May 22, 2023 Group Watch: News & Views from the State House

The House was successful in passing a bill seeking to restrict minors; access to digital pornographic content last week. The Protection of Minors from Unfiltered Devices Act, which requires makers of phones, tablets and other electronic devices to turn on filters that block porn when activated in the state, has been in the works for years but never had the votes before. 

Another earlier House-passed bill got some tweaks last week.  The legislation banning Chinese citizens from buying property in Alabama was deemed too broad and got a rewrite by the Senate Agriculture, Forestry, and Conservation Committee before passing the full Senate.

Read more on all this and other trending #alpolitics topics below.

The House and Senate will reconvene on
Tuesday, May 23 at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. respectively.

May 22, 2023 Group Watch: Tweet of the Week

@GovernorKayIvey
May 22
Students, congratulations on the completion of another school year! I’m proud of your hard work in the classroom, but remember, summer is a time to break from school — not learning. That’s why I am inviting each of you to join me in my Summer Reading Challenge.

May 22, 2023 Group Watch: Day-by-Day, Play-by-Play

On Tuesday (21st day of regular session): 

• The House passed bills to revise the definition of an electronic nicotine delivery system to include delivery of substances other than tobacco and to further provide for the sale of tobacco and other related products to minors; to require certain manufacturers of internet-enabled devices to activate existing filters to restrict access to certain materials; to establish the Rural Logging Support Act of 2023 and to provide for the distribution of funding to the Alabama Forestry Commission to support rural economic development; and to provide that Class 3 municipalities may establish self-help business improvement districts. 
• The Senate County and Municipal Government Committee approved bills to further provide for the exceptions to a law for inoperable or stored motor vehicles and to prohibit the continued operation of a motor vehicle in violation of the registration and insurance requirements; and to provide for the procurement of certain professional service contracts based on competitive, qualification-based policies and procedures and to provide for the advertisement of such contracts. 
• The Senate passed bills to permit PACs to make contributions to political parties in certain circumstances; to create the School Principal Leadership and Mentoring Act and the Alabama Principal Leadership Development System for public K-12 education and further provide for the support and development of education leadership; to further provide for the distribution of funding to the Alabama Forestry Commission to support rural economic development; to revise compensation received by retired justices and judges who are called to active duty; and to further provide for the definitions of the Child Physical and Sexual Abuse Victim Protection Act.

On Wednesday (22nd day and a committee day):

• The House Ways and Means Education Committee approved bills to establish future sunset dates for extended tax incentive programs and to provide required guidelines for all new incentive legislation; to provide for the creation and implementation of a mentoring program for new principals and a continuing professional learning program for principals and assistant principals; and to provide for the compensation of members of the Alabama Literacy Task Force. 
• The Senate Finance and Taxation Education Committee approved bills to provide for an increase in the amount of the average monthly sales tax liability for required estimated payments; and to provide that the credit from a parent or holding company may be claimed by the subsidiary in certain circumstances and to provide retroactive effect. 
• The Senate Judiciary Committee approved bills to further provide prohibitions on the possession of an electronic nicotine delivery system by individuals under 21 years of age; and to provide that a prisoner is not eligible for parole if he or she has been duly charged with a new offense that has not been disposed. 
• The Senate State Governmental Affairs Committee approved a bill to extend the validity period of motor vehicle license plate designs from five to 10 years. 
• The Senate Healthcare Committee approved a bill to require healthcare providers and organ transplant centers to provide reasonable accommodations to individuals with a disability in medical need of an anatomical gift or organ transplant. 
• The House passed bills to provide a state income tax credit to individuals and businesses that make contributions to eligible charitable organizations that operate as a pregnancy center or residential maternity facility; to provide under certain circumstances, for a portion of Tennessee Valley Authority in-lieu-of-taxes payments to be distributed to the county; and to exempt the purchase of gun sales and gun safety devices from sales and use tax.
• The Senate got embroiled in delaying tactics over confirmation appointments and never got to consider bills on its special-order calendar.

On Thursday (23rd day of of regular session):

• The House passed bills to allow a detention facility to adopt a policy to further define what items constitute contraband; to increase the exemption for taxable retirement income for individuals who are 65 years of age or older; and to make a supplemental appropriation to certain entities from the Opioid Treatment and Abatement Fund for $10 million. 
• The Senate passed bills to require an agreement with a design professional who does not have professional liability insurance; to provide for the procurement of certain professional service contracts based on competitive, qualification-based policies and procedures; to prohibit certain foreign citizens, governments or entities from acquiring certain real properties in Alabama; to reimburse employees for actual expenses for in-state travel; and to temporarily revise the eligibility and compensation of retirees of either public system for participating in either system after retirement.

