The commission created to write the rules and regulate the use of medical marijuana in Alabama has a lot on its plate and may require additional legislation to get its work done. It’s now possible that medical marijuana won’t be available for patients, who’ll require a prescription, until 2023.
Lindy Blanchard, a nonprofit director, former ambassador and major financial supporter of former President Donald Trump, has entered Alabama’s governor’s race. Blanchard, who had been a candidate for the U.S. Senate, says she is opposed to federal COVID vaccination plans and accuses Republicans in charge of state government of being out of touch with Alabamians. Tim James also announced he will seek the Republican nomination for governor. James said his campaign will focus on education, resisting the federal vaccine plan and “continuing to fight the cultural war,” including pushing to ban same-sex marriage and repealing Alabama’s medical marijuana law.
The hot-button issue of abortion bans will be a part of the legislature’s 2022 session. A bill that is being dubbed “Texas-style” in reference to the law passed in the Lone Star state that placed new restrictions on abortions has been filed in the Alabama House of Representatives by Rep. Jamie Kiel, R-Russellville. The bill would ban abortion once a fetal heartbeat is able to be detected. Read more here.
Alabama Prison Commissioner Jeff Dunn will step down from his role at the end of December. Dunn’s tenure was marked by early declines in prison overcrowding, thanks to changes in sentencing guidelines in 2015. The commissioner also achieved a longtime goal this fall, when the legislature approved a plan to build two new men’s prisons in Elmore and Escambia counties. Dunn’s tenure was also driven by a crisis of violence within state prisons that he seemed unable to control. Correctional facilities in Alabama have been understaffed for years, and efforts to increase pay for correctional officers and create separate classifications to improve the situation have had only limited success. The governor has appointed John Hamm (pictured above), deputy secretary of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, to succeed Dunn. Hamm brings more than 35 years of experience in law
State Senator Greg Albritton, the Senate General Fund Budget Committee chair, says to expect the legislature to take another crack at gaming in the 2022 regular session. Despite being the fourth year of the quadrennium, which is typically not a time that significant legislation makes its way through the process, Albritton thinks this could be the year. He expressed the desire to get control of gaming that is already occurring in the state and collect taxes from the gross proceeds. Read more here.
Senators Del Marsh and Bobby Singleton say they will try again in the upcoming session to give one-time bonuses to retired state workers and teachers. Marsh has pre-filed SB 11 for the upcoming session, which gives a bonus of at least $300 to state retirees. Singleton has indicated he plans to file a similar bill for retired educators. Marsh noted that the state’s budget situation at the end of fiscal 2021 makes it a good time for bonuses, and Senate education budget committee chair Senator Arthur Orr has said bonuses are on the table for the 2022 session.
Our national well-being relies upon secure and resilient critical infrastructure, which includes physical and cyber systems that underpin the provision of essential services in our society. These critical assets include pipelines, electric power generation facilities, transmission towers, water systems, mining operations and transportation facilities such as trucking terminals. In Alabama we are fortunate to have an incredible network of critical assets, and we have to protect them. Currently in the Alabama Legislature, a bill has been pre-filed for consideration in the 2022 Legislative Session that will do just that. HB 21 will provide for further protections of these assets, and the Legislature should be urged to quickly pass this measure. According to George Clark, president of Manufacture Alabama, this is bill that can not wait and should be given top priority. Manufacture Alabama is the only trade association in Alabama dedicated to creating a business and political climate that promotes a positive, competitive environment and enhances the opportunity for growth of the state’s manufacturers.
U.S. Senator Richard Shelby announced that the University of Alabama has been awarded $4 million from the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Institute of Justice agency for the establishment of a National Center on Forensics. The University will establish and operate the center in partnership with the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences and the Alabama District Attorney’s Association. According to Senator Shelby’s office, the funding was allocated through the fiscal year 2021 “Consolidated Appropriations Act.” The center will serve to develop and implement scientific and technical educational opportunities with a concentration on underserved rural areas for the medical and legal communities. It will also provide forensic science and legal training to criminal justice professionals.
Christmas on the River, a beloved Demopolis tradition that features a parade of brilliantly lit up boats floating down the stretch of the Tombigbee River that runs through the city, celebrated its 50th year with the 2021 event, held earlier this month. Upwards of 20,000 people gather each year to kick-off the holiday season with the festive display. The Bloom Group’s founder Hal Bloom was instrumental in bringing the event to life when he was director of The Demopolis Area Chamber of Commerce in 1972. Bloom’s contributions were honored at the 2021 event. Read more here.
