Paul DeMarco: Alabama lawmakers passage of Sergeant Nick Risner Act important milestone for 2022 legislative session
So another Alabama Legislative Session has come and gone. This session resulted in a lot of storylines that folks will be analyzing for weeks on what are the long-term implications for the state and all Alabama citizens. One of the most important bills that passed was the Sergeant Nick Risner Act, which would bar the early release of felons from Alabama State Prisons if they had been convicted of the death of another person with a deadly weapon. Too many inmates convicted of violent crimes have gotten out of prison to commit more of the same and create more crime victims. The bill was introduced after the murder of Sheffield Police Officer Nick Risner, who was killed in the line of duty this past fall by a felon who should have never been on the streets. The man that shot and killed Sgt. Risner had been released from prison after only serving three years of a 10-year sentence for manslaughter because of Alabama’s good time laws. Sgt. Risner was one of three police officers in Alabama killed by gunfire in the line of duty in 2021. Last year was the deadliest year ever for law enforcement nationwide. It was important for Alabama lawmakers to approve legislation that would put public safety first as there had been a number of bills passed in the most recent four years which weakened the state’s criminal justice system. The effort to soften penalties for criminals has been a factor in the national spike in crime. Alabama has been no different, as the violence in our state has mirrored what has happened across the country. And this effort will continue next year as more progressive advocacy groups work to take away vital tools from prosecutors and release more inmates from state prisons. Voters need to remind candidates for Alabama state office this election season that they expect public safety to always be their number one priority. However, when we look back at the 2022 Alabama Legislative Session, passage of the Sergeant Nick Risner Act was a success for the state’s State Representatives and Senators and the right way to honor this fallen officer. Paul DeMarco is a former member of the Alabama House of Representatives. Follow on Twitter at @Paul_DeMarco.
Rep. Terri Sewell joins bipartisan bill to protect employer-provided worksite health clinics
Last week Reps. Terri Sewell and Brad Wenstrup introduced bipartisan bill H.R. 7487, the Employee Access to Worksite Health Services Act. The bill would protect employees’ access to health care at their workplace health center by correcting a provision of the tax code that currently disincentivizes employers from offering worksite health clinics. Worksite health clinics are offered by many large employers and state and local governments. They play a critical role in the health and well-being of employees across the nation. In 2021, more than 60 percent of large companies offered worksite health clinics. “Workers in Alabama and across this nation rely on their employer’s worksite health clinics to access critical health care services. These clinics make our communities healthier and offer countless benefits to companies and the workers they employ,” stated Sewell. “We must ensure that our tax code rewards—not penalizes—employers for making these clinics available at the workplace. The Employee Access to Worksite Health Services Act is a commonsense bill that does just that. I’m proud to partner with Congressman Brad Wenstrup to introduce this bill and urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to give it their full support.” Wenstrup, lead Republican sponsor, argued that the bill will correct how the tax system currently disincentivizes employers from offering worksite health clinics. Under Internal Revenue Code Section 223, employees are prohibited from contributing pre-tax dollars to a Health Savings Account (HSA) if they also receive certain supplemental health benefits at no cost or under fair market value. Employers are then forced to limit the scope of services offered to HSA enrollees or deny them access enjoyed by other employees and their family members. Wenstrup stated, “Our communities here in Ohio and across the country rely on worksite health clinics to provide valuable resources which keep people healthier longer by providing interventions and preventative healthcare. Our tax system currently disincentivizes employers from offering worksite health clinics, and this bill corrects that. I’m happy to work with Congresswoman Terri Sewell, Congressman Mike Kelly, and Congressman Earl Blumenauer on this important legislation and I hope my colleagues will do the same; let’s keep America’s employees healthy.” The bill will amend IRC Section 223 to clarify that accessing services provided through a worksite health clinic does not render an individual ineligible to make pretax contributions to their HSA.
Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan endorses Casey Wardynski for Alabama’s 5th Congressional District race
Ohio Republican Congressman Jim Jordan announced his endorsement of Republican Casey Wardynski in Alabama’s 5th Congressional District race. Jordan, who was elected to Congress in 2006, has been a leading conservative figure within the House Republican Caucus. He helped found and was elected by his colleagues to chair the House Freedom Caucus. As a budget committee member, he offered more spending cuts than any other Member of Congress. Before serving as a principal official in the Donald Trump Administration, Wardynski served a thirty-year career in the U.S. Army. During his military career, he received the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, and four Meritorious Service Medals. Jordan praised Wardynski and his military career, stating in a press release, “Casey Wardynski is a battle-tested conservative with a record of taking on the swamp. As Assistant Secretary of the Army, Casey helped President Trump build the wall, stop Critical Race Theory at West Point, and root out waste. He is just the kind of fighter we need in Congress to take on Biden and the radical Left.” Wardynski expressed thanks and admiration for Rep. Jordan, calling him a conservative ‘stalwart’ and thanking him for the endorsement. “If you’ve seen Congressman Jordan in one of the many House Judiciary Committee hearings, you know he’s a true conservative patriot,” said Wardynski. “He has done a phenomenal job taking on Russiagate hoaxers, and I’m honored that he has decided to endorse my campaign for Congress. Aside from being the ranking member on Judiciary, he’s a conservative stalwart who holds the Biden Administration in check. I look forward to working with him to continue the Trump Agenda, stop the reckless ways of DC, and put an end to the crazy woke culture Biden and the far left are pushing on our nation.” The primary election is on May 24, 2022. Wardynski is one of six Republicans looking to replace U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks. The other candidates are Kevin Blalock, John Roberts, Paul Sanford, Dale Strong, and Harrison Wright.