May 22, 2023 Group Watch: House Passes Protection of Minors from Unfiltered Devices Act

The Alabama House of Representatives has passed the Protection of Minors from Unfiltered Devices Act, which would require cellphone and tablet manufacturers to make their devices automatically block access to pornography when activated in Alabama. According to the bill’s sponsor, the intent is that manufacturers automatically turn on filters that are now turned off unless users take steps to activate them. Users would have a password to unblock a filtered website. The bill has been proposed for several years but not passed. The measure passed 70-8 with 24 abstentions, and now moves to the Senate for consideration.

May 22, 2023 Group Watch: Chinese Property Ban Bill Changed

On Wednesday, the Senate Agriculture, Forestry, and Conservation Committee rewrote and adopted a substitute version of a bill that would have banned Chinese citizens from buying property in Alabama, including those who live and work legally in the state, a proposal that drew opposition after passing the House. The substitute bill would not ban Chinese citizens who live in Alabama from buying property but narrows the bill’s focus, banning the governments of China, Iran, North Korea and Russia from buying property in Alabama that is used for agricultural or forestry or that is within 10 miles of a military base or critical infrastructure like power plants, water and sewer treatment plants, gas processing centers, seaports and airports. The substitute version would also apply to a person, country or government identified on any sanctions list of the United States Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control. The Senate committee substitute passed the Senate, and the revised bill returns to the House for concurrence.

May 22, 2023 Group Watch: Alabama’s Suicide Hotline Bill Stalls

As suicide rates rise nationwide, a bill to fund the Alabama 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline hit a snag in a House committee. The hotline is not the topic of debate; the issue is the means by which the hotline would be funded. The House bill proposes a 98 cent tax on cellphone lines, and telecommunications companies balked, saying the amount was too high. A similar bill  passed the Senate Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development Committee, and now that version of the legislation may be the one to move forward. Read more here.

May 22, 2023 Group Watch: Back the Blue: State Officials Honor National Police Week

Last week was National Police Week, a to pay tribute to fallen officers, express appreciation for those who serve, raise awareness about the challenges they face, and celebrate remarkable achievements of our everyday law enforcement officers. May 15 was National Peace Officers Memorial Day, and state leaders paid their respects. “Alabama will always respect those who wear the uniform,” Governor Kay Ivey said. On the federal level, Alabama’s U.S. Senate delegation is among the most pro-police in D.C. Senator Katie Britt, Senator Tommy Tuberville and 37 Republican colleagues introduced the Back the Blue Act. The Alabama Legislature has also authorized a slate of pro-police bills this session under the leadership of Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Reed and Speaker of the House Nathaniel Ledbetter.

May 22, 2023 Group Watch: Innovate Alabama Offering Third Round of Grants

Innovate Alabama is continuing its push to help fund small businesses throughout the state of Alabama. The organization announced it will be opening a third round of applications for small businesses seeking funding beginning June 1. Awards can be up to $250,000. The portal to submit applications will close at 5p.m. June 30, and award notifications for the third round begin in early August. The supplemental grant program was launched in 2022 by Innovate Alabama and so far, has given more than $7.6 million in supplemental funding to 44 grant recipients in nine Alabama cities.

May 22, 2023 Group Watch: AL Department of Commerce Names New Senior Project Manager

Gary Walton Jr., a community and economic development professional whose experience includes working on strategic innovation initiatives, has joined the Alabama Department of Commerce’s business development team as senior project manager. Walton joins Alabama’s lead economic development agency as it seeks to build on record levels of inbound investment in 2022 and accelerate the creation of high-paying jobs across the state. As senior project manager, Walton will be involved in a wide range of economic development activities. He will also help develop and implement Commerce’s strategies around life sciences and advanced technology. 

May 15, 2023 Group Watch: News & Views from the State House

Now in the second half of the 2023 regular session, the Alabama Legislature is still hard at work, and a bill passed by the House last week moves the body closer to getting a new State House for its future work. The House passed a bill already passed by the Senate the week prior, which allocates property and creates the authority to contract with RSA or another entity to build and maintain the facility. 

School sports scored some news last week. A bill to change certain eligibility rules for high school athletes has been put on hold; after a public hearing on the matter, the Senate Education Policy Committee chairannounced it would not get a committee vote. And Governor Ivey joined the country’s other Republican governors signing a letter to the U.S. Secretary of Education requesting a reversal on recent changes to Title IX rules.

Read more on all this and other trending #alpolitics topics below.

The House and Senate will reconvene on
Tuesday, May 16 at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. respectively.