State Sen. Tim Melson pre-files bill to teach Bible classes in Alabama public schools
An Alabama lawmaker has pre-filed a bill in the state legislature that would allow the Bible to be taught as an elective for grades six to twelve. Florence-Republican, State Sen. Tim Melson has pre-filed SB14, which would allow teachers to teach without feeling as though they may be brekaing the law. He intentionally made the course and election option to steer clear or any potential lawsuits challenging church and state. Melson’s bill would also allow public schools to display artifacts, monuments, symbols, and texts related to the study of the Bible if displaying these items is appropriate to the overall educational purpose of the course, and would require the State Board of Education to adopt rules and policies to implement the requirements of the bill. And it looks like Melson’s not the only state lawmaker that would like to see the bill passed. “If students choose to study Biblical literacy as an elective in school, then there is no reason why that should not be allowed,” Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh said in a statement. “This bill simply allows students to study artifacts, monuments, symbols, and text related to the study of the Bible.” “I applaud Senator Melson for sponsoring this bill and I thank President Trump for bringing this issue to national attention,”continued Marsh. “I look forward to working on the passage of this bill in the upcoming session.” Marsh is referring to the fact President Donald Trump recently tweeted his support of similar bills being filed across the country that would allow for Bible literacy classes in schools. “Numerous states introducing Bible Literacy classes, giving students the option of studying the Bible. Starting to make a turn back? Great!” Numerous states introducing Bible Literacy classes, giving students the option of studying the Bible. Starting to make a turn back? Great! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 28, 2019 The 2019 legislative sessions begins March 5.
Alabama legislative preview: April 4 – April 8, 2016
Legislators return to Montgomery this week after their spring break, with the House of Representatives convening at 1 p.m. and the Senate an hour later Tuesday. In the Senate, lawmakers are slated to take up SB342 from Sen. Vivian Figures (D-Mobile), which would make the transmission of an explicit message a Class A misdemeanor. The body will also take up SB347 from Sen. Paul Bussman (R-Cullman), which would legalize the manufacturing of industrial hemp in the state. The Senate will also take up SB14 from Sen. Gerald Allen (R-Tuscaloosa), which would allow citizens to carry a pistol in a vehicle without a permit. Over in the House, lawmakers will take up two alcohol-related bills: HB46 from Rep. Alan Boothe (R-Troy) would allow Alabama distilleries to sell their product for off-premise consumption and HB83 from Rep. David Faulkner (R-Birmingham) would allow state wineries to establish an off-site tasting room. On Wednesday, committee hearings will get underway. At 1 p.m. in room 325 of the state house, the Senate Judiciary Committee will take up the grandparent’s visitation rights bill, HB334 from Rep. Mike Jones (R-Andalusia), as well as HB115 from Rep. Paul Sanford (R-Huntsville), which would decriminalize possession of the marijuana-based, seizure-reducing medication CBD oil. At 1:30 p.m in room 727 at the state house, the Senate Rules Committee will take up SB97 from Sen Gerald Dial (R-Lineville), which would allow the Ten Commandments to be displayed on state property and at public schools. At 9 a.m. in room 429 of the state house, the House Health Committee will take up HB183 from Rep. Kerry Rich (R-Guntersville), which would require abortion providers to conduct a sonogram before providing an abortion. At 1:30 p.m. in room 418 of the state house, the House Committee on Education Policy will take up HB299 from Rep. Ed Henry (R-Decatur), which would prohibit local school boards from adopting or enforcing “zero tolerance” policies regarding drugs, alcohol, weapons or physical harm to another person. The bill would also require that the definition of firearm be “narrowly construed.”
