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Legislature sends Pledge of Allegiance bill to the governor

The Alabama House of Representatives voted Wednesday to concur with changes made by the Senate to a bill that would require the Pledge of Allegiance be recited at all K-12 public schools in the state each day before classes begin. House Bill 339 was sponsored by State Rep. Nathanial Ledbetter, R-Rainsville. HB339 would require that … Continued
May 21, 2019

Ballot access reform is unlikely to get out of committee

Reports are that a bill to make it easier for minor party candidates and independents to get ballot access likely will not even get out of committee in its house of origin this session. Senate Bill 336 is sponsored by State Senator Cam Ward, R-Alabaster. According to the synopsis: “Under existing law, to gain ballot … Continued
May 21, 2019

Lottery, budgets dominate as session winds toward a close

The Memorial Day holiday is approaching, and state legislators are saying privately that they are ready for this session to be over, but much work remains to be done. Only 21 of a possible 30 legislative days have been used, so this session could technically last through mid-June, but this session was sidetracked by a … Continued
May 20, 2019

Storm shelter tax credit bill advances out of committee

The House Ways and Means Education Committee gave a favorable report to an income tax credit for Alabama homeowners to build storm shelters on Wednesday. House Bill 428, the storm shelter tax credit bill, is sponsored by State Rep. Joe Lovvorn, R-Auburn. Lovvorn is a professional firefighter, who earlier this year responded to the fatal … Continued
May 20, 2019

Child custody bill has public hearing

Wednesday, the Alabama House Committee on Children and Senior Advocacy held a public hearing on the Child Equal Access Act which would change Alabama’s rules on child custody so that the court prepares a detailed parenting plan in child custody cases and that the presumption is joint custody if both of the parents are fit. … Continued
May 20, 2019

Sen. Doug Jones, colleagues introduce bill to align secondary and higher education

Democratic Alabama Sen. Doug Jones and two of his colleagues introduced a bill last week to reduce the need for remedial courses and improve remedial programs in post-secondary education. The bill, called the Promoting Readiness in Education to Prevent Additional Remediation and Expense (PREPARE) Act, aims to align high school graduation requirements with entrance requirements … Continued
May 20, 2019

Houses passes bill intended to improve use of economic incentives

The Alabama House of Representatives passed the Alabama Incentives Modernization Act on Thursday to improve the way that the state uses economic incentives. More specifically, this bill would add new tools for the attraction and expansion of businesses in rural Alabama as well as in federally designated Opportunity Zones. It also targets attracting technology companies. … Continued
May 20, 2019

A special session on prisons is likely on the way

Brace yourselves, another special session is coming. At a press conference Thursday morning, Alabama legislators provided updates on the ongoing prison debacle and encouraged Gov. Kay Ivey to call a special session this fall to allow them to fully address the many issues. Ivey issued a press release later in the day saying she would … Continued
May 17, 2019

Ivey praises Senate for passing bill to replace the elected school board with appointed board

Thursday, the Alabama State Senate on Thursday passed a bill that would replace the state ’s State Board of Education and replace it with a new appointed board. Senate Bill 397 is sponsored by Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh, R-Anniston. SB397 would change Alabama’s current elected State Board of Education to a Commission appointed … Continued
May 17, 2019

Senate approves bill to lower drug prices, improve transparency

A bill that could lower prescription drug costs for Alabamians passed the Alabama State Senate 27-0 on Wednesday. The bill—if passed in the House of Representatives and signed into law—will outlaw “gag clauses” used by pharmacy benefit managers. These contractual gag clauses keep pharmacists from informing a customer they could save money by purchasing a … Continued
May 17, 2019