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.”
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.
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.
