March 1, 2021 Group Watch: License Plate Bill Out of Senate

A bill that allows the use of automated license plate recognition systems on public highways by law enforcement agencies passed the Senate last week and now goes to the House. SB2 is sponsored by Sen. Arthur Orr (R-Decatur) and lets law enforcement use technology to record car license plates in an effort to track criminals. It has raised some privacy concerns, but the bill states that, “law enforcement agencies may not sell license plate recognition data for any purpose and may not make the data available to any agency, corporation, or association that is not a law enforcement agency nor to any individual who is not a law enforcement officer.” Read the full text of SB2 here.

February 15, 2021 Group Watch: News & Views from the State House

The second week of the 2021 regular session started last Tuesday, and two issues were in the spotlight: gambling and prisons. Senator Del Marsh filed a bill that would allow Alabamians to vote on expanding gaming and establishing a lottery in the state. (You can read a summary of the gaming proposal here.) Meanwhile, several lawmakers questioned Governor Ivey’s Alabama Prison Program that calls for building three new prisons in the state. Both issues are likely to consume a lot of time as the session moves forward.
  • Tuesday, February 9 (4th legislative day): The House passed several bills, including bills to update the disbursement of certain license taxes and registration fees; to provide for enhanced criminal penalties under certain conditions for violations under the Alabama State of Emergency Consumer Protection Act; and to authorize the Secretary of State to waive the Certificate of Existence fee for business entities under certain conditions. The Senate passed bills that include ones to authorize agents of the city or county to expend funds from reserve accounts for solid waste in excess of $1 million for lawful purposes; to permit municipal and county entities to transfer or use public funds for repair or replacement of private sewer laterals with provision for cost recovery; to provide for enhanced criminal penalties under certain conditions for violations under the Alabama State of Emergency Consumer Protection Act; and to require redaction of contract information from court documents released to the public regarding elder citizens.
  • Wednesday, February 10 (5th legislative day and a committee day): The House Urban and Rural Development Committee approved a bill to authorize the installation and deployment of small wireless facilities and associated poles, towers and base stations on the public rights-of-ways. The House Judiciary Committee approved a bill to require redaction of contract information from court documents released to the public regarding elder citizens. The House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee approved bills to impose a $1 fee on firefighter license plates; to update the statutes relating to distracted driving and use of a cell phone while operating a motor vehicle; and to combine motor vehicle dealers and motorcycle dealer and used vehicle license plates. The House Education Policy Committee approved bills to require a child successfully complete kindergarten before being admitted to the first grade and to authorize the State Department of Education to manage the construction and renovation of property that is part of a state educational institution. The Senate Tourism Committee approved bills relating to gaming, specifically to establish the Alabama Education Lottery Corporation and the Alabama Gaming Commission and creating the authority to negotiate a compact with Poarch Creek Indians. It also approved a bill to create the Digital Expansion Authority and related entities to further advance access and connectivity to broadband. The House passed several bills of local application only, and the Senate gave final passage to House-passed bills to exempt from state taxation COVID-19 relief funds and to extend the job credit and investment credit for approved projects and incentives for the attraction of new and expanding business, including in rural areas.
  • Thursday, February 11 (6th legislative day): The House approved bills to allocate federal funds from the Finance Department to the Alabama Rental Assistance Fund; to align the state with the model law by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners relating to credit for reinsurance; and to further provide for members of the Tier II plan under the Teachers Retirement System. It also approved Senate-passed bills to provide immunity from claims relating to contraction or exposure to coronavirus and to authorize the installation and deployment of small wireless facilities and associated poles, towers and base stations on the public rights-of-way. The Senate passed bills to change the annual license tax and registration fee for low-speed electric vehicles (golf carts); to allow the awarding authority to negotiate the lowest bidder when all bids exceed available funding; and to authorize financial institutions to refuse to execute or delay execution of certain financial transactions involving the account of an elder or vulnerable adult when financial exploitation may have occurred.
The House and Senate will be on a break this week, as will Group Watch. Both chambers reconvene on Tuesday, February 23 at 1 PM and 2 PM, respectively, and Group Watch will return as well.

February 15, 2021 Group Watch: Rental Assistance Passed

The Alabama Senate voted unanimously on final passage of a bill to provide as much as $263 million in rental assistance funds to the people of Alabama. The bill provides federal funding from COVID-19 relief legislation passed by Congress in December 2020. The Alabama Housing Finance Authority will administer the state’s emergency rental assistance program. The Authority has preliminary information on its webpage, here.