Dan Sutter: War, policy, and high gas prices
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sent already rising oil prices even higher. Record gas prices are fueling the highest inflation rate in forty years. President Joe Biden blames high gas prices on Mr. Vladimir Putin, but administration policies are hampering U.S. oil production. Markets are forward-looking and incorporate new information almost instantaneously. Anticipated events will affect commodity and stock prices before they occur. Experts’ surprise at the full-scale invasion suggests that this likely explains the price rise from $90 to $120 per barrel over the next two weeks. But the increase from $40 in October 2020 to $90 in February seems hard to blame on Mr. Putin. The Institute for Energy Research (IER) maintains a scorecard on Biden energy policies. Mr. Biden canceled the Keystone XL pipeline on Inauguration Day. The XL segment was not going to be completed until 2023, so White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki is correct that this is not reducing oil supplies today. But by foreshadowing administration policies, it could easily have driven up prices. The Biden administration has stopped development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the Alaska National Petroleum Reserve and halted new leases on Federal lands and waters. A court ruling blocking a large Gulf of Mexico lease has not been appealed. Ms. Psaki repeatedly cites 9,000 unused Federal leases as demonstrating industry culpability for high prices. As IER explains, oil production involves two steps: leases and drilling permits. Companies first sign leases for exploration and then apply for drilling permits where oil is found. A near doubling of the permit approval time under President Biden has produced a backlog of 4,000 applications. President Biden has reversed President Donald Trump’s reforms of the National Environmental Protection Act and the Clean Water Act. The policy process previously allowed environmental groups to endlessly litigate required environmental reviews, tying up production and pipelines for years. Wise policy should balance environmental costs and economic benefits and proceed when we decide that the benefits outweigh the costs. Prior to the Trump reforms, environmental groups nearly possessed veto power. Mr. Biden is simply, in IER’s view, delivering on his 2020 election pledge: “No ability for the oil industry to continue to drill period. It ends.” And now the President is asking Iran, Venezuela, and Saudi Arabia to pump more oil. Everyone, it seems, except America. Anyone believing that climate change poses an existential threat to humanity must advocate such policies. Meeting the new goal of limiting temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius will require an end to the use of fossil fuels within ten or twenty years, not the distant future. Prices and quantities are related. At a sufficiently high price, the quantity consumers are willing and able to purchase (the textbook definition of demand) will be zero. Banning gasoline pushes the quantity to zero but can also be interpreted as driving the price to infinity. High and rising gas prices are not a flaw of fighting global warming, they are the plan. The only glitch is perhaps that the Ukraine invasion gave us 2023’s price of gas in March 2022, resulting in more pain sooner than intended. California Governor Gavin Newsome, who wants to ban the sale of gas-powered cars by 2030, now generously proposes rebates to Californians as relief from $6 a gallon gas. We may be approaching a point of no return for domestic oil and natural gas production. Developing oil and gas involves enormous capital investment in wells, storage, transportation (pipelines or railroads), and refining or processing. These investments require years of use to recoup. I do not support ending fossil fuel use to fight global warming, and you may wish to discount my investment insight. But how can drilling oil or natural gas wells to be used for only twenty (or perhaps now fifteen or ten) years be profitable? A four-year reprieve from a Republican president may soon be irrelevant. A credible commitment not to ban fossil fuels may soon be necessary to significantly increase production. Daniel Sutter is the Charles G. Koch Professor of Economics with the Manuel H. Johnson Center for Political Economy at Troy University and host of Econversations on TrojanVision. The opinions expressed in this column are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the views of Troy University.
