The sixth week of session (last week) included the advancement of a new state lottery bill and the Senate’s passage of the Education Trust Fund budget, as well as the House passage of a bill banning “curbside” voting for future elections in the state. Tuesday, March 16 (15th legislative day): The House passed a number of bills of
The House passed a bill to make it illegal to let people vote from their vehicles without going inside the polling place. The House approved the bill 74-25, with Republicans supporting it and Democrats opposed. The Republican majority voted to cut off the debate to force a vote, marking the
@JoshuaNJones March 19 Thanks @yhn @sean_yhn for the great article! Excited to be a part of pushing our state’s startup ecosystem to the next level. We at The Bloom Group would like to say “Congrats!” to our friend, Joshua Jones.
HomTex, an Alabama-based textile manufacturer, announced it has received FDA Emergency Use Authorization for its Level 1 Surgical masks, green-lighting its entry into the U.S. governmental and medical personal protective equipment (PPE) markets. HomTex, headquartered in Cullman County, has been family-owned since its founding in 1987. It is a certified
The Alabama Senate unanimously approved the 2022 Education Trust Fund budget, sending the $7.6 billion budget to the House. The biggest highlight of the budget is the funding for the Teacher Excellence and Accountability for Mathematics and Science (TEAMS) Salary Schedule Program. This program will significantly increase the pay for
Last Wednesday, the Alabama Senate Tourism Committee approved a bill by Senator Jim McClendon that allows voters to decide whether or not to start a state lottery, and Senator Del Marsh, sponsor of an earlier plan that included a lottery, casinos and sports betting, said that his proposal might return. Marsh,
Alabama will receive $4.043 billion in direct aid as part of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan recently signed into law. Among counties, Jefferson will receive the largest allocation ($127 million), followed by Mobile ($80.14 million), Madison ($72.32 million) and Montgomery ($43.93 million). Birmingham will get $148.82 million, by far
Standardized testing resumed in school districts across Alabama last week. The federal requirement to test all students, first demanded under the No Child Left Behind Act in 2001, remains in place. While Superintendent Eric Mackey says he plans to ask federal officials to waive the high federal bar set for
A proposal currently in the Alabama Legislature would establish the Alabama Innovation Corp. as a catalyst to spark economic growth, technology-focused innovation and job creation throughout the state. The Alabama Innovation Corp. would act as a public-private partnership to provide rural businesses, and R&D at existing companies access to the
Thanks to its sustainable practices, the Georgia Pacific facility in Brewton earned the coveted Energy Star Challenge Achiever for Industry award for 2020. The container board mill, which manufactures the paperboard used in cardboard boxes and paper plates, was recognized with the award by the Environmental Protection Agency for improving its
