The Alabama Legislature worked last week to extend a deadline to ensure President Joe Biden will be able to appear on the state’s ballots come November. Due to the dates of the Democratic National Convention, without action from the legislature, the Democratic Party would have missed the deadline to submit its officially nominated presidential ticket. Read more here.
Governor Kay Ivey and State Rep. Kenneth Paschal came together to proclaim April 25 as “Parental Alienation Awareness Day” and April 21 through April 27 as “Parental Alienation Prevention Week.” The proclamation and its accompanying initiative are meant to help demonstrate the importance of allowing children to share love with both parents without any fear or guilt. The campaign also highlights the link between parental alienation and child abuse, emphasizing the mental harm children may experience as a result. An estimated 40,000 children in Alabama annually endure court-mandated visitation with one parent for only two to six days a month.
In the release of the national report, The 2023 State of Preschool, Alabama’s First-Class Pre-K program is once again recognized for the highest quality. Alabama is one of only five states in the country to meet 10 of 10 research-based quality standard benchmarks for 2023 and is the only state in the nation to have achieved this distinction for 18 consecutive years. The program has grown substantially over the last decade, increasing from serving 5,000 Alabama 4-year-olds in 2013 to serving more than 24,000 in 2023.
Innovate Alabama announced the recipients for the fourth round of the Innovate Alabama Supplemental Grant Program, awarding almost $4 million to 22 small businesses. For the first time, the Supplemental Grant Program has expanded beyond the borders of Alabama, bringing five new businesses to relocate into the state per the funding requirements, which state that grant recipients have a 12-month window after receiving grant funds to relocate their headquarters and the majority of their teams to Alabama. The five recipients are relocating from Delaware, Florida, Illinois and Wyoming. Innovate Alabama is the state’s first statewide public-private partnership focused on entrepreneurship, technology and innovation with a mission to help innovators grow roots in Alabama. The Supplemental Grant Program has awarded over $13 million to 68 entities since August, 2022.
Happy tax day to all who celebrate (which should be most of you unless you want to hear from the IRS). Some tax news came out of the legislature last week. Despite some education groups voicing concern about reduced revenues, a bill to cap property value increases (for property tax purposes) easily passed the House on a 97-1 vote.
The health and science high school that Governor Ivey has called for and is strongly supported by leaders of Alabama’s healthcare institutions also enjoyed progress last week, sailing through the House Ways and Means Education Committee. And bills for a massive education budget were approved too.
Find more details and info on other important #alpolitics news below.
@GovernorKayIvey
April 11
From @ALDailyNews: “Committee approves plan for health care-focused high school in Demopolis” The Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences is what our state needs to expand rural healthcare and its workforce. Let’s get this done for Alabama! #alpolitics
Tuesday, 20th day:
Wednesday, a committee day:
Thursday, 21st day:
Last week, a bill to create an advanced health care sciences high school in Demopolis passed unanimously in the House Ways and Means Education Committee. Governor Ivey first proposed the school in her 2023 “state of the state” address, and in January, Bloomberg Philanthropies pledged $26.4 million to the project, pending state investment. The school would be located adjacent to Bryan W. Whitfield Hospital, giving high-school-aged students firsthand experience. If the legislation becomes law, the school will be the fourth specialized, residential school in the state, but the first in a rural community.
The Alabama House Education Budget Committee approved a record $9.3 billion 2025 spending plan. The proposal is very similar to the proposed budget Governor Kay Ivey sent lawmakers at the start of the session. Funding is split, with 68.2 percent for K-12 education and 25.6 percent for higher education. About 6 percent goes to other agencies. The committee approved a 2-percent raise for K-12 and two-year college educators, as well as support staff. The salary increase will cost an estimated $104.5 million. The committee recommended a one-time spending plan for the Advancement and Technology Fund of $1 billion and also approved a $651.2 million supplemental spending bill for the current year.
The House passed HB73 by a vote of 97-1 last week. The bill limits annual increases in the assessed value of property for tax purposes, capping the increase in assessed value for residential, commercial, farm and timber property at 7 percent as compared to the previous year. The caps would take effect October 1, 2024 and expire October 1, 2027. A fiscal note estimating how much HB73 would reduce revenues was not immediately available. A fiscal note on an earlier version of the bill, when the cap was 5 percent instead of 7 percent, estimated it would reduce tax revenues by $58 million. Education groups have raised concerns about the property tax bill and about the cumulative effect of other bills that will divert money from the Education Trust Fund.