What was approved in the Alabama 2022 legislative session
Alabama lawmakers on Friday ended an election-year session that saw Republicans push through measures ranging from gun legislation to a ban on gender-affirming medications for transgender minors. Here is a look at some of the measures that passed and failed in the 2022 regular legislative session: WHAT WAS APPROVED: PERMITLESS CONCEALED CARRY Alabama will become the 22nd state to allow people to carry concealed handguns without first undergoing a background check and getting a state permit. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed the legislation into law soon after it was approved by lawmakers. The new law, which takes effect Jan. 1, 2023, will end the requirement for a person to get a concealed carry permit to carry a loaded handgun concealed under their clothes, in a car, or in a purse or bag. The proposal had been introduced for years in Montgomery, before finally winning approval this year. TRANSGENDER MEDICATION BAN FOR PEOPLE UNDER 19 The bill would make it a felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, to prescribe puberty blockers or hormones to transgender people under age 19 to help in their gender transition. Alabama is the second state to try to impose a ban on gender-affirming care for minors and the first to impose criminal penalties. Ivey signed the legislation a day after it was approved. Groups have vowed to challenge the law in court. A similar measure in Arkansas, which would have banned doctors from prescribing the medications, was blocked by a federal judge. “DON’T SAY GAY”/ BATHROOM BILL The bill would mandate that in public K-12 schools, students can only use multi-person bathrooms and locker rooms that correspond with the gender on their original birth certificate. It also includes what critics have dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” provision that would prohibit classroom instruction or discussion on sexual orientation or gender identity for students in kindergarten through the fifth grade. Ivey signed the legislation Friday. It also is expected to be challenged in court. TEACHER PAY Alabama lawmakers approved the largest teacher pay raise in a generation to try to combat a teacher shortage. Teachers with nine or more years of experience would get raises ranging from 5% to up to nearly 21%. A teacher with a bachelor’s degree and 20 years of experience would see their minimum salary rise from $51,810 to $57,214. Teachers with less than nine years of experience would see a 4% raise. PANDEMIC MONEY Alabama will spend $772 million in pandemic relief funds from the American Rescue Plan on a mix of broadband, water, sewer projects, and health care reimbursements. Lawmakers met in a January special session to approve the spending plan that had broad bipartisan support. Alabama faced criticism last year for using $400 million — nearly 20% of the state’s total $2.1 billion allocation from the American Rescue Plan — for prison construction. DELAY OF READING PROMOTION Alabama lawmakers voted to delay a high-stakes requirement to hold back third-graders who don’t meet reading benchmarks. The requirement was set to begin this spring. Lawmakers voted to delay it until the 2023-2024 school year. Many lawmakers expressed concern about putting the requirement on students after the pandemic interrupted classroom instruction for two years. TAX CUTS Lawmakers approved a series of tax cuts for people and businesses. One bill will increase the optional standard deduction by $1,000 for married taxpayers and by $500 for single, married filing separately and head of household taxpayers. It would also increase the adjusted gross income range allowable for the maximum optional standard deduction and for the dependent exemption. Another approved bill will exempt up to $6,000 in retirement income from state income taxes for people who are 65 years of age or older. REMOVING RACIST LANGUAGE Alabama voters in November will vote on a plan to strip racist language, such as provisions about poll taxes and segregated schools, from the Alabama Constitution. The sections were invalidated by court rulings but remain in the document. The plan also reorganizes the massive, sprawling document that has nearly 1,000 constitutional amendments to try to make it more user-friendly. WHAT FAILED: Lottery and casino legislation failed again amid longstanding disputes over who should get casino licenses. A sweeping school choice bill that would have let parents tap $5,500 per year to pay for private school or other school options also failed. A bill to ban a list of “divisive concepts” from being taught in K-12 classrooms and state worker training was approved in the House of Representatives but did not get a Senate vote. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Legislators Celebrate Tenth Annual “Napoleon Bracy Bow Tie Day”
On Sine Die, the final day of the Alabama Legislative Session, it has become an honored tradition for members of the Alabama House of Representatives to celebrate “Napoleon Bracy Bow Tie Day.” The 2022 Session is the tenth anniversary of this unique bipartisan tradition. Rep. Napoleon Bracy, who is the only representative who wears bow ties every day in the State House, began the annual ritual to encourage unity within the body and to ensure the session ended on an upbeat and bipartisan note. “Bow Tie Day was especially significant this year,” according to Rep. Bracy, “because this has been a particularly divisive legislative session. However, on Sine Die, it’s important for us to put our differences aside and remember that the people of Alabama elected us to represent their best interests. We celebrate Bow Tie Day in a true spirit of bipartisanship and it is an annual reminder of what we can accomplish together for the people of Alabama.”
Lawmakers back registry for Fort McClellan veterans
Alabama lawmakers have passed a resolution supporting the creation of a health registry for veterans who served at the Army’s defunct Fort McClellan and were exposed to toxins. Once the home of chemical weapons training and other activities, McClellan was located in Anniston for eight decades before it closed in 1999. The Department of Veterans Affairs doesn’t assume that soldiers have health problems from working there, and it doesn’t have a database to document problems. But the State Board of Veterans Affairs passed a resolution to create a registry of toxic exposure last fall, and it says the Legislature has now followed suit. The resolution helps by telling Congress not to forget about veterans who were stationed at McClellan, Scott Gelding, vice-chair of the state board, said in a statement. “The health registry also goes a long way in helping to determining any associated health risks and conditions that may have been associated with their time there on the installation,” he said. Aside from potential exposure to toxic materials related to the military, the area had potential contamination linked to an old chemical plant in Anniston. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
