3/20/2017 Group Watch: Gov. Bentley Denies Resignation Rumors

At the end of last week, a spokesperson for Governor Bentley made a definitive statement, saying the governor had no intention of ending his term early by resigning from office. The statement said he was committed to the people of Alabama and to “finishing the race.” Read more here.

3/20/2017 Group Watch: New Prison Plan

An updated version of legislation to build new prisons in Alabama has been filed, and it’s a scale back of previous plans. The plan calls for construction of three new prisons, but the updated version requires at least two of them to be built by local governments or groups. The state would build a third prison, but only if it first gets leases on the two local facilities. If two communities or groups don’t build, the entire plan becomes null. The new plan stipulates that the state could bond out at $350 million, down considerably from the $775 million and $800 million of previous plans. The new plan shifts the financial burden to local governments or groups. Local communities that build prisons would be required to enter a 30-year lease-to-own agreement with the state and would be paid at a rate of $13.5 million per year, per agreement. The Department of Corrections will have the final say on which groups get the go-ahead to build.

March 13, 2017 Group Watch: News & Views from the State House

The Alabama Legislature returned to work on Tuesday, March 7^th for the 9^th day of the session. The General Fund Budget came up in committee, and here are a few other highlights:

• On Tuesday (9th day of session): The House passed several bills of local application only and general bills to allow marinas to be designated an additional type of community development district; to authorize the State Fire Marshal to issue permits to certain fire protection sprinkler contractors for systems and changes to systems designed by a licensed engineer; and a Senate-passed bill to further define and provide penalties for Medicaid fraud. The Senate passed general bills to further authorize temporary license plates and registration certificates for manufacturers and dealers of boats and boat trailers; to repeal the requirement for probate judges to issue marriage licensees while providing for the recording of the event and transmission to the office of Vital Statistics; to create a tax credit for hiring an unemployed veteran regardless of whether the veteran was recently deployed; and to immunize the Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors for promulgating rules relating to antitrust laws that effect public safety. This is the companion bill that passed the House on this same day.
• On Wednesday (a committee day): The House Judiciary Committee approved bills to authorize churches to establish security programs and designate who may carry firearms and to establish Defense Advisory Boards with immunity for board members. The House Ways and Means General Fund Committee approved a substitute General Fund Budget, which will be debated next Tuesday, and bills to extend the supplemental privilege assessment for nursing facilities and to extend the private hospital assessment. The Senate Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development Committee approved bills to give preference on competitive bids on public contracts by state entities to vendors owned by veterans of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and to authorize the use of an auction company for sale of state land by the Revenue Department. The Senate Education and Youth Affairs Committee approved a bill to require the county superintendent of education be appointed unless provided otherwise by the constitution.
• On Thursday (10th day of session): The House passed general bills to authorize the use of sunscreen at school and to authorize police powers for the Poarch Creek Indians on tribal lands. The Senate passed a few bills of local application only and general bills to exempt prescription drugs from business license tax based on gross receipts and to authorize the use of sunscreen at school.

3/13/17 Group Watch: Tuscaloosa Mayor Re-elected

Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox was re-elected this week to a fourth term by almost 90 percent of voters. Maddox thanked his supporters for ushering him victory in his first political challenge since 2005. Maddox bested four challengers for the mayor’s seat in 2005 after six-term Mayor Al Dupont chose not to seek re-election. Since then, Maddox has helped implement the Tuscaloosa Pre-K Initiative, which serves more than 250 at-risk preschoolers in nine schools, and the Tuscaloosa 311 non-emergency hotline system, which serves as a direct phone line to City Hall while monitoring and tracking everything from pothole complaints to garbage cart replacements. He also steered the city through the effects of a national economic downturn and guided Tuscaloosa’s recovery from the tornado of April 27, 2011, which is considered the most severe natural disaster the city has faced. His decision-making following the deadly storm that damaged or destroyed 12 percent of the city earned him the 2012 Municipal Leader of the Year by American City and County, a national publication that has focused on state and local government since 1909. He is a fellow with the Program on Crisis Leadership at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

3/13/17 Group Watch: Tweet of the Week

from @thebloomgroup: Read the truth about OPS ONE Opelika’s FTTH Network and how it can improve the quality of life for all of Lee County.

3/13/17 Group Watch: State School Board Holds Special Meeting

The state school board held a special work session last week to discuss financial matters. The meeting was called after board members received hundreds of phone calls and emails from constituents concerned about actions the State Superintendent had taken in recent days. Some board members have been critical of the superintendent’s “lack of communication” with them. Questions surfaced last week in the legislative contract review committee meeting about two contracts for more than $1.3 million for school intervention. The lack of further details prompted questions. Also, plans for a reorganization of the career tech and workforce development program were apparently leaked to the media last week before board members were briefed on the proposed plan.

