State Rep. Mary Moore proposes ban on semiautomatic gun sales
One Alabama lawmaker has introduced a bill banning semiautomatic firearms sales in the wake of the Feb. 14 shooting at a high school in Parkland, Fla. Birmingham-Democrat state Rep. Mary Moore introduced HB472 on Thursday which would prohibit the possession, sale, or transfer of assault weapons and large-capacity ammunition within the state. This bill defines assault weapons as “any selective-fire firearm capable of fully automatic, semiautomatic, or burst fire at the option of the user or any of the following specified semiautomatic firearms. Included in her ban are: All AK series, including, but not limited to, the following: AK, AKM, AKS, AK-47, AK-74, ARM, MAK90, MISR, NHM90, NHM91, SA 85, SA 93, VEPR, WASR-10, WUM, Rock River Arms LAR-47, and Vector Arms AK-47. All AR series, including, but not limited to, the following: AR-10, AR-15, Bushmaster XM15, Armalite AR-180 and M15, Olympic Arms, AR70, DPMS Tactical Rifles, Smith and Wesson M and P15 Rifles, Colt AR-15, Rock River Arms LAR-15, and DoubleStar AR rifles. Algimec AGM1. Barrett 82A1 and REC7. Beretta AR-70 and Beretta Storm. Bushmaster Auto Rifle. Calico Liberty series. Chartered Industries of Singapore SR-88. Colt Sporter. Daewoo K-1, K-2, Max-1, and Max FAMAS MAS 223. Federal XC-900 and SC-450. Fabrique National FN/FAL, FN/LAR, or FNC. FNH PS90, SCAR, and FS2000. Goncz High Tech Carbine. Hi-Point Carbine. HK-91, HK-93, HK-94, SP-89, or HK-PSG-1. Kel-Tec Sub-2000, SU series, RFB. M1 Carbine. SAR-8, SAR-4800, SR9. SIG 57 AMT and 500 Series. Sig Sauer MCX Rifle. SKS capable of accepting a detachable magazine. SLG 95. SLR 95 or 96. Spectre Auto Carbine. Springfield Armory BM59, SAR-48, and G-3. Sterling MK-6 and MK-7. Steyr AUG. Sturm Ruger Mini-14 with folding stock. TNW M230, M2HB. Thompson types, including Thompson T5. UZI, Galil and UZI Sporter, Galil Sporter, Galil Sniper Rifle (Galatz), or Vector Arms UZI. Weaver Arms Nighthawk. A full list of additional guns listed on the ban can be found here. Moore said her bill would allow those Alabamians who already own semi-automatic weapons to keep them.
Democrats filibuster plans to bring up General Fund budget next week
Word came through the pipeline early Thursday from an intern of Rep. Craig Ford (D-Gadsden) that House Democrats would be filibustering the introduction of the Special Order Calendar, approved by the Rules Committee, which aims to bring forth the General Fund budget for discussion next week. True to form, Dems did just that when Rep. Mac McCutcheon (R-Huntsville) moved for approval of the calendar. Rep. John Knight (D-Montgomery) spoke first and chastised members of the Rules Committee for putting forth legislation for discussion which hasn’t addressed paramount problems of the state. “If we’re not going to fund Medicaid, there’s no need for us to have any kind of order,” Knight said. “There will be no order in this House until we decide to fund Medicaid.” Knight said more than 500,000 Alabama children use Medicaid and choosing not to adequately fund the program would take away those children’s health care. Knight encouraged members to meet with Gov. Robert Bentley and others to find a solution, possibly cutting other programs to fund it. “If we can’t do that, there’s no need in us being here,” Knight said. “We were elected to do our jobs. We came together on the education budget, so we must do the same thing as it relates to the General Fund budget.” Rep. Mary Moore (D-Birmingham) also railed against the calendar, urging lawmakers to do whatever is required to provide relief to Alabama’s most needy citizens and make sure that Medicaid funding is a priority for the state. Rep. Ralph Howard (D-Greensboro) spoke out against the General Fund’s failure to adequately fund Medicaid, leaving an about $100 million shortfall in the program and obliterating Alabama’s plans to institute the Regional Care Organization (RCO) plan. “I represent a lot of poor people and healthcare is something that’s very important to them,” Howard said. “I just wanted to convey to this body that we really need to take a look at what we do for those poor people.” Howard noted that Perry County hasn’t had a hospital in many years and rural hospitals are being decimated by the state’s failure to fund Medicaid. “It needs to be the will of this body, and the Senate and the governor, to really try to make Alabama a better place,” Howard said. “And I don’t think there’s a better place to start than healthcare. Those are good people in rural Alabama and they deserve better.” As Howard completed his statements, Rep. Danny Crawford (R-Athens) made a motion to adjourn and the House agreed.
