3/23/2015 Group Watch: Taking a Break

While students and teachers across the state take a spring break, the legislature is doing the same, and so is Group Watch. There will be no issue next week. Both chambers will reconvene on March 31, and the next Group Watch will follow!

3/23/2015 Group Watch: Spread the Word

Know of someone who ought to be getting all the great information contained in Group Watch delivered straight to their inbox? Forward them this issue and encourage them to sign up for the Group Watch list by emailing us at newsletter@blooomgroup.com.

March 16, 2015 Group Watch: News & Views from the State House

This past week, bills to protect religious freedoms, allow charter schools and to make changes to incentives given to businesses were on the agenda.

• Tuesday (3rd Day of Regular Session): The House passed three bills to change the way Alabama gives incentives to businesses that create new jobs, hire veterans and develop projects in rural areas. The bills are part of the Made in Alabama incentives package Governor Robert Bentley addressed in his State of the State Speech last week. They are also a part of the Republican House Caucus agenda for this session. After a lengthy debate and dialogue, the Senate passed a bill to allow charter schools in Alabama. The Charter School bill provides for the creation of up to 10 programs per year for the next five years under the authority of local school boards. Under the bill, theses schools will be publicly funded, but will operate without the rules and regulations that govern traditional public schools in hiring, curriculum, instruction, scheduling and other areas. The Senate also passed a bill to establish a new missing child alert system. The bill provides that if a child is reported missing to a local law enforcement agency, and if those responsible for the child confirm the child is missing, an alert would be triggered.
• Wednesday (4th Day of Regular Session): The House passed bills to authorize the Alabama Student Religious Liberties Act, which protects the religious expression rights of students in public schools; to provide for execution by electrocution under certain circumstances; to permit the sale of draft beer in Autauga and Elmore counties, with certain exceptions, and in the cities of Sylacauga and Oak Grove in Talladega County under certain circumstances. The Senate passed a bill to provide for the use of funds derived by counties and municipal governing bodies from solid waste programs. The House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee took no action on HB48, which seeks to create the Office of Ombudsman for Child Welfare. The Senate Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development Committee approved SB89, a bill to restructure the Birmingham Water Board, on a 7 to 4 vote with 1 abstention.
• Thursday (5th Day of Regular Session): After considerable debate, the House passed a bill to authorize the freedom of Religion in Marriage Protection Act; to authorize the municipal election option relating to the sales tax and licensure for alcoholic beverages and to provide for a petition and referendum in municipalities of 500 or less to determine the sale of alcohol. The Senate approved bills to establish rules for motor vehicles overtaking and passing bicycles; to authorize persons under the age of 18 to participate in the donation of blood and plasma; to clarify that the Senior Services Department is administered by the commissioner and the Board of Directors serves an advisory board; and to authorize a single-point filing system for county and municipal lodgings tax. The Senate carried over consideration, pending further negotiations, a bill to restructure the Birmingham Water Board.

3/16/15 Group Watch: Municipal Employees at Risk

Currently, municipal employees are at risk of being held personally liable in lawsuits, even when their actions were clearly in line with the scope and duties of their job. In one of the more egregious cases, a city electrical inspector in Montgomery was facing a heavy judgement in a wrongful death suit, and his case prompted many people to ask why municipal employees don’t receive the same protection in the form of tort caps that all state and education employees do. Read more about the case here, and read our Principal Perspective to the right to learn more about an important bill coming up in this legislature this session.

3/16/15 Group Watch: Principal Perspective – Equal Protection

by Allen Sanderson
Legislation that passed in 2014 limits the amount of money all state and education employees are liable for if they are sued personally for actions taken during the performance of their job. Why are municipal employees not granted the same protections? It’s an important question that highlights a critical problem, one that Representative Steve McMilan wants to solve with HB119, the Employee Liability Protection Act. The bill seeks to ensure that municipal employees are protected by the same tort caps as state and education employees. I’m asking everyone to contact their representatives and senators and to encourage them to support this bill.

3/9/2015 Group Watch: News & Views From the State House

Here we go! The 2015 regular session of the Alabama Legislature has begun, and it’s sure to be an interesting one.

