On June 19, Alabama is pulling the plug on federal boosts to unemployment, including the extra $300 a week for those collecting benefits. In parts of the state, “Now Hiring” signs aren’t hard to find, which is one of the reasons Ivey announced she is putting a stop to the
Thanks to to learning losses sustained due to the pandemic, Alabama lawmakers voted to delay for two years a provision in the Alabama Literacy Act, a law passed in 2019 to emphasize reading instruction in the earliest grades. The law says that beginning with the 2021-2022 school year, third graders would
Alabama lawmakers finished their annual session without taking a vote on a bill to criminalize hormone treatments and surgeries as transitional therapies for minors with gender dysphoria. It was one of the most closely watched bills throughout the 15-week legislative session. A bill to allow voters to decide whether to
With the session drawing to its close, two of this year’s headline-garnering bills are facing opposite fates. The medical marijuana bill passed the legislature last Thursday. If Governor Ivey signs it, it the use of marijuana to treat multiple medical conditions will be legal in Alabama. However, the gambling bill stalled, and it now looks likely that
@GovernorKayIvey May 9 My mom was a trailblazer. She was a mother, wife, & homemaker. She rose from being a teller to VP & cashier at Camden National Bank. She taught me the importance of strong character & of paying attention to details as I addressed big goals. I miss
The Alabama House of Representatives approved a bill that would create a statewide marijuana program in a historic vote following a debate spanning more than two days and that included some robust opposition. The House voted 68 to 34 to approve the bill by Senator Tim Melson after a lengthy filibuster
Lottery and casino legislation stalled in the Alabama House last week. Lawmakers did not vote on the bill after negotiations failed to muster enough support. The demise of the legislation led to finger-pointing over who was responsible and some blamed an unsuccessful effort by Republicans to switch the bill for
Governor Kay Ivey announced that Alabama’s COVID-19 public health order and state of emergency have both been extended for the final time. The public health order, currently called “Safer Apart,” will end May 31, 2021, and the state of emergency will end July 6, 2021. Ivey first declared a state
Governor Ivey made it official when she signed into law bills to provide a 2-percent pay raise for K-12 education personnel and state employees. The raises were first discussed during the governor’s State of the State address in February at the start of the 2021 regular session of the legislature.
The House Education Policy Committee declined to advance a bill that would have established a statewide procedure for due process for K-12 students facing suspensions and expulsions. The bill would require school boards to hold hearings before making disciplinary decisions. The legislation would have also required systems to use impartial
