Tuesday, 24th day of regular session: The House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee approved bills to revise the definition of shotgun and to further provide for the removal of disabled vehicles. The full House approved several bills of local application only, and general bills to require the State Board of Education to phase in the employment
Governor Ivey and other public officials took part in the grand opening of the $120 million AUBix data center in Auburn last week. The 40,000-square-foot center near the Auburn University campus will offer private and public organizations more secure and efficient access to fiber networks and more content for consumers.
Gov. Kay Ivey recently signed the law to create the nation’s first elder abuse registry. The new state database, created by legislation called “Shirley’s Law,” will include the names of anyone convicted of mistreating senior citizens. The law’s namesake Shirley Holcombe died in 2018 after becoming a victim of forgery by a caretaker, and
The Alabama House approved a Senate-passed bill aimed at improving the state’s performance on standardized math testing. The bill known as the Numeracy Act would set minimums for instruction of math and allow state intervention in public schools that fail to meet certain testing requirements. Legislators have long expressed frustration with Alabama’s performance
A bill officially authorizing telehealth and telemedicine in Alabama passed the state Senate last week, marking the first piece of legislation regulating digital access to healthcare for Alabamians. The bill, sponsored by Senator Dan Roberts, R-Mountain Brook, would limit the number of virtual visits citizens could use to four times every
In an attempt to keep good teachers working in Alabama’s classrooms, a plan to give pay raises ranging from 10-20 percent to teachers with nine or more years experience is moving through the legislature. If the plan passes, all teachers will get a 4 percent raise, but those with a longer tenure would get double-digit
Governor Ivey announced that the state’s portion of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding designated for broadband expansion has successfully been transferred to the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA). By way of a memorandum of understanding, ADECA will be the state agency that oversees the administration of the
Tenax Corp. plans to invest $1 million in improvements and new production machinery at its manufacturing facility in Evergreen, where it has operated for three decades. Tenax will create 8-12 new jobs tied to a new initiative to make the Evergreen facility more efficient and environmentally friendly. The project is
Alabama’s innovation economy will not reach its full potential unless it is inclusive. That was the message from Alabama Director Bill Poole who chairs the board of the Alabama Innovation Corporation. Poole said the innovation economy needs input from women and other groups to ensure that all ideas are being
A lot of funding legislation got passed the week before last (and the legislature was out for Spring Break last week.) The House passed the General Fund Budget and appropriations bills to fund the Children First Trust Fund and the Coalition Against Domestic Violence. It also passed the bill that will give a 4-percent
