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News / Legislature / State

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

Senate passes largest education budget in state history

Thursday, May 2 the Alabama Senate passed the education trust fund (ETF) budget, Senate Bill 199 on a 28 to 2 vote. SB199 was sponsored by Senator Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, who chairs the Senate Finance and Taxation Education Committee. Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh, R-Anniston, released a statement regarding Senate passage of the Education … Continued
May 3, 2019

Education budget advances out of committee

The Senate Finance and Taxation Education Committee gave a favorable report to the fiscal year 2020 Education Trust Fund budget, which has been languishing in the Committee for the last three weeks. Senate Bill 199, the Education Trust Fund budget, is sponsored by state Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur. The state of Alabama has a bizarre … Continued
May 1, 2019

Senate Committee approves bonus for retired state employees

The Senate Finance and Taxation General Fund Committee gave a favorable report Wednesday to Senate Bill 206, which would give a one-time bonus to retired state workers. SB206 is sponsored by state Sen. Cam Ward, R-Alabaster. Ward said that under his bill each retired state employee would receive $24 per year of service in a … Continued
April 11, 2019

House Committee passes General Fund budget

The House Ways and Means General Fund committee voted to give a favorable report to the state General Fund budget Wednesday. Chairman Steve Clouse, R-Ozark, said that he thought that the full House could be considering the budget as early as Tuesday. Alabama has two separate budgets, with revenues earmarked for each one. The Education … Continued
April 4, 2019

ALEA having difficulty hiring qualified State Troopers

Wednesday, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency presented their 2020 budget request to a joint meeting of the Legislature’s budget committees. ALEA Secretary Hal Taylor said that hiring more officers is his primary goal. Taylor said that finding qualified candidates who can pass the drug testing and screening process has become difficult. Taylor said he planned … Continued
February 4, 2019

Corrections asks for $42 million budget increase

Alabama Department of Corrections Commissioner Jeff Dunn presented the ADOC fiscal year 2020 budget request to an Alabama joint House and Senate budget committee meeting in Montgomery. “The Department of Corrections is undergoing unprecedented change,” Dunn said. The ADOC is, “Transforming the department into the most respected and trusted law enforcement agency in the state.” … Continued
January 31, 2019

CHIP program changes will cost Alabama an estimated $1 billion over the next decade

Recent changes to the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) means that the state of Alabama is going to have to shoulder substantially more of the cost for the program. An estimated 220,000 children receive their health insurance through the CHIP program, which is managed by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama (BCBSAL) and marketed under … Continued
January 31, 2019

Shelby to retain chairmanship of Senate Appropriations Committee

U.S. Senator Richard Shelby, R-Alabama, said Wednesday that he will keep his chairmanship of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee. The Senate Republican Conference met to ratify committee chairmen for the new Congress and approved Shelby’s selection by members of the Senate Appropriations Committee to lead the committee for his first full two-year term as chairman. … Continued
January 10, 2019

Corps’ announcement good for Dauphin Island, all of coastal Alabama

The announcement by U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne, R-Ala., that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will have the budget to place sand dredged from the Mobile Ship Channel in a newly expanded disposal site may ensure the long-term survival of Dauphin Island itself. The dredged sand can now be placed in shallower water depths closer … Continued
January 3, 2019