MONTGOMERY — The Alabama Legislature on Tuesday convened for the 26th day of its 2021 regular session.
There are now only four days remaining in the session.
Tuesday’s proceedings saw the education budget package pass the House in unanimous and nearly-unanimous votes.
The Education Trust Fund budget itself passed as substituted in committee and then amended on the floor. The floor amendment stemmed from negotiations between House Ways and Means Education Chairman Bill Poole (R-Tuscaloosa) and Senate Finance and Taxation Education Chairman Arthur Orr (R-Decatur). Poole indicated that the Senate is likely to concur with the budget bill due to the amendment adoption; this could happen as soon as Thursday.
This marks the third consecutive year that the legislature has passed the state’s largest-ever education budget.
View a full list of Tuesday’s House proceedings here and Senate proceedings here.
The day also saw Senate Finance and Taxation General Fund advance the general fund budget package, which is now in position for Senate floor consideration as soon as Thursday.
House Public Safety and Homeland Security on Tuesday considered an agenda that resulted in Sen. Gerald Allen’s (R-Tuscaloosa) SB 358 getting a favorable report. This bill would create the Alabama Second Amendment Preservation Act. Rep. Wes Allen (R-Troy) is carrying the bill in the House.
Looking ahead
Neither chamber will gavel in on Wednesday, so a legislative day will not be burned. While the committee schedule is slowing down this time of year, there are still plenty of meetings to pay attention to.
This includes Senate Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development at 1:00 p.m. taking up HBs 540 and 609, which stem from recommendations by the Alabama Innovation Commission.
At 1:30 p.m., House Education Policy’s agenda includes Sen. Rodger Smitherman’s (D-Birmingham) SB 94, which would delay implementation of the Alabama Literacy Act.
House Judiciary at the same time has a slate of hot-button bills from both sides of the aisle.
Again at 1:30 p.m., the Joint Transportation Committee will hold its second quarter meeting as required by the Rebuild Alabama Act.
Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
