2/7/14 Group Watch: Special Election Results

On Tuesday, February 4, 2014, there were two special primary elections and one special general election. Voters in Mobile overwhelmingly elected Republican Margie Wilcox to replace Jim Barton who resigned last year. Democratic voters in Birmingham elected Anthony Johnson to run against Republican W. A. Casey on March 25, 2014, to replace Demetrius Newton who died last summer. Republican voters in Coosa and Elmore counties elected Mike Holmes who will face any last minute challengers on March 25, 2014, to replace Barry Mask who resigned last year.

2/7/14 Group Watch: Political Announcements

This week Democratic Senator Tammy Irons of Florence confirmed rumors that she will not seek re-election to the Senate. Senator Irons who previously served two terms in the House announced she will not run in her newly expanded Senate district. The expanded district, which adds more likely Republican voters to her district, was cited as a factor in her decision not to seek re-election. Irons say she plans to devote more attention to her law practice and family. Rumors are rampant that Birmingham area Republican Senator Scott Beason and Clark County Democratic Senator Mark Keahey will also not seek re-election. On Thursday, Montgomery Democratic House member Joe Hubbard announced he would challenge incumbent Republican Luther Strange for Attorney General. The 32 year-old Montgomery attorney and Cumberland Law School graduate has served in the House since 2010.

January 31, 2014 Group Watch: News & Views from the State House

Winter Storm 2014 slowed the pace of The Alabama Legislature this week, but it was back to business as usual by Thursday, and issues addressed included election laws and child safety.

  • Tuesday (7th legislative day): The weather prevented the House from achieving a quorum, but not the Senate. Twenty-two of the 35 senators were present, four more than needed for a quorum. The Senate passed approximately 20 noncontroversial bills, most with little or no debate. They gave final passage to a House-passed bill to change some deadlines related to elections, such as when parties certify candidates, and to conform with changes to federal law to make certain that citizens overseas in the military are able to vote. They also gave final passage to a bill to provide that foods prepared at home for bake sales are exempt from regulation by county health departments; a bill to require circuit and district courts to accept debit card and credit card payment for court costs, fines and fees; and a bill to exempt Alabama military from paying late fees for renewing car tags if they were deployed when their tag expired, and they renew within 30 days of returning to the state.
  • Wednesday (8th legislative day): Although all legislative business for Wednesday was postponed, it will count as the eighth day of the session because of  the rule requiring either chamber without a quorum to meet the following day, thus counting as a day for both chambers.
  • Thursday (9th legislative day): The Senate Commerce, Transportation, and Utilities Committee approved four bills, including a bill to transfer fines for violation of the child safety restraint law for vouchers for child passenger restraint systems for low-income families to the Department of Public Health and to change the amount allowed for administrative overhead. Voices for Alabama’s Children passed the original child passenger restraint law several years ago. Another bill clarifies that certain customer complaints related to retail telecommunication services do not fall under the purview of the Public Services Commission. The House passed bills to increase the amount a person is allowed to earn while receiving unemployment benefits without having their benefits reduced; to allow farmers to buy more than one vehicle tag at a reduced cost for vehicles that haul farm products, and to exempt private schools from sales and use taxes on tangible property and lunches provided to K-12 students that are not sold for profits. The Senate passed several non-controversial bills to include measures to make sexual contact with an animal, bestiality, a misdemeanor and to raise the fee to obtain a license for trapping furry animals. They delayed action on bills to prohibit smoking in work places and public places and to establish independent tribunals to hear tax disputes between taxpayers and the state. 

January 24, 2014 Group Watch: News & Views from the State House

The Alabama Legislature returned to work on Tuesday, for the fourth day of the 2014 regular session. Bills passed addressed issues ranging from religious rights to liquor sales.