March 6, 2017 Group Watch: News & Views from the State House

On Tuesday February 28^th, the House and Senate returned to work for the 7^th day of the session. Here are a few highlights:

• On Tuesday (7th day of session): The House passed several bills of local application only, and general bills to authorize the hunting of whitetail deer or feral swine by means of bait; to exempt from competitive bids the purchase of electronic data bases of manuscripts, books, maps, pamphlets or periodicals; and to clarify the authority of the Community College System to acquire and dispose of property and to participate in the TRS and PEEHIP. The Senate passed sunset bills to continue a number of state boards and agencies, such as the State Board of Pharmacy, Dental Examiners Board, the Board of Nursing and the Nursing Home Administrators Board of Examiners.
• On Wednesday (committee day): The House Judiciary Committee approved bills to require the Department of Human Resources to place the infant of a dependent minor mother with the minor mother in foster care and to require a parenting plan in all cases involving child custody. The House Children and Senior Advocacy Committee approved a bill to require licensing of all child care facilities to ensure uniform safety for children in care. The Senate Judiciary Committee approved a bill to prohibit the possession of a firearm at certain places to include persons with a valid pistol permit. The Senate Finance and Taxation Education Committee approved a bill to provide a $5,000 income tax credit to certain rural certified registered nurse practitioners.
• On Thursday (8th day of session): The House passed several bills of local application only that include the establishment of a cemetery board for Jefferson County and passed general bills to extended limited immunity to non-profit affiliates of Public Housing authorities and to authorize warrantless arrest for persons trespassing on property of an educational institution. The Senate passed a number of sunset bills to continue the operation of state boards, commissions and agencies including the Board of Optometry, the Interior Designers Board, the Marriage and Family Therapy Board, the Board of Podiatry and the Home Builders Licensure Board.

3/6/17 Group Watch: Senator Dial Honored with Leadership Award

Troy University Board of Trustees President pro-tem Gerald Dial was honored by the Higher Education Partnership of Alabama with its 2017 Alumni Advocates’ Leadership Award. The award, presented by Troy State Chancellor Dr. Jack Hawkins and Partnership Executive Director Gordon Stone, recognizes Senator Dial’s commitment to public universities and willingness to advocate on their behalf.

Dial, who represents several East Alabama counties in the Alabama Senate, was appointed to the Troy Board of Trustees in 1991 by then Governor Guy Hunt. In the Senate, he chairs the committees on Health and Human Services and Local Legislation and serves as a member on the committees on Finance and Taxation Education, Rules, Transportation and Energy, and Veterans and Military Affairs. He retired from the Alabama National Guard in 1997 with the rank of brigadier general and assistant adjutant general. He served two terms in the Alabama House of Representatives and was a teacher and coach at Lineville High School.

3/6/17 Group Watch: Auto Supplier Opening $10.4M Facility

A Spain-based auto supplier has announced plans to build a $10.4 million manufacturing facility in Birmingham. Grupo Antolin’s Alabama facility will employ about 150 people by 2020. The average wage for workers at the plant is planned to be $19.13 an hour. Construction is scheduled to start in early March on an existing building in Jefferson Metropolitan Park. Grupo Antolin develops, designs and manufactures a wide variety of interior components for automakers, including doors, seats, lighting fixtures, cockpits and trim. The company claims to have parts in one in four cars in the world. The company was founded in 1950 and has 28,000 employees. They have plants in 26 countries.

February 27, 2017 Group Watch: News & Views from the State House

The Alabama Legislature returned to work on Tuesday, February 21, for the 5^th day of the session. Here are a few highlights:

• On Tuesday (5th day of session): The House passed general bills to authorize elected officials to designate another person to serve on certain agency boards and commissions and to repeal duplicative permitting requirements for livestock markets and dealers. The Senate passed general bills to require a local match for educational grants for programs serving gifted or talented children; to clarify the authority of the Community College System to participate in the Teachers Retirement System and PEEHIP and to acquire and dispose of property; to amend the dates for the application of the sales tax holiday for school items; and to authorize the administration of a single dose auto-injectable epinephrine on K-12 school campuses by students pursuant to an anaphylaxis preparedness program.
• On Wednesday (committee day): The House Ways and Means Education Committee approved a bill to increase the cap on income tax credits for donations to scholarships under the Accountability Act of 2013. The House Boards, Agencies and Commissions Committee approved bills to immunize the Board of Licensure for responsible decisions in the administrative process and to continue by statute an administrative procedure to require documentation of experience when competing for projects affecting the safety and well-being of the public. The House Commerce and Small Business Committee approved a bill to allow the Department of Environmental Management to charge fees for the permitting of centralized waste treatment facilities. The Senate Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development Committee approved bills to continue a number of state boards and agencies to include the Physical Therapy Board, the Board of Optometry, the Veterinary Medical Examiners Board, the Home Builders Licensure Board, the Board of Examiners in Marriage and Family Therapy, and to immunize the Board of Licensure for Engineers and Land Surveyors for responsible decisions in the administrative process.
• On Thursday (6th day of session): The House passed general bills to lower the age of majority to 18 years, but to retain age limitation for the sale of tobacco and to require the State Department of Education to develop and implement an electronic security notification system. They also passed several bills of local application only. The Senate passed general bills to affect the salary of the Director of the Securities Commission and to amend the law for Peace Officers’ Standards and Training to include non-public education.