May 29, 2023 Group Watch: Tweet of the Week

@toddcstacy May 25 So they could be done June 8 or 9 instead of having to come back the week of the 12th. #alpolitics

May 29, 2023 Group Watch: Day-by-Day, Play-by-Play

On Tuesday (24th day of regular session): 

• The House passed general bills to establish certain conditions under which a contractor who performs work on a road, bridge, highway or street shall be granted civil immunity; to further provide for the duties and membership of the Alabama Literacy Task Force; to revise the circumstances under which the Alabama Medicaid Agency may revise the ceiling for the Medicaid reimbursement rate to nursing facilities during a given fiscal year; to create the School Principal Leadership and Mentoring Act and the Alabama Principal Leadership Development System for public K-12 education; to further provide for the compensation of retired law enforcement officers providing services as school resource officers for local boards of education; and to allow for the payment of uncontested claims on an expedited basis for the Board of Adjustment. 
• The Senate  concurred with several House messages, and after hours of deliberation, passed a bill to amend the Alabama Accountability Act of 2013 by changing the terms “failing school” and “nonfailing school” to “priority school” and “qualifying school”; and to expand scholarship opportunities for eligible students.

On Wednesday (25th day and a committee day):

• The House Ways and Means General Fund Committee approved bills to eliminate all fees associated with the issuance of a driver license or nondriver ID cards to qualified disabled veterans of the United States Armed Forces and to establish the Rural Logging Efficiency Act of 2023. 
• The House Insurance Committee approved a bill to require a design professional who does not have professional liability insurance coverage to disclose that information in writing to the client. 
• The House Education Policy Committee approved a bill to provide legislative findings and to provide a uniform system of procedural due process protections for students facing suspension or expulsion for violating the student code of conduct or state law. 
• The House Ways and Means Education Committee approved bills to provide for funding of rural hospitals by creating the Rural Hospital Investment Program; to provide a one-time rebate for the promotion of the general welfare; and to provide for the funding of public education in Alabama and other education entities such as Tuskegee University, Talladega College, Southern Preparatory Academy, formerly Lyman Ward Military Academy. 
• The House Judiciary Committee approved a bill to allow individuals 75 years of age or older to be excused from jury service. 
• The House passed general bills to provide for the surrender of an infant to an emergency medical services provider or a hospital and to provide for the surrender of an infant in a baby safety device that meets certain requirements; to provide a date certain by which valuation notices must be mailed by county assessing officials; to establish legislative findings relating to the fundamental rights of parents; and to revise the circumstances in which an individual’s pension, annuity or retirement allowance benefits under the public employees Retirement System are subject to certain recovery actions. 
• The Senate Finance and Taxation General Fund Committee approved bills to prevent a parolee in custody from being released to parole supervision in certain circumstances; to make a supplemental appropriation to certain entities from the Opioid Treatment and Abatement Fund; to make an appropriation to certain entities from the Children First Trust Fund; to make an appropriation from the State General Fund for the Coalition Against Domestic Violence; to provide a cost-of-living increase for state employees; and to make appropriations to agencies in the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government (General Fund Budget).
• The Senate Judiciary Committee approved a bill to revise the definition of “electronic nicotine delivery system” to include delivery of substances other than tobacco. 
• The Senate Education Policy Committee approved bills to provide additional requirements for teacher preparation programs and teacher certification and to require a child to complete kindergarten before entering the first grade. 
• The Senate approved bills to further provide for the prohibition against using a wireless telecommunications device while operating a motor vehicle; to further provide for the exceptions to the act for operable or stored motor vehicles; to further provide for contracts for which competitive bidding is not required; to further provide prohibitions on the possession of an electronic nicotine delivery system by individuals under 21 years of age; and to provide for the inspection of certain dams and reservoirs by an engineer.

On Thursday (26th day of of regular session):

• The House passed general bills including Senate-passed bills relating to education to make supplemental appropriations to various agencies; to make appropriations to Tuskegee University, Southern Preparatory Academy, formerly known as Lyman Ward Military Academy, and Talladega college; to create the Distressed Institutions of Higher Education Revolving Loan Program to be administered by the State Treasurer; relating to the Education Trust Fund Rolling Reserve Act, to further provide for annual Education Trust Fund appropriations; and to make appropriations for the support, maintenance and development of public education in Alabama (Education Trust Fund budget). 
• The Senate passed general bills including a House-passed bill to make appropriations from the Children First Trust Fund; to provide a cost-of-living increase for state employees; to make an appropriation to the Coalition Against Domestic Violence; to make supplemental appropriations to various agencies; and make appropriations for the ordinary expenses of the executive, legislative and judicial agencies of the state (General Fund budget).

On Friday (27th day of of regular session):

• The House and Senate convened at 12:01 a.m., and quickly concurred on conference committee reports on the General Fund and Education Trust Fund budgets and bills related to both budgets.  