  • Tuesday (4th legislative day): The House passed bills that provide misdemeanor punishment for discriminatory misconduct by the Alabama Department of Revenue against Alabama taxpayers, and which will allow healthcare providers to refuse to provide services, specifically procedures relating to abortions, human cloning, human embryonic stem cell research or sterilization, if they conflict with provider’s moral, religious or ethical principles. The Senate passed bills that would allow citizens of Lincoln to vote on whether to authorize Sunday liquor sales when races are being held in Talladega Superspeedway, and a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow the Mobile Area Water and Sewer System to absorb the assets of the Water Works and Sewer Board of the City of Pritchard.
  • Wednesday (committee day & 5th legislative day): The House Ways and Means Education Committee delayed a vote on a proposed $100 million bond issue to help schools replace textbooks with digital tablets. The House Health Committee approved a bill to regulate tanning beds and restrict the use by teens. The House Constitution, Campaigns and Elections Committee approved bills that would redact the addresses of domestic violence victims on voter registration lists that are available to the public, change the manner in which write-in votes are counted, and allow public officials from other states access to voter registration lists. The House and Senate Judiciary Committees approved prosecutor-backed legislation to shorten the appeal time in death penalty cases. The bill is supported by the Alabama District Attorneys Association and Attorney General Luther Strange. The Senate Fiscal Responsibility and Accountability Committee approved bills to provide drug testing for welfare applicants who have a misdemeanor or felony drug conviction in the past five years, requiring applicants to have applied for a minimum of three jobs, prohibit liquor stores, bars, tattoo parlors, psychic networks and strip clubs from taking the electronic cards that carry welfare benefits, and strengthen the penalties for lying to get welfare benefits. The House approved bills to give adoptive families a $1,000 tax credit and to clarify that teachers and state employees have statutory immunity when carrying out their duties. The Senate approved a bill to consolidate legislative operations under a newly configured Legislative Council.
  • Thursday (6th legislative day): The Senate Constitution, Campaign Finance, Ethics and Elections Committee approved bills to require lobbyists to report all allowed spending on public officials, eliminating the $250 threshold that triggers the current reporting requirement, to govern appointment of Alabama delegates in the event states call for a convention to amend the U. S. Constitution, and to set limits on what Alabama delegates could do in the event of such a convention. The House approved bills to create a Fair Ballot Commission to write summary statements to explain ballot initiatives for voters and to end the Alabama Health Insurance Program for high-risk people who have trouble getting health insurance because the new federal health law provides coverage. The Senate approved bills to allow criminal records to be expunged in certain cases when there was no conviction, to allow counties to issue vehicle registrations good for two years, to enable small businesses to raise capital from small investors through “crowd funding” of up to $1 million, and make it not a violation of the open container law to carry in a locked glove compartment wine bottles that have been opened and resealed.

January 17, 2014 Group Watch: News & Views from the State House

The Alabama Legislature returned to work on Tuesday, the 14th for the first day of the 2014 regular session. After the governor’s “state of the state” address on Tuesday evening (see below), they got down to business on Wednesday.

Wednesday (2nd legislative day): The Senate Education Committee with no opposition approved a bill to remove a requirement that students must graduate from an accredited high school to be admitted to a public two-year college. The Senate Constitution, Campaign Finance, Ethics and Elections Committee approved a bill aimed at discouraging lawmakers from quitting in the middle of their terms to take jobs as lobbyists. This bill would expand current law to prohibit members from lobbying either house for two years instead of just the chamber in which they served. The Senate Finance and Taxation Committee approved a bill with one dissenting vote to allow the state to sell bonds to help local school systems convert to digital textbooks. The bill’s sponsor Gerald Dial says the plan includes a provision to help poor systems by providing a 25-percent match to receive a grant from the bond money. The match can be waived for poor systems. A similar bill is pending in the House.
Thursday (3rd legislative day): The House passed business-friendly tax bills that were part of the “Commonsense Conservative” agenda of the Republican caucus. One of the measures gives the Department of Revenue the ability to suspend taxes that cost more to collect than they bring in; another creates a commission to hear taxpayers’ appeals instead of an administrative law judge who works under the Department of Revenue and to allow more small businesses to pay their sales taxes after collecting the money from the sale, instead of having to pay in advance. The Senate passed an identical bill today, along with a proposed constitutional amendment to xxxx unfunded mandates for local school systems and to amend the Open Meetings Act to allow members of public boards to participate in meetings remotely through telephone or video conference under certain circumstances. The Senate delayed action on a bill to tighten the law on former legislators lobbying in the State House.  They also approved a resolution to establish a prison reform task force. The intent of the measure is to get the Council of State Governments to study the state system and recommend changes.

1/17/14 Group Watch: 2014 State of the State Address

Alabama Governor Robert Bentley, in his state of the state address, said that job creation remains his top priority. The governor called for new job-training and creation initiative, an expansion of education programs including a $10 million increase in funding for pre-k and a 2-percent pay raise for the state’s teachers. The governor also attacked the Affordable Care Act saying it did nothing but create a culture of dependence on government. The governor called for a 4-percent conditional raise for state employees. The raise would come only if funds are available. The Legislative Fiscal Office has projected a decline in receipts to the General Fund in the coming year. Legislative leaders voiced compassion for an employee pay raise, but say that the anemic General Fund and the demands of Medicaid make this quite a challenge. The governor praised legislators for the progress made replenishing the Rainy Day Fund, but added the responsibility is yet to be totally fulfilled. Prior to the governor’s speech, it was boring political theatre. Tea Party groups throughout the state rallied against Common Core curriculum in Alabama’s schools, and one state senator argued that his daughter’s fifth-grade reading assignment about the benefits was socialist indoctrination of the state’s youth. Senate leaders say they will not take up the issue, and the governor did not address the matter in his speech.

December 2013 Group Watch: News & Views from the State House

This month brings lots of election news.