House Committee gives thumbs up to bills on license restrictions, renewals
The Alabama House Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security met Wednesday morning to discuss several bills and, in a move uncommon in most committee meetings, debate was minimal and support widespread. The first agenda item was HB 94, a bill sponsored by Rep. Alan Baker (R-Brewton) to provide disabled veterans with discounts on license plates, even if that license plate is not a disabled veterans plate. The inspiration for Baker’s bill came from an email he received from a disabled veteran who was afraid of being targeted due to his disabled veteran plate – targeted by terrorists for being a vet and targeted by criminals for being disabled – who urged his representative to make it possible for vets to receive subsidies for all license plates. The only form of dissent from the bill came from Rep. Mary Moore (D-Birmingham) who noted that she has felt targeted every day of her life, recalling times when she had a shotgun pointed at her head and times she was beaten by a white man for using the wrong water fountain. “Whether it’s real or perceived, I would want them to feel safe and secure,” Baker said before a vote was taken and the bill given a favorable report. A bill from Rep. Elaine Beech (D-Chatom), HB 1, would allow law enforcement officers to issue traffic citations at the scene of an accident. Current law provides that if a person is transported to the hospital, an officer can not follow them there to issue an arrest. Beech’s bill would change that. Rep. Chris England (D-Tuscaloosa) opposed the measure on mostly technical grounds, noting that clarity needed to be made in certain language used in the bill, specifically in relation to how officers would determine who was at fault in an accident and how long they had to press charges against an offender. The committee voted to carry the bill over until next week’s meeting. HB 11, which would allow Alabamians to renew their driver’s licenses up to six months before the expiration date, received a green light from the committee, as well as HB 22 from Rep. Mike Holmes (R-Wetumpka) to strengthen penalties for youthful drivers and their parents if a violation of the graduated driver’s license regulations is committed. Holmes brought the bill last year in response to the death of three Wetumpka High School teens and a deputy in an auto collision. Under the graduated driver’s license regulations, the teens should not have been allowed to be in a car together. Multiple committee members, both Republican and Democrat, applauded Holmes for bringing the bill forward sand making efforts to “protect our young people.”
House OKs Tim Tebow Act to allow home-schoolers into public school athletics
Rep. Mike Ball’s proposal to allow children in home schools to participate in athletics at their zoned public school passed the House on Thursday. House Bill 236, known as the Tim Tebow Act, allows children taught at home to play on interscholastic teams so long as they follow the same behavior and academic standards as public school students. That provision was a sticking point in the debate over allowing virtual schools in Alabama. During floor debate on Thursday, Rep. Mary Moore revisited her concerns that children educated in home schools would be allowed to “take advantage” of the public school system in order to get college scholarships. The bill is named for Heisman trophy winner Tim Tebow. Tebow’s parents home-schooled all five of their children from kindergarten through high school. Tebow then received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida.
House approves virtual high schools for Alabama students
Students will have an option to attend a virtual high school by the 2016-2017 school year under a measure approved by House vote on Thursday. In a 82-20 vote, the House approved Senate Bill 72 requiring each local school board to establish a virtual school policy for grades 9-12. Rep. Ed Henry, who sponsored the legislation, said that the bill would open the door for children who aren’t enrolled in public school for academic reasons to reconnect to the public school system. Each local school board would design and oversee the online curriculum for its students, including ensuring that students at the virtual high school participate in all testing and accountability requirements set by the school board. Rep. Alan Baker applauded the bill’s reliance on local judgment and management of options for students. “I think that technology is rapidly changing how we deliver education,” he said. “Students sometimes don’t ‘plug in’ to traditional education. I love the local option so school boards can determine the best delivery method for their students.” A key feature of the bill is that students enrolled in the virtual school would be considered public school students, subject to the same testing and graduation requirements as their peers. Online students would also be eligible to participate in public school extracurricular and sports, a provision that raised concerns among some House members. “If parents don’t think their kids should be in public schools, they should not be able to participate in extracurricular programs so that they can get scholarships,” Rep. Mary Moore said. Members also raised concerns about how students enrolled in home schools would be treated under the bill and whether the program allows religious home schools to take advantage of public school funding.
