Meet the updated ALISON, the Legislature’s recently redesigned website
The 2016 Session of the Alabama Legislature begins next week and, according to Secretary of the Senate Pat Harris, inquisitive residents should have no problem following all of the action from the Legislature’s newly updated website, Alabama Legislative Information System Online, also known as ALISON. The website was built in-house by the Legislature’s tech staff, and Harris says that’s what makes the site “one of the best in the country.” “The website that had been there for so long just needed to be updated,” Harris said. “There’s so much more of a demand for information today.” Work began on the website just before the start of the 2015 Legislative Session but, because last year’s Session took so many unexpected turns, Harris and his staff didn’t have the time required to complete the upgrades to the site. The new website has an increased bandwidth and number of servers in order to cater to the large number of people interested in downloading bills and other documents and watching the Legislative Sessions live, as well as those using the ALISON WiFi while visiting the statehouse. The site has also been updated to cater to various mobile devices, such as phones and tablets. “We’re constantly working on it,” Harris said. “We’ve pretty much ironed our way through most it. I’m pleased.”
Study: Alabama earns a “D” in lobbying transparency
According to a new national survey, Alabama ranks near the bottom of the pack among states when it comes to lobbying transparency and disclosure practices. The Sunlight Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based public interest watchdog group, gave Alabama a D in a new study. State lobbying ethics laws were scrutinized via five different rubrics — Alabama’s were docked points in two, scored a “0” in one and was appraised positively in just one. The state was dinged in the report for lobbyist compensation and expenditure reporting laws, while the foundation gave the state neutral scores for disclosure of what issues lobbyists actively work on and accessibility of documents via the state’s online “ALISON” system. Alabama was specifically cited three times throughout the report, including negative remarks on thresholds for disclosure (as opposed to all activities being reported) and access to records, and a positive comment about disclosure of conflicts of interest. “Disappointingly, few states force lobbyists to explicitly name the bills, politicians or executive agencies that they are hoping to influence or how they want the legislator to vote,” reads the study. “This winds up being fairly opaque in states like Alabama, where a politician must receive over $500 in a quarter from a lobbyist to be revealed.” “It’s nice to see states actively disclose potential conflicts of interest,” the report goes on. “Alabama … has a similar requirement.” Finally, the Sunlight Foundation uncorked this one regarding the code of Alabama. “Alabama can work to improve the public’s access to lobbying data. Currently, if you are interested in learning about lobbying in the state, you must file a request online for the expenditure reports of specific lobbyist or lobbyists. The request must ask for information exactly as it is provided on the website. After the files are delivered to you, they expire after 72 hours, regardless of whether you have opened them or not.” Alabama was joined in receiving its “gentleman’s D,” as it were, by 11 other states including fellow southern states Tennessee and Arkansas. The Yellowhammer state beat out West Virginia and Florida, which both received failing grades. Massachusetts took top honors.
