House Judiciary panel blocks LGBT civil rights bill
On Wednesday, members of the public were prepared to weigh in on Rep. Chris England’s proposal to expand civil rights protections to include more members of the LGBT community. However, at the last minute, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Mike Jones announced that the public hearing had been cancelled. The committee voted instead to carry House Bill 615 over for further discussion. HB 615 would establish civil rights protections against any discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, or familiar status. England said that each characteristic identified in the bill – race, class, and religion, for example – had been because the group had suffered some form of discrimination. England told lawmakers, “There has been some history that if it isn’t enumerated, it isn’t protected.” Rep. Merika Coleman-Evans offered her support of the bill, saying, “It would be nice for Alabama to be at the beginning of the trend and not always at the tail end.” However, other lawmakers expressed concerns over whether the language in HB 615 could be challenged in the courts. “I would like to table this until we’ve had more time for discussion,” Rep. David Faulkner said. “This bill came very late and it raises some very big issues.” England’s bill is one of two civil rights bills that committee members discussed this week. On Tuesday, the panel gave a favorable report to House Bill 657, companion legislation to a proposal filed last week by Sen. Del Marsh to ban discrimination against state employees on the basis of “immutable” characteristics unrelated to a person’s job performance.
Alabama legislative agenda preview: May 26-28
Tuesday will be the 25th Legislative Day for Alabama lawmakers, leaving just five more days for the legislature to pass a general fund budget. Sen. Gerald Dial has filed a constitutional amendment to unify the education and general fund budgets for future years in an effort to solve the long-term imbalance in funding between the two funding pools. While an earlier proposal filed in the Senate would allow the two funds to share growth revenue, Senate Bill 502 would create a single budget without any earmarks for specific programs or budget items. The Senate finance and taxation panel is expected to vote on the proposal on Tuesday at 1:00 pm. We may see more news from the Senate on Tuesday as Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh confirmed plans to bring his lottery and gaming proposal to the floor for a vote. House members are scheduled to vote Tuesday on House Bill 664, a plan from Sen. Jabo Waggoner to allow members of the Alabama Public Charter School Commission to be appointed by the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, President Pro Tempore of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives rather than the state board of education. According to the House special order calendar, members are also scheduled to vote Tuesday on bills to allow age-appropriate sexual abuse awareness programs in public schools, establish greater protection for victims of domestic violence, and a measure to block abortion clinics from operating near public schools. Here are a few of the items on committee agendas this week: … The House Judiciary committee will consider two bills this week to strengthen civil rights protections in the LGBT community. On Tuesday, the panel will hear public comment on House Bill 657, companion legislation to a proposal filed last week by Sen. Del Marsh to ban employment discrimination on the basis of gender expression, gender identity and sexual orientation. The next day, lawmakers will hold a public hearing on House Bill 615, Rep. Chris England’s proposal to establish civil rights protections against any discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, or familiar status. … The House committee on public safety is scheduled to vote on House Bill 261, the companion bill to Senate Bill 468, also known as the Alabama Dog Tethering and Outdoor Shelter Act. Rep. Steve McMillan brought the bill to make it illegal for dog owners to tie their pets to stationary objects and says that any pet kept outside must have adequate food, water, and shelter.
LGBT rights bill to get public hearing in state Senate
An Alabama Senate committee is planning to hear from the public on a bill to offer employment protections for the LGBT community. Senate Bill 482 would ban state officials from discriminating against employees based on sexuality and gender expression, in addition to of race, ethnicity, or religion. The bill does not apply to private sector employers. Sen. President Pro Tem Del Marsh, said that he sees the LGBT rights bill as an economic development issue after hearing concerns from businesses considering moving to Alabama. “We want to dispel any thoughts that we’re not a state that protects all people,” Marsh said. Dispelling that perception, according to Sen. Marsh, means that a proposal to give officiants the right to refuse to perform marriage ceremonies may not pass the Senate. “What I do not want to do is have a perception that Alabama is attacking any group,” Marsh told reporters after the committee meeting. “I don’t expect those other bills to come to the floor.” Marsh also said timing would be a factor in getting any measures on LGBT discrimination passed this session. Senate Bill 482 was introduced Tuesday and the Senate Governmental Affairs committee met Thursday to discuss the bill. Sen. Dick Brewbaker said the quick turnaround leaves little time for concerns from both sides to be properly considered. “People who want to have a say didn’t get notice,” he said. “We have to let people have their say.” He later added, “The committee can vote with 48 hours notice. There’s no need to wait until next Wednesday.” Brewbaker and others also expressed concern about the language in the bill, saying that the state could not offer protections to state employees, but not recognize protections for employees in the private sector. The narrow scope could mean that Senate Bill 482 is unconstitutional, according to Sen. Phil Williams. “You can’t separate classes,” said Brewbaker. “You can offer protections to state employees and not another.” Another bill in the House would apply to all employers. House Bill 615 sponsored by Rep. Chris England is in the House judiciary committee and has not been scheduled for a vote.
