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.”
Bills to increase porn penalties pass Senate Judiciary Committee
Two bills aimed at stemming the flow of pornographic material passed the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday. One, providing further penalties for people disseminating explicit photos of persons under 17 and the other tackling the issue of “revenge porn” as used to harass a former partner. Ward’s SB179 that a person found guilty of transmitting or possessing pornographic photos of a minor must register as a sex offender. The bill removes the current requirement that the transmission require a monetary exchange to be a punishable offense and includes “breast nudity” as a possible offense. SB342 from Sen. Vivian Figures (D-Mobile) makes it a Class A felony to unknowingly film a sexual partner and display such recordings online or otherwise. Figures noted that the bill was brought to address “revenge porn,” which has gained popularity with the advent of mass social media use.
Senate committee greenlights Ten Commandments for display on school, state property
With little discussion, the Senate Judiciary Committee gave a favorable report to SB97 from Sen. Gerald Dial (R-Lineville) allowing the Ten Commandments to be displayed on state property and at public schools. Committee chairman Sen. Cam Ward (R-Alabaster) noted that the bill has passed out of committee several times over the years and always stalls in one of the legislative bodies. Sen. Linda Coleman-Madison (D-Fairfield) lodged the only opposition to the bill. “Whatever happened to the separation of church and state?” she questioned. Despite the limited opposition, the bill was OK’d within seconds of being brought up.
