This measure would add rifles and shotguns.

Thursday: The highlight of the day was the passage of a school flexibility bill by the Senate in mid-afternoon. The hotly debated bill passed on a 26-7 vote. Due to variances between the House and Senate versions, the measure was sent to a conference committee to resolve the differences. Later in the evening, a conference committee reported what is described as a dramatically different bill that was ultimately adopted by both chambers.  The conference committee report included language that would allow parents  of children in failing schools to receive an income tax credit equal to 80 percent of the average annual state cost for attendance of a public K-12 student to offset the cost of private school or a transfer to another public school. A failing school is described as one in the bottom 10 percent of statewide reading and math scores, has earned three consecutive D’s or an F on upcoming school report cards or is  designated by the State Department of Education as failing. After a lengthy debate, the House also voted 67-26 to approve a revamping of public safety functions. The bill would consolidate more than 20 agencies with law enforcement or investigative missions down to nine, with most offices answering to a new secretary of law enforcement. That person will be appointed by the governor. The bill as passed is estimated to save $260 million over 10 years.

3/1/2013 Group Watch: Legal Experts Agree with AG

Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange has maintained for some time that BP was not offering the state all it was entitled to receive during settlement talks in the case. This week, legal experts are saying that the pressure is mounting on BP to settle civil charges brought against the company for its role in the 2010 Gulf oil spill. BP and its partners are being sued by the U.S. Department of Justice, private plaintiffs and the states of Alabama and Louisiana in federal court in New Orleans. Legal experts familiar with the case are surprised that the case went to trial and predict if testimony continues as it has gone so far, BP might well raise its current $16 billion offer to $18 billion by the end of the week. Attorney General Strange was quoted as saying that evidence is mounting that BP deserves the harshest possible punishment under the law. Gross negligence could be potentially catastrophic for the company.

February 22, 2013 Group Watch

The legislature returned to work on Tuesday for the 6^th day of the 2013 regular session and bills up for consideration and debate spanned a wide range of topics, from agency consolidation, to gun rights to a long-overdue pardon.

Tuesday: After hours of debate, the House passed a bill to place new regulations on abortion clinics. They will require doctors at the clinics to have admitting privileges at hospitals in the same cities where they perform abortions. They also gave final approval to a bill setting up a plan to repay the Alabama Trust Fund the $437 million that was taken from the fund to bolster the state General Fund over three years. Lastly, the House passed a bill that would allow certain religiously affiliated employers to opt out the Affordable Care Act’s mandate that they cover contraception for their employees. Over in the Senate, after hours of debate, a bill to abolish about a half-dozen boards that control legislative agencies and consolidate their power under a new joint committee of senators and representatives was carried over. The Senate went on to pass a bill to establish a Fair Ballot Commission. This commission would approve statements that summarize statewide ballot measures in plain language for voters. The Senate also passed a bill that would permit municipalities and public utilities to allow contracts between the governing body and approved service providers to build, maintain and repair utility systems.

Wednesday (committee day): The House and Senate budget committees met jointly in budget hearings for the Alabama Medicaid Agency and the departments of Public Health, Mental Health and Human Resources. State Health Officer Don Williams told the panel the Medicaid Agency could manage its programs for fiscal 2014 with a $615 million appropriation from the General Fund, but would need more than $730 million in fiscal 2015 for the 900,00 Alabamians currently served by the agency. The House Education Policy Committee held a public hearing but did not vote on a bill to let some teachers carry guns in schools. The House State Government Committee approved a bill to allow Children’s Advocacy Centers to participate in the state employee’s insurance plan. This bill is at no cost to the taxpayers, but the nonprofit centers will achieve savings by participating in a larger group plan. The House Public Safety Committee approved a Senate-passed bill to consolidate several state law enforcement agencies. During the public hearing on the bill, members were assured that certain granting authority within the ADECA affecting local programs such as Children’s Advocacy Centers and Domestic Violence would remain in that agency. The Senate Education Committee approved the local school flexibility bill, which has already passed the House. The measure could come up for a vote in the Senate next week. Governor Bentley signed into law a bill that sets up a schedule to repay the Alabama Trust Fund the $437.4 million that will be transferred over three years to bolster the ailing General Fund.

Thursday: The House carried over a bill dealing with amending the state’s constitution to allow absolute rights to bear arms and requiring strict legal scrutiny of any measures that attempted to deny those rights. The House approved a bill to authorize a compact with other states to regulate healthcare. This measure would allow the state to partner with other states to bypass federal regulations and let states administer programs like Medicaid through block grants. The House also passed the Medicaid Fraud Reduction Act, which appropriates additional money for prosecutions, extends the statute of limitations and makes other changes designed to ease prosecutions. The Senate passed a bill to clarify the state’s authority to intervene with school systems that failing academically. The bill sets up criteria under which the state superintendent could undertake an educational intervention in a school system. They also approved an appropriation for the Coalition Against Domestic Violence and a bill to posthumously pardon the Scottsboro Boys and others wrongfully convicted of acts prior to 1932.

