This week the Alabama House of Representatives approved a bill that would enroll new state employees in individual retirement accounts. The legislation would automatically enroll state employees hired after January 1, 2017, in an individual retirement account. The initial contribution rate would be set at 1.5 percent, though employees could
With the General Fund Budget done, attention was turned to the Education Budget. And a transportation bill, which passed almost unanimously in both the House and Senate, was one of the other important votes last week. On Tuesday, April 12 (21st day of the session): The Senate Finance and Taxation Education
The passed General Fund Budget underfunds Medicaid by $85 million for the upcoming fiscal year. Cuts to the program will likely result in lower physician payments and the elimination of optional programs including prescription drug coverage for adults. Dothan Pediatrics had opened a temporary facility in rural Ozark while a permanent facility
A bill regarding industrial hemp passed both the House and Senate last week and could open the door for the state to capitalize on the economic potential of the non-intoxicating type of cannabis plant. The bill passed both the House and the Senate almost unanimously and will allow for research into
After Governor Bentley made good on his statement to veto the General Fund budget, the legislature wasted no time over-riding that veto, while the Senate earned the governor’s praise for passing his prison bond plan (see articles below). Meanwhile, plenty of other non-headline-grabbing but still important business got done last
Last Tuesday, right after returning from Spring Break, the Alabama Legislature over-rode Governor Robert Bentley’s veto of the $1.85 billion General Fund budget, making the budget bill law. The Senate vote was 22-11; the House vote was 71-24. Bentley was against the budget because, according to him, it “didn’t adequately fund
Last Tuesday, the Senate passed Governor Bentley’s plan to use a $800 million bond issue to update older prisons, close several prisons completely and build four new ones. The governor pointed to the passage as the clearing of “a critical hurdle” in solving Alabama’s prison problems. The governor, Corrections Commissioner
The General Fund Budget has been passed by the legislature but may not get very far (see article below) while plenty of other bills keep moving forward: On Tuesday, March 22 (17th day of the session): The House passed bills of local application only, to redistribute lodging tax proceeds in Etowah County; to permit
Last Wednesday, with a 20-13 vote, the Senate passed the $1.85 billion General Fund Budget, which included changes made by the House that upped the funding for Medicaid to $15 million more than last year. Last Thursday, Bentley announced that he’ll veto the budget and send it back to the
Last Tuesday, Governor Robert Bentley announced the removal of Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Secretary Spencer Collier, just hours after an internal audit suggested a “possible misuse of funds.” Collier is a former state trooper and was a Mobile County legislator from 2002 to 2011. In a brief statement, Governor Bentley commended Collier