Alabama legislative preview: Mar. 14 – Mar. 18, 2016
The Legislative Session resumes Tuesday when the Alabama House of Representatives reconvenes at 1 p.m and the Senate an hour later. The Senate is slated to take up a slew of measures this week, including SB89 from Sen. Arthur Orr (R-Decatur) which would require all Alabama public school students to pass a civics test to graduate. SB148 from Sen. Jim McClendon (R-Springville), which would require all passengers in a vehicle to wear a safety belt, will also come up this week. The measure met with opposition when last it appeared on the floor, as lawmakers questioned the need for furthering meddling in people’s private matters. The “Fantasy Contests Act,” SB114 from Sen. Paul Sanford (R-Huntsville), will also come up for discussion this week, as well as SB14 from Sen. Gerald Allen (R-Tuscaloosa), which would authorize carrying weapons in vehicles without a permit. Over in the House, lawmakers will take up their version of the “Fantasy Contests Act,” as well as the lottery bill from Rep. Alan Harper (R-Northport). HB13 would allow people to vote on whether or not a lottery is allowed in the state, though it provides no details on how profits from such a lottery would be allocated. The body will also take up three bills from Rep. Mike Jones (R-Andalusia): HB332 which would abolish common law marriages; HB333, which would change laws related to judge’s ruling in divorce cases; and HB334, which would provide a process for grandparents to petition for visitation rights with their grandchildren. A slew of alcohol-related legislation is also scheduled to go before the House. The House was scheduled to take on the General Fund budget this week, but the activity calendar makes no mention of the legislation coming before the body. The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry is set to take up a bill that would legalize industrial hemp in the state on Wednesday and the Senate Judiciary Committee is slated to take up SB97 from Sen. Gerald Dial (R-Lineville), which would allow the Ten Commandments to be displayed on state and public school property. The Alabama Prison Transformation Initiative Act will once again appear before the Senate Committee on General Fund Finance and Taxation, where a vote is scheduled to take place. The House Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security will take up HB98 from Rep. David Standridge (R-Hayden), which would provide a lifetime pistol permit to retired military veterans and the House Committee on Health will debate HB159 from Rep. Arnold Mooney (R-Birmingham), which would allow doctors to decline services that violates their conscience. The House Judiciary Committee will take up two marijuana-related bills: HB61, also known as “Leni’s Law,” from Rep. Mike Ball (R-Madison), which would decriminalize possession of the seizure-reducing medication cannabidiol, and HB257 from Rep. Patricia Todd (R-Birmingham), which would make possession of 1 ounce or less of marijuana punishable by only a fine.
Alabama legislative agenda preview: March 7 – March 11, 2016
Alabama lawmakers will return to Montgomery Tuesday as the legislative session resumes, with the House convening at 1 p.m. and the Senate an hour later. Both chambers are still planning to tackle the General Fund and Education Trust Fund budgets before spring break, as well as a host of issues slated to be taken up this week. The Senate will debate SB89 from Sen. Arthur Orr (R-Decatur), which would require all Alabama public school students to pass a civics test to graduate – private schools could opt-in if they chose to. Also on the Senate’s agenda is SB148 from Sen. Jim McClendon (R-Springville), which would require all passengers in a vehicle to wear a safety belt. The legislation came up in last week’s session but was stalled due to opposition regarding further legislation on people’s car-riding habits. The Senate will also take up SB114 from Sen. Paul Sanford (R-Sanford), which would regulate “fantasy contests” in the state, and SB14 from Sen. Gerald Allen (R-Tuscaloosa), which would allow people to carry a firearm in their vehicle without a permit. Allen’s legislation was hotly contested in a recent committee hearing, when state law enforcement officers argued that the bill would make their jobs more difficult and dangerous. The House will also take up a bill aimed at regulating so-called “fantasy contests,” as well HB2 from Rep. Tommy Hanes (R-Scottboro), which would require wireless communications providers to supply law enforcement agencies with location information upon request. Perhaps the bills with highest interest to be taken up in the House this week are HB46 from Rep. Alan Boothe (R-Troy), which would allow Alabama distilleries to begin selling bottles for off-premise consumption, and HB13 from Rep. Alan Harper (R-Northport), which would allow the public to vote on whether or not to institute a state lottery. Committee hearings will get underway Tuesday morning before the start of session, though the majority will take place on Wednesday. The Senate Committee on Health and Human Services will hear discussion on two bills that will likely attract the outrage of Democrats – HB45 from Rep. April Weaver (R-Alabaster), which would outlaw the already-illegal practice of selling fetal tissue, and SB9 from Allen, which would prohibit abortions if providers don’t first determine a fetal heartbeat. The Senate Committee on General Fund Finance and Taxation will hear from Sen. Vivian Figures (D-Mobile) regarding SB136, a bill which would put forth a constitutional amendment to add an additional 5-mill tax to state properties, with the proceeds going to help Medicaid. The House Economic Development and Tourism Committee will hold public hearings regarding two alcohol-related bills – SB219 from Sen. William Beasley (R-Clayton), which would allow retail licensees and state liquor stores to conduct liquor and wine tastings, and HB325 from Rep. James Buskey (D-Mobile), which would allow businesses with a building split between wet and dry counties to serve alcohol. The House Committee on General Fund Ways and Means will take up the General Fund via SB125, which has already passed the Senate,
