The 2021 Alabama Legislative Session has now officially come to an end, and I couldn’t be prouder of the way the Senate has operated since the session started in early February.
Due to the coronavirus outbreak cutting the 2020 session short last year, we had a backlog of important priorities that needed to be addressed, as well as a long list of items that were important to the people of Alabama.
There were three pieces of priority legislation that we took up and immediately passed at the beginning of the session. (more…)
MONTGOMERY — The Alabama Legislature on Monday will convene for the 30th and final day of its 2021 regular session.
After a week off, the House will gavel in at 10:00 a.m., with the Senate following an hour later.
Before both chambers adjourn sine die, they will need to finish several items of outstanding housekeeping, including executive amendments, conference committee reports and concurrences.
The House and the Senate will also consider some relatively hot-button bills that are awaiting a third reading (passage) in their respective second houses. There are 113 total bills in that position. (more…)
MONTGOMERY — The Alabama Legislature on Thursday will convene for the 29th and penultimate day of its 2021 regular session.
The House will convene at 8:00 a.m., while the Senate gets in at 10:00 a.m.
The eyes of the state will especially be on the lower chamber on the day, as the House will attempt to finish with the medical marijuana bill left as old business from Tuesday before getting to the comprehensive gaming package on a special order calendar.
It will likely be a long day for the House, which also needs to concur at some point with the conference committee report on SB 215, the broadband bill, before the legislature adjourns sine die. (more…)
MONTGOMERY — The Alabama Legislature on Tuesday will convene for the 28th day of its 2021 regular session.
The House and Senate will each convene at 2:00 p.m. and undertake respective special order calendars. The chambers could also act on conference committee reports regarding the General Fund budget bill and SB 215, related to broadband, among others.
The lower chamber’s special order calendar is expected to center on SB 46, the bill to legalize and regulate medical marijuana in the state.
Before that happens, there will be a few committee meetings to watch. (more…)
MONTGOMERY — The Alabama Legislature on Thursday will convene for the 27th day of its 2021 regular session.
Both chambers are scheduled to gavel in at 10:00 a.m. and will undertake special order calendars.
This comes after a committee day on Wednesday that saw the Senate Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development give favorable reports to HBs 540 and 609, which stem from recommendations by the Alabama Innovation Commission.
Looking ahead to Thursday’s proceedings, the Senate is set to take up two special order calendars if all goes to plan. (more…)
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. (more…)
MONTGOMERY — The Alabama Legislature on Tuesday will convene for the 26th day of its 2021 regular session.
The House will convene at 1:00 p.m., while the Senate gavels in at 2:00 p.m.
The House’s floor agenda is expected to revolve around the Education Trust Fund budget package that was advanced from Ways and Means Education last Thursday. This is set to be the largest education budget in state history for the third consecutive year. (more…)
MONTGOMERY — The Alabama Legislature on Wednesday held committee meetings.
Neither chamber convened, so a legislative day was not burned.
Here is a quick rundown of proceedings: (more…)
MONTGOMERY — The Alabama Legislature on Tuesday convened for the 24th day of its 2021 regular session.
Both chambers worked well into the evening hours.
Here is a quick rundown of proceedings: (more…)
MONTGOMERY — The Alabama Legislature on Tuesday will convene for the 24th day of its 2021 regular session.
The House will convene at 1:00 p.m., while the Senate gets in at 2:00 p.m.
The lower chamber will not take up SB 46, the medical marijuana bill, on this day, April 20. (more…)
MONTGOMERY — The Alabama Legislature on Wednesday held committee meetings.
Neither chamber gaveled in, so a legislative day was not burned.
The Senate’s committee day was highlighted by Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development giving a unanimous favorable report to HB 521, which is sponsored by Rep. Debbie Wood (R-Valley). The bill would generally require health care facilities to allow at least one caregiver or visitor to each patient or resident.
The bill, in part, reads: “The Legislature finds that it is in the best interests of the residents of Alabama to continue to have access to their loved ones receiving acute care or residing in long-term care facilities during a public health emergency and that companionship with one’s loved ones during that time can provide support and peace of mind that positively impacts the healing process.”
An amendment by Sen. Garland Gudger (R-Cullman) tacked on during the committee meeting reads as follows: “The Legislature also finds that Representative Debbie Woods, whose mother, Peggy Hamby, succumbed to COVID-19, is forever remembered by the Alabama Legislature in the spirit of this bill. This bill represents Mrs. Hamby and the countless Alabamians who tragically lost relatives and loved ones during the COVID-19 pandemic.” (more…)
MONTGOMERY — The Alabama Legislature on Tuesday convened for the 22nd day of its 2021 regular session.