May 29, 2023 Group Watch: Alabama Lawmakers Change Tax Rebate Again

Alabama lawmakers gave final approval to a tax rebate for Alabama taxpayers, passing a bill to provide $150 for individuals and $300 for couples filing jointly. Governor Ivey proposed a rebate of $400 for individuals and $900 for couples during her State of the State address in March. The Senate changed that to $105 for individuals and $210 for couples. The House passed a version to double that to $210 for individuals and $420 for couples. A conference committee settled on the amount on $150 and $300 for taxpayers who filed a state income tax return for 2021. The rebates will cost about $393 million, and the money will come from a $2.8 billion surplus in the Education Trust Fund.

May 29, 2023 Group Watch: Both AL Budgets Passed by Legislature

The debate over the particulars of Alabama’s two state budgets, the General Fund Budget and the Education Trust Fund Budget, continued through Thursday night and into early Friday morning. The $11.5 billion in education spending is the largest amount in state history, and it includes a $2.8 billion supplemental appropriation. The size of this appropriation was the main bone of contention, while the amount of the tax rebates for Alabamians was the largest difference between the budgets and what Governor Ivey had laid out in March. Read more here and here.

May 29, 2023 Group Watch: Grocery Tax Cut Moves Ahead

A bill to cut Alabama’s sales tax on food moved closer to becoming law, winning approval in the Alabama House last week. The measure would cut the 4% tax to 3% on September 1 of this year. On September 1, 2025, the tax would drop to 2%. When fully implemented, the tax is expected to save Alabama taxpayers about $300 million a year. The bill passed by a vote of 103-0, and now goes to the Senate, where all 35 senators signed on as sponsors to a similar bill. The reduction to 2% in 2025 would be delayed if projected growth in revenues to the ETF are less than 2% in fiscal year 2025.

May 29, 2023 Group Watch: VT MAE Adding 200 Workers At Mobile Facility

VT Mobile Aerospace Engineering Inc. plans to add 200 jobs as it equips its Mobile facility to convert and modify Airbus A320 family passenger jets as cargo aircraft, providing another boost to the region’s aerospace/aviation sector. VT MAE, located in the Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley industrial complex, provides commercial aircraft maintenance for passenger and cargo aircraft to many of the world’s leading airlines. The Mobile operation currently has 579 full-time employees. The expansion project’s 200 new jobs will be added by the end of 2025.

May 23, 2023 Group Watch: School Choice Reform & Expansion Clears Senate

The Alabama Senate has passed a bill that would expand the Alabama Accountability Act, a 10-year-old law that allows parents to use scholarships funded by tax credits to send their children to private schools. The vote came after a four-and-a-half hour filibuster that ended when the Senate approved a petition for cloture, or to end debate. Democratic and Republican senators took part in the filibuster. The Senate passed the bill 26-7, which moves to the House. The bill will make Accountability Act scholarships available to more students by raising the income level for eligibility. The scholarships are funded by donations to scholarship granting organizations, and donors receive a credit on their state income tax. The expansion in eligibility would cover all students with individual education plans, including those with intellectual disabilities and speech, language, vision, hearing and physical impairments, as well as learning disabilities.

May 29, 2023 Group Watch: Space and Rocket Center Marks Milestone 

The U.S. Space and Rocket Center, a global leader in STEM training for students, is blasting into the future with a new state-of-the-art facility that will provide next-level education opportunities. Governor Kay Ivey and Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield recently joined Space and Rocket Center officials and local leaders in Huntsville for a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Space Camp Operations Center. Made possible through a grant from the Governor’s Office and a sponsorship with Boeing, the facility will serve as a central location for Space Camp programs as well as provide a new home for U.S. Cyber Camp. The 40,000-square-foot Space Camp Operations Center will function as the hub for all program operations, providing a one-of-a-kind educational resource for campers who come from 150 countries and all 50 states. 

May 22, 2023 Group Watch: News & Views from the State House

The House was successful in passing a bill seeking to restrict minors; access to digital pornographic content last week. The Protection of Minors from Unfiltered Devices Act, which requires makers of phones, tablets and other electronic devices to turn on filters that block porn when activated in the state, has been in the works for years but never had the votes before. 

Another earlier House-passed bill got some tweaks last week.  The legislation banning Chinese citizens from buying property in Alabama was deemed too broad and got a rewrite by the Senate Agriculture, Forestry, and Conservation Committee before passing the full Senate.

Read more on all this and other trending #alpolitics topics below.

The House and Senate will reconvene on
Tuesday, May 23 at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. respectively.

May 22, 2023 Group Watch: Tweet of the Week

@GovernorKayIvey
May 22
Students, congratulations on the completion of another school year! I’m proud of your hard work in the classroom, but remember, summer is a time to break from school — not learning. That’s why I am inviting each of you to join me in my Summer Reading Challenge.