Alabama legislative agenda preview: Feb. 15-Feb. 19, 2016
The Legislative Session will resume Tuesday, with the House convening at 1 p.m. and the Senate an hour later. Many of the bills which passed through committee last week will likely make it to the floor this week, including the “Uniform Wage and Right-to-Work Act,” which would prohibit cities from raising the minimum wage, and a bill providing for distilleries to sell their product for off-premise consumption. Further, the House will renew its discussion of HB45, the legislation sponsored by Rep. April Weaver (R-Shelby) to outlaw the sale of fetal tissue, which did not come up for a vote last Thursday. Though a handful of committee meetings will be held prior to the start of session Tuesday, the majority will be held Wednesday. The House Committee on Economic Development and Tourism will meet to tackle a slew of alcohol-related bills, including HB176, which would allow Alabama brewpubs to sell for off-premise consumption. A public hearing on the bill will likely garner a wide array of input. The House Committee on Ethics and Campaign Finance will meet to consider HB68, a bill aimed at preventing “an agency of the Executive Department of the state,” which is funded via the General Fund or the Education Trust Fund, from lobbying or entering into agreements with outside lobbyists. The “Alabama Heritage Protection Act” will again be the topic of discussion when the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee meets on Tuesday to complete a round of public discussion which began last week. The committee will also look at SB184, a bill naming the Lane Cake the official state cake. The Judiciary Committee will meet to examine SB114, a Sen. Paul Sanford (R-Huntsville) sponsored bill aimed at regulating “fantasy contests,” and SB14, a bill from Sen. Gerald Allen (R-Tuscaloosa) stating that the lawful possession of a firearm doesn’t “in and of itself” constitute disorderly conduct.
Gerald Allen prefiles 3 controversial, conservative bills
Multiple bills have been pre-filed in the Alabama Senate, but few are likely to raise the ire of state Democrats like those proposed by Sen. Gerald Allen, a Tuscaloosa Republican. The senator has already prefiled three bills before the Legislative session convenes February 2. Among those is the Fetal Heartbeat Act, SB 9, requiring physicians check for a fetal heartbeat before performing an abortion, and makes it a Class C felony to perform an abortion once a heartbeat has been detected. Exceptions to the clause are;: The presence of a “lethal anomaly,” which would result in death within three months of birth or before. The possibility that carrying the unborn child to term would result in the death of the mother or cause “substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function” in the mother. No exceptions are made for cases of rape or incest. Not only will doctors be required to provide “written documentation” of how the heartbeat was monitored, it will require doctors to document in writing the reasons for performing an abortion once a heartbeat is detected. A heartbeat can usually be detected within six to seven weeks of becoming pregnant. Also prefiled is the Alabama Heritage Preservation Act, SB13, which would “prohibit the relocation, removal, alteration, renaming, or other disturbance of certain commemorative statues, monuments, memorials, or plaques which are located on public property.” The bill does call for the exemption of “certain art and artifacts, the Department of Transportation, and local highway departments under certain limited circumstances.” Further, the bill provides “any entity exercising control of public property on which the object of remembrance is located” with the ability to petition the Alabama Legislative Council for a waiver. But, by the bill’s design, acquiring a waiver would require the following steps: A resolution by the entity expressing its intent to alter the monument; Advertisement of the resolution in a local newspaper for eight consecutive weeks at the entity’s expense; Signage providing text of the resolution at the monuments site for eight weeks; Two hearings conducted by the entity to receive public input; A petition in writing from the controlling entity stating the reason for seeking alteration and a summary of public input; and Certification by the Alabama Historical Commission and Legislative Council that all requirements have been met Any entity which is found in violation of this bill would be fined $100,000 to be deposited into the General Fund. Finally, SB14 authorizes “certain persons” to carry a pistol without a license on “property under his or her control, in his or her vehicle, in his or her place of abode, in his or her fixed place of business, and on the property of another or a vehicle owned by another, with consent.” Further, the bill says that “carrying a firearm does not, in and of itself, constitute disorderly conduct.” The bill provides for law enforcement agencies to still be able to lawfully detain or question those thought to be in violation of the law and deny permits to citizens with mental illnesses and makes it illegal for anyone under 18 to possess a pistol on his or her person or in his or her vehicle. Multiple attempts to contact the senator for comment were unsuccessful.
