February 24, 2020 Group Watch: Tweet of the Week
@alabamacounts
Feb 20
State leaders say this could be the most important census in Alabama history. Make #ALCount on March 12.
February 24, 2020 Group Watch: Lawmakers Move to Block Smoking in Cars with Kids
The House passed a bill last week to prohibit smoking or vaping in vehicles carrying children ages 14 and younger. Rep. Rolanda Hollis of Birmingham was the bill’s sponsor, and it passed by a vote of 78-19. The bill would impose a fine up to $100 for violations. Violations would be secondary offenses, meaning the police could only charge a driver if they stopped them on probable cause for a separate offense such as speeding or not wearing a seat belt.
February 24, 2020 Group Watch: Bill to Allow College Athletes Compensation Introduced in the House
A bill that would allow college athletes to make money off the use of their name and likeness was introduced in the House last week. The “Fair Pay to Play” bill, sponsored by Rep. Kirk Hatcher (D-Montgomery) is a hot topic and should see some good debate in coming weeks. California has already passed a similar law, and the NCAA’s top governing board voted unanimously to allow this type of player compensation in late 2019, but details on specifics are still being finalized. The bill also calls for the creation of an injury and wage account, funded by revenues from athletic events. The wages in the account would be evenly distributed to all athletes at the end of each year. The injury funds would be given to athletes suffering a career-ending injury; they would receive the funds once they graduate.
February 24, 2020 Group Watch: Blue Origin Opens AL Rocket Facility
Last week, Blue Origin opened a sprawling factory in Alabama’s “Rocket City” that will allow the spaceflight company to accelerate production of its heavy-lift BE-4 rocket engine and create hundreds of jobs. The BE-4, which is under development, will power Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket as well as the United Launch Alliance’s new Vulcan rocket, which is being produced at ULA’s factory in nearby Decatur. The company’s 350,0000-square-foot facility, located in Cummings Research Park. will employ more than 300 people with another 200 jobs over the next year.
February 24, 2020 Group Watch: Senate Committee Approves Medical Marijuana Bill
Last week, a medical marijuana bill cleared its first hurdle in the legislature when the Senate Judiciary Committee approved the bill by a vote of 8-1 (with one member abstaining). The bill by Republican Senator Tim Melson would allow people to be prescribed medical marijuana for 15 conditions including cancer, anxiety and chronic pain. They could purchase cannabis products at a licensed dispensary. The bill would allow marijuana in forms such as pills, gelatinous cubes, oils, skin patches, gels and creams. It would prohibit products consumed by smoking or vaping. The proposal now moves to the Senate.
February 24, 2020 Group Watch: Landfill Bill Makes Progress
A bill that clarifies which materials (other than dirt) can be used as “alternative cover” at landfill sites and also spells out how the Alabama Department of Environmental Management will decide what is and isn’t allowed unanimously passed the House last Thursday, despite early opposition from some Democrats.
February 24, 2020 Group Watch: Listen Up
Want to listen to an update of all the activity in the legislature last week? Check out this episode of the Legislation Matters podcast, here.
February 17, 2020 Group Watch: News & Views from the State House
In the second week of session, lots of local application only bills moved through committees and both chambers. A bill to create a statewide emergency notification system was approved by the Senate, and a bill to prohibit new municipal occupational taxes was passed in the House. Here are details:
- Tuesday, February 11 (3rd day of session): The House Ways and Means General Fund Committee met and approved several bills, among which were bills to provide for supplemental appropriation to several self- perpetuating boards, to repeal the requirement that the Onsite Wastewater Board transfer unencumbered funds to the State General Fund and to authorize cities and counties to form development authorities for property adjacent to U.S. Air Force Bases. The Senate Governmental Affairs Committee met and approved several bills including those to authorize municipalities to establish entertainment districts within their territorial limits and to allow class-8 municipalities alternative procedures to declare a public nuisance after prior abatement weeds. The House approved two bills of local application only relating to Talladega County and a general bill to prohibit municipal occupational taxes if not already in effect unless authorized by local law. The Senate approved general bills to add a consumer member appointed by the governor to the State Board of Respiratory Therapy, to add a nonresident member to the University of Montevallo board of trustees and to require reduced speed school zones in a municipality.
- Wednesday, February 12 (committee day): Only a few bills were considered in House committees, as House members traveled to North Alabama to attend the funeral of a spouse of a fellow member. The House County and Municipal Government Committee approved bills to limit the power of mayors to grant pardons in cases of domestic violence and to further provide for the definition of landfill relating to solid waste disposal. The Senate Judiciary Committee approved bills to create a Sexual Assault Task Force and to further provide for the rights of victims, to require use of electronic monitoring for release on bail for persons charged with certain violent offenses and to further provide for the crime of shoplifting. The Senate Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development Committee approved bills to further provide for the definition of landfill relating to solid waste disposal, to establish a General Fund Budget Reserve Fund and to require Class 1-5 municipalities to adopt a municipal plan as a condition for receiving grants from the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs.
- Thursday, February 13 (4th day of session): The House passed bills of local application only and general bills to exempt County Boards of Education from the competitive law for certain leases of goods or services, to add law enforcement officers to the protected class for hate crimes and to require properties annexed with overlapping police jurisdictions to have the consent of all affected municipalities. The Senate approved bills to create a Statewide Emergency Notification System, to authorize municipalities to establish entertainment within jurisdictional limits and to include missing and endangered persons suffering from a mental or physical disability in the Missing and Endangered Person law.
February 17, 2020 Group Watch: Tweet of the Week
@thebloomgroup
Feb 16
I found out recently our friend Rep. John Rogers wife passed away a few weeks ago. Our belated thoughts and prayers are with John.
February 17, 2020 Group Watch: Vote on Medical Marijuana Bill
Republican Senator Tim Melson’s bill to make medical marijuana legal in Alabama has been introduced and will be heard in the Senate Judiciary committee on Wednesday. The bill would make marijuana legal to treat 15 conditions, including cancer and chronic pain, but it would only be available in the form of pills or creams, not for smoking or vaping or in edibles. Melson said he expects opposition (including from AL Attorney General Steve Marshall) but believes there are many in Alabama who could benefit from the use of medical marijuana.