Both chambers had busy days, lasting into the night.
Here’s a rundown of the day’s proceedings: (more…)
MONTGOMERY — The Alabama Legislature on Tuesday will convene for the 22nd day of its 2021 regular session.
There will also be a few committee meetings held on the day. View the Senate committee schedule here and the House committee schedule here.
The House will convene at 1:00 p.m. and take up a 19-bill special order calendar. (more…)
MONTGOMERY — The Alabama Legislature met for the 20th day of its 2021 regular session.
Several important committee meetings were also held.
Here’s a rundown of the day’s proceedings: (more…)
MONTGOMERY — The Alabama Legislature on Tuesday convened for the 19th day of its 2021 regular session.
In addition to both chambers convening into the evening hours, there were important committee meetings held earlier in the day.
Here’s a rundown of the day’s proceedings: (more…)
MONTGOMERY — The Alabama Legislature on Tuesday will convene for the 19th day of its 2021 regular session.
This comes after both chambers met into the late afternoon hours last Thursday.
The Senate’s day, which can be followed in a live tweet thread here, featured cloturing of Democratic filibusters throughout.
After all was said and done, the upper chamber had — among others — passed SB 97, HB 103 and SB 308. (more…)
MONTGOMERY — The Alabama Senate on Thursday passed a bill that would effectively end the distinction between so-called “non-essential” and “essential” businesses when it comes to states of emergency imposed by the State of Alabama.
HB 103 is sponsored by Rep. Jamie Kiel (R-Russellville) and was carried in the Senate by Sen. Garlan Gudger (R-Cullman).
If a business or other entity such as a church were able to comply with current health orders, that entity would be able to continue conducting business and keep its doors open under HB 103; the government would not be able to selectively pick and choose which businesses remain open and which have to close. (more…)
MONTGOMERY — The Alabama Legislature on Wednesday held a committee-only day.
Because this is a two-day legislative week, a legislative day was not burned.
However, the committee schedule for both chambers was packed. (more…)
MONTGOMERY — The Alabama Legislature on Tuesday convened for the 17th day of its 2021 regular session.
This was the first day after the legislature’s one-week spring break.
The House gaveled in at 1:00 p.m., while the Senate got in at 2:00 p.m. (more…)
MONTGOMERY — The Alabama Legislature on Tuesday will convene for the 17th day of its 2021 regular session.
This will be the first day back after the legislature’s annual spring break, which lasted one week this year.
During that brief hiatus, Senate Pro Tem Greg Reed (R-Jasper) reiterated just how busy this session has been thus far. There can be a maximum of 30 legislative days in the session. (more…)
MONTGOMERY — The Alabama House on Thursday afternoon passed HB 445 as substituted and amended in committee; this is the anti-rioting bill sponsored by Rep. Allen Treadaway (R-Morris) that would create new crimes and penalties for individuals who incite or participate in riots.
Treadaway, a 31-year career law enforcement officer who recently retired as Birmingham Police Department assistant chief, introduced the bill after protesting turned into violent and destructive rioting, looting and arson for one night in the Magic City this past summer.
The bill has been met with controversy, with Democrats concerned the bill would negatively affect peaceful protesting rather than just riotous behavior. Treadaway has argued that the bill would help protect peaceful protesters from agitators and people who attempt to hijack protests to commit crimes.
“The First Amendment is something I believe in greatly,” he has said. (more…)
MONTGOMERY — The Alabama Senate on Thursday afternoon unanimously passed a $7.67 billion Education Trust Fund budget for fiscal year 2022, the largest education budget in state history.
The budget bill, SB 189, is sponsored by Sen. Arthur Orr (R-Decatur), the chairman of the Committee on Finance and Taxation Education. The legislation was approved unanimously by the committee on Tuesday. The Senate passed the bill as substituted by the committee and then as amended once on the floor.
Several other bills that comprise the rest of the education budget package also passed the upper chamber on Thursday.
All together, the Senate-approved education budget addresses several important priorities, including the following: (more…)
MONTGOMERY — The Alabama Legislature on Wednesday held committee meetings.
Neither chamber convened, so a legislative day was not burned. The committee schedule was relatively light compared to an average week this session.
Here is a rundown of the day’s proceedings: (more…)
MONTGOMERY — The Alabama Legislature on Tuesday met for the 15th day of its 2021 regular session.
This marked the halfway point in legislative days for the session.
Here is a rundown of the day’s proceedings: (more…)