4/22/2019 Group Watch: AGCO Ribbon Cutting

Last week, Governor Kay Ivey joined company officials and local leaders at AGCO’s facility that will house the new production line. AGCO is a farm equipment manufacturer with over a dozen major product lines. The plant expansion is located in unincorporated Bremen, Alabama, in rural Cullman County. AGCO Corp is investing $5.7 million in the project creating 50 jobs.

4/22/2019 Group Watch: Tweet of the Week

@judgestandridge (Rep. David Standridge)
April 22

Today is “In God We Trust” Day! On April 22, 1864, Congress ordered the redesign of the one-cent piece and the minting of a new two-cent coin bearing the motto. #InGodWeTrust

April 15, 2019 Group Watch: News & Views from the State House

• Tuesday, Day 8 of Regular Session: The House passed the General Fund budget, the Children First appropriations and supplemental appropriation bills. They also passed an enabling bill to provide a cost of living adjustment for state workers beginning October 1, 2019. The Senate passed a number of non-controversial bills and bills of local application only. They also passed bills to further provide for retirement benefits for local employers participating in the Employee Retirement System (ERS) and to establish the Innovation Act, which provides tax credits for qualified research expenses.
• Wednesday, a committee day: The House Ways and Means General Fund Committee approved a bill relating to the simplified sellers use tax to include provisions for amnesty and class actions. The House Financial Services Committee approved a bill relating to the Taxpayers Bill of Rights to eliminate the prohibition against entering into installment payment agreements with certain taxpayers. The House County and Municipal Government Committee approved a bill to further provide for procedures and timing for municipalities seeking a council-manager form of government. The Senate Finance and Taxation General Fund Committee approved a bill providing a one-time, lump-sum payout to Employees’ Retirement System retirees and beneficiaries. The Senate Judiciary Committee approved bills to prohibit racial profiling by law enforcement officers; to provide that a conviction of a parent for rape or incest is a ground for termination of parental rights if the rape or incest resulted in the conception of the child; and to reallocate the number of circuit judges and district judges every 20 years based on population.
• Thursday, Day 9 of Regular Session: The House passed the Anti-Road Rage Act, which prohibits motorists from driving more than a mile and a half in the left lane on interstates. The House also passed a bill to require public employees to be given 10 days in which to request a personnel hearing and requiring that suspension be for a period not to exceed 30 business days, and a bill to authorize the taking of whitetail deer or feral swine by means of bait, when a baiting privilege license is purchased under certain conditions. The Senate gave final approval to 14 House-passed sunset bills that authorize continued operation of those approved. They also confirmed several persons nominated to serve on state boards and commissions.

4/15/2019 Group Watch: Gov Names New Senior Services Commissioner

Governor Kay Ivey announced the appointment of Jean Brown to serve as the new commissioner of the Alabama Department of Senior Services. Brown received her bachelor’s degree from Samford University and her law degree from the University Of Alabama School Of Law. She served as assistant attorney general for 20 years and was elected to the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals and subsequently elected as the first Republican woman to serve on the Alabama Supreme Court. She began her appointment April 15, 2019.

4/15/2019 Group Watch: Tweet of the Week

@shawheel
April 12
Thank you @RepLauraHallD19 for sponsoring HJR118! All 104 House members co-sponsored & voted for the Resolution proclaiming April 30, 2019 as AL Alzheimer’s Awareness Day & commending @ALZ_ALABAMA. Thank you! We must #ENDALZ! #alpoliticsLink to HJR = https://bit.ly/2Izl6Dv 

4/15/2019 Group Watch: New Jobs Coming to Athens

Last week, Governor Ivey announced that Toyota will build its supplier facility about 30 miles from the $1.6 billion MTMUS plant being built in eastern Limestone County. The $50 million manufacturing facility will bring 400 new jobs to Athens in a ripple effect of the giant Mazda Toyota Manufacturing USA plant under construction in Huntsville. This facility is the first announcement of “indirect Jobs” to come to north Alabama as a result of the Mazda Toyota plant. These indirect jobs are expected to be possibly more than twice as many as the 4,000 direct jobs coming to the MTMUS plant once it is operating at full capacity.

4/15/2019 Group Watch: Senator Shelby Honored

The Alabama Legislature passed a resolution honoring the historic accomplishments of U.S. Senator Richard Shelby especially relating to his impact on higher education and research. The resolution outlines his longtime, steadfast support of Pell Grants, which are a critical tool in allowing Alabama students to afford higher educational attainment. It also notes his deep commitment to advance science and technology education and medical research at the University of Alabama, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Auburn University and the University of South Alabama.

April 8, 2019 Group Watch: News & Views from the State House

• Tuesday, Day 5 of Regular Session: The House passed a number of bills of local application and completed work on the last of 15 sunset measures before passing general bills, including those allowing statements to be entered into evidence in child abuse cases by a child under the age of 12 if they were given during forensic interview; to expand and clarify requirements for membership of child advocacy centers in the Alabama Network of Children Advocacy Centers; and to authorize the making of infusions using distilled spirits. The Senate passed bills to allow students in grades 6 to 12 to elect courses on the study of the Bible, monuments, artifacts and symbols; to require insurance companies to provide certain information relating to corporate governance to the state insurance commissioner; and require insurance licensee to provide certain information the state insurance commissioner regarding information security programs.
• Wednesday, Day 6 of Regular Session: The House Ways and Means Education Committee approved a bill giving future public retirees another option for receiving a partial lump-sum distribution. The House Ways and Means General Fund Committee approved bills for the distribution of Children First Trust Fund appropriations, the General Fund budget and an appropriation to the Coalition Against Domestic Violence. The House Judiciary Committee approved a bill described as the Juvenile Justice Reinvestment Fund. The House Economic Development and Tourism Committee approved a bill exempting economic development professionals from the definition of a lobbyist. The Senate Finance and Taxation General Fund Committee approved bills to provide lump-sum merit reward payments for full-time employees at the top of their pay range and to further provide for unspent appropriations transfers to the General Fund Reserve Fund. The Senate Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development Committee approved a bill that further provides for local employers participating in the Employee Retirement System (ERS).
• Thursday, Day 7 of Regular Session: The House passed several bills of local application only and general bills that include bills to further provide for local employers participating in the ERS and to exempt economic development professionals from the definition of lobbyist in certain circumstances. The Senate passed a number of bills of local application only and general bills to criminalize the taking of a video or photo depicting intimate areas of a person without that person’s consent and to require a County Superintendent of Education be appointed unless provided otherwise by the constitution.

4/8/2019 Group Watch: Dueling Lottery Bills Debated

Sharp division emerged concerning electronic gambling during a public hearing on dueling lottery proposals. The Senate Tourism and Marketing Committee heard input on two lottery bills. One bill would start a state lottery and also allow video lottery terminals at licensed locations, including dog tracks in Birmingham, Tuskegee, Mobile and Greene County. Another bill would allow a lottery with paper tickets only. Opponents of the latter bill say that would give the Poarch Creek Indians a monopoly on electronic gambling. No vote was taken but there are obvious details that have to be worked out before a bill leaves the Senate.

4/8/2019 Group Watch: Tweet of the Week

@GovernorKayIvey
April 6
This morning, I was honored to host my first Easter Egg hunt at the Governor’s Mansion for children in the @MagicMomentsALprogram. It was refreshing to see so many little ones running across the lawn to gather eggs & meet the Easter Bunny! #BeyondtheMoment