• State of the State: Governor Robert Bentley unveiled his plan for Alabama during the state of the state speech last Tuesday. The governor proposes adding 500 teaching units; level funding for most state agencies, with the possibility of eliminating some open positions; increasing the Medicaid budget by $110 million; increasing funding to the Departments of Corrections and Pardons and Parole by $28.1 million and $18.3 million respectively; increasing funding to the Pre-K program by $10 million; and increasing funding by $15 million to the Office of the Attorney General. Governor Bentley is also proposing to increase taxes by $541 million.  The proposed hikes would be in the form of automobile sales tax and cigarette tax; elimination of certain tax credits for banks and insurance companies; elimination of an income tax withholding plan; elimination of a tax exemption for municipal utilities; and the closing of a corporate tax loophole.
• Bills to Watch: Several Republican lawmakers want to bring back the electric chair as a backup in capital cases in the event lethal injection is declared unconstitutional or the drugs not available. At the top of the Republican agenda is a bill to establish charter schools. A limit of 10 schools can be created in the first year. Two House Democrats are co-sponsoring a bill that would make it illegal to carry a gun in a church without permission, even if you have a permit. One of the first bills filed this session would prohibit Alabama school districts from discriminating against students and parents for their religious viewpoints. HB 41 would allow physically disabled or elderly voters over the age of 70 to move to the front of the line at their designated polling places.

3/9/2015 Group Watch: Principal Perspective

by Allen Sanderson
Fifty years ago, the Civil Rights struggle in America came to a head with the first attempted Selma-to-Montgomery march. It ended in violence as peaceful marchers on the Edmund Pettus Bridge were beaten back by state troopers, earning the event the name “Bloody Sunday.” As thousands came to Selma this past weekend to celebrate the march’s 50th anniversary, state troopers were there again, this time handing out water,  assisting marchers however they could and showing how far we’ve come.

3/9/2015 Group Watch: Koch Bros. & Prison Reform

The billionaire owners of Koch Industries, known for their support of conservative Republican initiatives, have joined several groups known for their liberal leaning to promote prison reform. Even the Koch’s harshest critics are willing to take their funding for prison reform efforts. Former Obama administration advisor Van Jones welcomed Koch Industries contributions to his “Cut50” project, aimed at cutting America’s prison population in half in 15 years. Maybe the Koch brothers, known for their extraordinary business acumen, realize that current public policy on prisons is an unnecessary waste of tax dollars!

3/9/2015 Group Watch: Governor’s Tax Increase Details

The Governor’s proposed tax increase is supposed to raise just over $4 million, but many claim it will bring in much more. Here are a few of the proposed increases and changes and the amount they will raise:

• Cigarette and Tobacco Tax: $205 million. It would raise taxes on pack of cigarettes by 82.5 cents and by a proportional amount on other tobacco products.
• Sales Tax for Automobiles: $200 million. It would double the sales tax on automobiles from 2% to 4%.
• Public Utilities License Tax: $41 million. It would remove the exemption that applies to municipal utilities.
• Rental Tax for Automobiles: $31 million. It would raise car rental tax to 4%.
• Insurance Premium Tax: $25 million. It would remove the credit for state privilege tax paid by insurance companies and remove the credit for ad valorem tax paid by insurance companies.
• Corporate Income Tax: $20 million. It would require combined income reporting for corporations doing business in other states.
• Individual Income Tax: $12 million. It would eliminate income tax withholding exemption certificates.
• Financial Institution Excise Tax: $1 million. I would remove the credit that financial institutions receive for sales taxes paid.

Look for much more information on the proposed tax increases in future issues of Group Watch.

February 2015 Group Watch: News & Views from the State House

Business is booming in Alabama, and the new Senate Majority Leader is reaching across the aisle.

• Exports Are Up: State exports were up 1.2 percent in 2014, led by shipments of Alabama-made automobiles to almost 100 countries, according to U.S. Commerce Department data. Rising overseas sales of industrial machinery, plastics and more contributed to a total of $19.5 billion in export sales last year. That was just short of the state’s annual record for overseas shipments, which was set in 2012, according to the Alabama Department of Commerce. Canada was the top foreign market for Alabama’s fast-growing auto industry, with nearly $2 billion in vehicle shipments. Alabama’s exports are up 57 percent since 2009.
• Senate Majority Leader involves Democrats: Montgomery is not known for transparency; in fact, the average citizen would probably have difficulty listing the top two or three issues facing the State Legislature. Alabama’s new Senate Majority Leader, Republican Greg Reed of Jasper, wants to change that. Reed recognizes the need to provide a blueprint for legislative action that is both clear and concise. Reed believes clearly identifying priorities will help Senators relay their accomplishments to their constituents. Reed is willing to extend an olive branch to Democrats in an effort to restore a collegial atmosphere. He recognizes that Republicans have the votes to control outcomes, but wants to include Democrats in discussions about the agenda, the calendar and legislative issues. He suggested establishing bipartisan dinners and other outings where Senators could develop relationships rather than merely clashing on the Senate floor. Reed hopes to set the tone as a new kind of communicator willing to serve his constituents, his colleagues and even those with whom he disagrees.