2/22/2013 Group Watch: Alabama AG Closes Victoryland

Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange embarked on a double-barreled assault on “illegal gambling” Tuesday, seizing electronic bingo machines at the newly reopened Victory Land and filing a lawsuit in hopes of closing the state’s three Indian casino. The two actions were the latest in the long-running legal war over electronic bingo. Attorney Strange said the actions were taken to stop illegal gambling, but lawyers for the casinos say the actions are without merit and leave hundreds out of work. State troopers and investigators with the attorney general’s office arrived at Victory Land shortly before 8 a.m. with a search warrant obtained after the State Supreme Court ordered a local judge to reconsider his denial of the request. Trucks carried away hundreds of machines from the facility, along with an unspecified amount of cash. The attorney general’s office also filed a suit in Elmore County seeking to close the three Alabama casinos operated by the Poarch Band, alleging the tribe is “ operating, advancing, and profiting from the unlawful gambling activity” in its enterprise. The suit further claims the casinos on Native American land are a public nuisance to the surrounding areas and should be shut down.

February 15, 2013 Group Watch

The Alabama Legislature returned to work on Tuesday, Feb. 5, for the start of the 2013 regular session and quickly got down to business working on bills to streamline government and to make the state a better and safer place to live.

• On Wednesday, Feb. 6: Senate Education Policy Committee conducted a public hearing but took no vote on a bill to permit local school boards greater flexibility on a broad range of education policy issues. Later in the day, the House Education Committee heard testimony on the same bill and after amendment, gave a favorable report to the bill. The bill, after amendment, allows schools to request relief from rules and regulations in exchange for greater accountability. The amended House bill will allow local school districts to apply to the State Department of Education for waivers from state laws. The powerful teachers’ lobby, the Alabama Education Association, opposed the bill.  The Senate Fiscal Responsibility and Accountability Committee amended and gave a favorable report to a bill to consolidate some state law enforcement and public safety agencies and create the cabinet position of Secretary of Public Safety.

• On Thursday, Feb. 7: The House passed a bill to repay money borrowed from the Alabama Trust Fund to bolster the ailing General Fund. The House-passed bill would repay the $450 million over 13 years.
  They also passed a bill to create the Fair Ballot Commission and require the Secretary of State to post certain information on its website to keep voters informed.  The Senate carried over several bills including ones to create the Alabama Technology Authority, create a cabinet level position of Secretary of Information Technology and to create the cabinet position of Secretary of Public Safety and consolidate several state law enforcement agencies under a new Department of Public Safety. They passed a bill to create distinctive license plates for breast cancer research and make them available for motorcycles.

• On Tuesday, Feb. 12: The House voted 92-0 for the “Red Tape Reduction Act” that requires state agencies to prepare an economic impact statement prior to adopting new regulations. They also voted 93-1 to authorize a $50 million bond issue to buy vocational education equipment for schools. The House debated a gun bill but delayed voting on the measure. The proposed constitutional amendment would write into the state constitution the right to bear arms is “fundamental” and that any restrictions on gun ownership are subject to strict scrutiny and stringent judicial review. The Senate approved a revamp of state law enforcement and information technology operations. The Public Safety bill would merge more than a dozen state law enforcement and investigation groups into a new Alabama State Law Enforcement Agency. The Senate also passed two bills relating to information technology. One of the measures creates the Alabama Technology Authority to coordinate information technology for state agencies, and the other creates the position of Secretary of Information Technology and a legislative oversight committee for IT. IT functions within the state Finance Department would transfer to the new Alabama Technology Authority who could contract with private companies to provide the services.

•  On Wednesday, Feb. 13 (committee day): The House Boards, Agency and Commission Committee approved a bill aimed at keeping non-profit spay/neuter clinics open in the state. The House County and Municipal Government Committee sent several bills to sub-committees for further study including a bill that would allow utility services to let private contractors sell service and repair contracts to customers. The Senate Education Committee approved a version of the school flexibility bill after adding amendments to protect the current tenure process and to specify that the legislation can’t be used to create charter schools. The Senate Finance and Taxation General Fund Committee and the House Health Committee passed identical bills to authorize the State Employees’ Insurance Board to offer high-deductible plans with health savings accounts. The Senate Confirmations Committee approved the selection of Wayne Smith and Michael DeMaioribus as Auburn University trustees and the reappointment of Randy Owen as a trustee of Jacksonville State University.

• On Thursday, Feb. 14: the House voted 65-37 to approve a bill that would allow school systems to seek waivers from the state education policies and laws. According to the bill’s sponsor, schools could do things like get permission to shift financial resources or hire a professional musician to teach a music class. Waivers would have to be approved by both the local and state board of education and the state superintendent of education. The bill says an employee could not be forced to give up “privileges acquired by that employee as a result of attaining tenure or non-probationary status.” The House debated a proposed constitutional amendment relating to the right to bear arms, but did not vote on the measure. The Senate passed a House-passed bill to establish a plan to repay the Alabama Trust Fund $437 million taken over three years to help fund Medicaid, prisons and other agencies. Because the measure was amended by the Senate, the House must concur with change before it can go to the governor for his signature.

2/15/2013 Group Watch: Alabama’s Preschool Program Praised

The state’s much heralded pre-kindergarten program is getting a lot of attention in recent days. The latest comes from the New York Times. In a national story about President Obama’s call in his State of the Union address to make high quality preschool available to every child in the nation, the Times story details the Alabama effort, including Governor Bentley’s push to better fund the program. In the governor’s state of the state address last week, he praised the program and told legislators he wants them to increase funding for it to the tune of an additional $12.5 million next fiscal year. The proposed increase would amount to a 60-percent increase in the program, which is nationally recognized for its quality. Read the full article here.