February 15, 2021 Group Watch: Tweet of the Week

@RepBarryMoore
Feb 12

Happy birthday to the Great Emancipator and 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln!

February 15, 2021 Group Watch: Senator Shelby Won’t Seek Re-Election

U.S. Senator Richard Shelby, a mainstay of Alabama politics for decades, has officially announced his plans to retire following the end of his current term in 2022. Shelby has served in congress for 42 years and said in his remarks that he would not seek a seventh term in the United States Senate. Shelby chaired the Appropriations, Rules, Banking and Intelligence committees in the Senate. He is known for his focus on the economy, education, space exploration and the Port of Mobile.

February 15, 2021 Group Watch: Gambling in AL: What’s Ahead

All eyes were focused on first readings as a wide-ranging bill from Senator Del Marsh was introduced. Marsh’s bill, which is not final, will address the casino gambling issue, with limited expansion in certain parts of the state, and also includes a call for a lottery and the legalization of some form of sports betting. Aside from the business of gambling, the other issue is whether and how to limit political spending by gambling interest. The Senate spent time on Thursday talking about these matters, and many realize there is considerable work to be done before passing legislation for citizens to consider in a referendum. Read a summary of the gaming proposal here.

February 15, 2021 Group Watch: Hot Topics Coming

The legislature has moved quickly and accomplished a lot already, but when it reconvenes next week, there’s still a lot to do, and there’s a long list of issues on the table, many of which are likely to stir up intense disagreements. Bills concerning guns, the governor’s emergency powers, marijuana, voting laws, the gambling proposal and more promise some spirited debate in the weeks to come. Read more here.

February 15, 2021 Group Watch: COVID Relief Funds Tax Exempt

A bill that makes Alabamians’ COVID-19 relief funds exempt from being taxed by the state has cleared its final hurdle. The Alabama Senate passed one of the top priority bills of the session just a week after House approval. The legislation also makes modifications to the state’s corporate tax code to help Alabama-based businesses.

Gaming-Proposal-Summary-

February 8, 2021 Group Watch: News & Views from the State House

The Alabama Legislature’s 2021 Regular Session began last week, with COVID-19 and education concerns taking center stage. Read on for a quick breakdown of House and Senate activity and see below for more details on the Governor’s plans and priorities for the coming months.
  • Wednesday, February 3 (2nd legislative day and a committee day): The House State Government Committee approved several bills, including bills to allow certain municipalities to levy ad valorem tax for bonds to finance projects and use the proceeds for direct payments to finance capital improvements, and to exclude from competitive bids for local boards of education and governmental entities purchasing agreements to include leases and lease/purchase agreements. The Senate Judiciary Committee approved a number of bills, including bills to extend immunity for certain entities from claims relating to contraction or exposure to coronavirus; to require redaction of contract information from court documents released to the public relating to elder persons, and to establish a program to allow medical cannabis for certain conditions. The Senate Governmental Affairs Committee approved a bill to authorize the amounts in a reserve account over $1 million of a solid waste program to be spent by a county or municipality for lawful purposes. The Senate Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development Committee approved a bill to authorize the deployment and installation of small wireless facilities and associated poles, towers and base stations on public rights-of-way.
  • Thursday, February 4 (3rd legislative day): The House passed bills to renew and extend economic development incentives; to further provide for the appropriation of federal funds for the Alabama Rental Assistance Fund to the Department, and to authorize certain municipalities to levy ad valorem tax for bonds to finance projects and use the proceeds for direct payments to finance capital improvements. The Senate passed a number of bills, including bills to provide immunity for certain entities from claims relating to contraction of or exposure to coronavirus; to provide an exemption from sales and use tax for certain entities; to authorize the installation and deployment of small wireless facilities and associated poles, towers and base stations on the right-of-way, and to provide for the determination of cost to include student growth as an allowable allowance for students under the School Foundation Program Fund.
The House and Senate will reconvene on Tuesday, February 9 at 1 PM and 2 PM, respectively.

The Bloom Group, Inc.

401 Adams Avenue, Suite 710
Montgomery, Alabama 36104
Telephone: (334) 244-8948
Fax: (334) 213-0688

Live Audio Feed

Listen to your senators and representatives at work. Click here to find links to live audio of the House and audio plus video of the Senate.

Alabama Civil Justice Reform Committee

Alabama Civil Justice Reform Committee

The News You Need

Find the latest information on all things Alabama politics on Alabama Today.