Special Election Results: Three special elections — two primaries and a run-off — were recently held in districts across Alabama to fill vacant House seats. Voters in Elmore and Coosa counties, House District 31, participated in the Republican primary election to replace former State Representative Barry Mask, who resigned to become Director of the Alabama Association of Realtors. Former Elmore County Republican party Chair Mike Holmes and Wetumka car dealer Jimmy Collier finished first and second in a four person field and will face each other in a January 28 run-off. There were no Democratic qualifiers. Jeshua Screws filed a petition to run in the general election as a candidate of the Constitution Party. The general election is scheduled for March 25, 2014.  Jefferson County House District 53 will have a run-off on January 28 between Birmingham attorney Arthur Shores Lee and Leadership Jefferson County Executive Director Anthony Johnson to fill the vacancy created by the death of longtime State Representative Demetrious Newton. The winner will face Republican challenger Willie Casey, a Birmingham real estate broker in the March 25 general election. Citizens in Mobile’s House District 104 are one step closer to having a state representative following a run-off election to replace Jim Barton, who resigned his seat to join a Montgomery lobbying firm. Businesswoman Margie Wilcox defeated Susan Hightower and will face Democrat Stephen Carr in the January 28, 2014, general election. All of the eventual victors will serve little time in office before being required to run for re-election in the 2014 campaign cycle.

Political Announcements: Trussville attorney John Amari has announced his candidacy for Alabama House District 44. That seat is currently held by Representative Arthur Payne, who is retiring at the end of this term. Amari, who grew up in the district, said that economic development will be among his priorities. Amari is the third candidate to enter the race. Investment Banker Joe Freeman and Trussville school board member Danny Garrett have already announced their candidacies. All are running as Republicans. Harbert Management Corporation executive Will Brooke has decided to enter the race in the 6th congressional district. That seat is currently held by Representative Spencer Bachus, who is retiring at the end of this term. Brooke said getting control of government spending will be among his priorities if elected to Congress. Brooke is the fourth candidate to enter the race, State Representative Paul Demarco, surgeon Chad Mathis and Gary Palmer have already announced their candidacies.

December 2013 Group Watch: Boeing Plant?

Alabama Governor Robert Bentley says the state is working hard to secure a deal with Boeing for the production of the Boeing 777X. Bentley says Alabama was the first state Boeing met with and a cited history with the company going back over 50 years. He pointed out that engineers in Huntsville helped redesigned the 787 Dreamliner. South Carolina, Missouri and Washington are also in the running. Boeing is currently based in Washington.

December 2013 Group Watch: Happy Holidays!

Thanks for trusting us with your governmental affairs needs in 2013. We hope you all have a wonderful holiday season, and that 2014 starts off on a happy and high note for everyone!

November 2013 Group Watch: News & Views from the State House

This month brings two appointment announcements and some interesting education news.

  • AL Governor to Chair National Committee: Governor Robert Bentley has been named chairman of the Economic Development and Commerce Committee of the National Governors Association for the 2013-2014 year. The National Governors Association Chair, Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin, recognized economic progress being made in Alabama and asked Governor Bentley to take the role. In his new position, the governor will meet with other governors at upcoming meetings to talk about economic development in Alabama. Governor Bentley said he plans to highlight Accelerate Alabama, the state’s long-term strategic job-growth plan, as well as the state’s workforce training program, AIDT.
  • AL GOP’s New Minority Outreach Director: The Alabama Republican Party has named the co-owner of a Montgomery optical business as its director of minority outreach. Party officials said that Rochester, New York, native Troy Towns has been chosen to lead the party’s minority outreach efforts. Towns has lived in Alabama for more than 20 years and has served as vice chair of the Montgomery Minority GOP. Towns is also an active member of the Wetumpka Tea Party. According to Towns, Republican candidates are more closely aligned with the values of many minority voters. He challenges Alabama voters to support candidates based upon who supports their values instead of voting by party affiliation.
  • AL’s Pre-K Works: The Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama (PARCA) has reported that participation in Alabama’s state pre-k program improves performance for students in elementary school. PARCA compared test scores from students who attend the voluntary First Class Pre-K program with those who did not. The benefits extend until at least the sixth grade, according to an ongoing evaluation of the program. PARCA’s report says that students from low-income households show particularly strong academic benefits. Participation in the program narrows the gap in academic performance between students from lower income families and those from more affluent families by 25 percent. The National Institute for Early Education Research has recognized Alabama’s program for meeting all 10 of its benchmarks for quality.
  • The End of Graduation Exams: The State Board of Education recently voted to do away with the exam that students had to pass for graduation. The termination of the exam applies to students who were ninth-graders in 2010-2011 and are seniors this school year. Students who were in the ninth grade before 2010-2011 and are one to two grade levels behind will still need to pass the exam to graduate. State Superintendent of Education Tommy Bice said the exam is no longer a good measurement of the school board’s goal of having every graduate ready for college or a career. Bice said the board is moving toward end-of-course exams for the major required courses. They are already in place for 10th-grade English and Algebra 1, and so far, there is no score that students must make to successfully complete a course. The board also passed a resolution reaffirming that it controls all academic content standards for Alabama’s public schools. Board members said that they took this action to address concerns voiced by some parents who are upset that the Common Core standards are included in Alabama’s standards.

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