Latest bills to hit Alabama Legislature address Common Core, alcohol and tax breaks
With the 2016 legislative session under way, a slew of bills have been filed and are making the rounds through various committees of the Alabama Legislature. Several of those bills are aimed at tackling House and Senate Republicans’ recently announced legislative agendas, including bills to add Alabama’s status as a “Right to Work” state to the state’s Constitution (HB37), a bill declaring the sell of fetal tissue illegal (HB45), tax credits for state ports (HB34) and small businesses (HB36) and a bill aimed at providing broadband Internet to rural areas of the state (HB41). Rep. Alan Boothe (R-Troy) has filed HB46, which will allow Alabama distilleries to sell up to 750 milliliters, commonly referred to as a “fifth,” to customers for off-premise consumption annually. The bill comes after the Alabama Alcohol Beverage Study Commission made several recommendations a few weeks ago to put the state on an even keel with other states. Rep. Bill Poole (R-Tuscaloosa) has offered a bill, HB47, that would allow for warrantless arrests of people found trespassing on school property in “certain conditions.” Current law states that officers may arrest citizens without a warrant in multiple cases, including if the officer has “reasonable cause to believe” a felony or misdemeanor has been committed. This bill simply adds trespassing on educational premises to that clause. In the Senate, Sen. Rusty Glover (R-Mobile) has filed a bill, SB60, which will repeal Common Core curriculum standards in the state and revert back to Math and English courses used before the adoption of the new standards. Further, the bill would restrict the Alabama Department of Education from “adopting or implementing” any national standards or “requiring the use of any assessments” associated with a national program. Contrary to the call in Glover’s bill, Senate Pro Tem Del Marsh (R-Anniston) stated during Wednesday’s agenda announcement that curriculum decisions should be left up to the state school board and, should the repeal get through committee, there is likely not enough votes to pass it. The legislature will reconvene Tuesday at 9 a.m. when those bills which have made it through committee, including two child abuse sentencing bills addressed in the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday, will inch closer to seeing their day on the floor.
Lawmakers to recommend new measures on distribution, sale of alcoholic beverages
The Alabama Alcohol Beverage Study Commission met Tuesday to approve three recommended measures that will be forwarded to the Alabama House and Senate for discussion. The commission was established to examine Alabama’s laws on the “manufacture, distribution and sale of alcohol beverages” and to study whether or not those laws were “competitive and consistent” with related laws across the country, according to a news release. The following three measures, which address different types of alcohol, were approved by the commission: 1.) Beer Licensed brewers and brew pubs producing less than 60,000 barrels of beer annually will be allowed to directly sell up to 228 ounces, comparable to a case of beer, per consumer each day for off-premise consumption. The law would apply to both draft and package beer. Brewers and brew pubs would be permitted to deliver two kegs of beer for donation to charitable or nonprofit events. The requirement that brew pubs be stationed in historic areas would be abolished. 2.)Wine Alabama wineries would be allowed to establish one ABC-approved, off-site location to sell their product. 3.)Spirits Spirit manufacturers would be allowed to sell up to 750 ml, the equivalent of a “fifth,” per consumer annually for off-premise consumption. Rep. Alan Harper (R-Northport) and Sen. Paul Sanford (R-Huntsville) co-chair the commission and noted that input from the public was used in deciding which recommendations should be presented to the legislature. “We received a tremendous amount of feedback from citizens, industry leaders, and businesses across the state during our public hearings, and we believe these recommendations are the best first step towards improving our alcoholic beverage laws in Alabama,” Harper was quoted as saying in the news release. “We are grateful to everyone who participated in the process.” Further, brewers and industry groups are also celebrating the work of the commission, whose recommendations must still be taken up by the Legislature. Bob Parker, owner of Montgomery’s only brew pub, Railyard Brewing Co., was thrilled with the possibilities. “This gets my beer into your house,” Parker said. “That’s a big deal for me.” Parker noted that the revenue that such a move would generate pales in comparison to the “experience” of being able to go down to your local pub and buy a “growler.” The Alabama Brewers Guild and the Alabama Beer Wholesalers Association are also celebrating the news, noting that such moves will put Alabama on an even keel to compete with surrounding states in the “burgeoning industry of craft beer.”
