After court ruling, Alabama GOP criticized for rejecting 2nd majority-Black congressional district
Alabama Republicans on Tuesday advanced proposals to boost the number of Black voters in one of the state’s seven congressional districts, but critics said the plans flout a court order to create a second majority-Black district or something close to it. Lawmakers must adopt new maps by Friday after the U.S. Supreme Court in June upheld a finding that the current state map — with one majority-Black district in a state that is 27% Black — likely violated the federal Voting Rights Act. Republican-controlled legislative committees on Tuesday voted down proposals to create a second majority-Black district and advanced separate GOP plans that would increase the percentage of Black voters in the 2nd Congressional district from about 30% to either 38% or 42%. That is short of the 50% sought by plaintiffs who won the Supreme Court case. Republicans said their plan complies with the court’s directive to draw a district where Black voters are present in enough numbers to influence the outcome of an election. “They told us draw a map with either an additional majority-minority district or a district that allows Black voters otherwise to elect the representative of their choice. I believe (this) map that you have before you best addresses the issues before the court,” Republican Rep. Chris Pringle told the House committee. Pringle said the district, which would have a Black voting age population of 42% under his bill, would be a swing district that could be won by either a Republican or a Democrat. Senators advanced an amended map where the Black voting age population would be 38% instead of 42% in the 2nd district. Sen. Vivian Davis Figures, a Democratic lawmaker from Mobile, said the Senate proposal is “nowhere close” to what was suggested by the court. She said the district would remain under white Republican control with those numbers. “We don’t think this is going to pass muster with the court,” Figures said. She said the Republicans are headed down a path that will ensure extended litigation, “continuing to spend millions of dollars of taxpayer money just so they don’t give all of Alabama’s citizens a seat at the table for their voices to be heard.” Republicans have been resistant to creating a Democratic-leaning district and are wagering on what the three-judge panel will accept — or that the state will be successful in a second round of appeals. The three-judge panel could step in and draw its own plan if the judges deem lawmakers’ proposal unacceptable. The three-judge panel found that Alabama’s existing congressional map diluted the voting power of Black residents. “The appropriate remedy is a congressional redistricting plan that includes either an additional majority-Black congressional district or an additional district in which Black voters otherwise have an opportunity to elect a representative of their choice,” the lower-court panel wrote in its 2022 ruling. It added that the plan would need to include two districts in which “Black voters either comprise a voting-age majority or something quite close to it.” Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Reed, the Republican leader of the Senate, said lawyers have advised that the Senate plan complies with court order, although “there’s going to be certainly more debate.” He added that those drafting the plan are trying to weigh what is important to the court. “Are you really wanting us to focus on community of interest issues, which they stated in the order? Or are we looking at voting populations? Which one is more important?” Reed said. The proposals head to their first floor votes on Tuesday. The three-judge panel that blocked the use of the current map gave Alabama until Friday to submit a new plan for review. Rep. Barbara Boyd, a Democratic lawmaker from Anniston, said Alabama has a long history of “refusing to do the right thing.” “Don’t continue to allow the courts to have to force us to do what we know is right,” Boyd told her colleagues on the House committee. Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
Alabama Republicans reject call for 2nd majority Black district, despite Supreme Court ruling
Alabama Republicans, under orders of the U.S. Supreme Court to redraw congressional districts to give minority voters a greater voice in elections, rejected calls Monday to craft a second majority-Black district and proposed a map that could test what is required by the judge’s directive. Lawmakers must adopt a new map by Friday after the high court in June affirmed a three-judge panel’s ruling that Alabama’s existing congressional map — with a single Black district out of seven statewide — likely violated the Voting Rights Act. In a state where more than one in four residents is Black, the lower court panel had ruled in 2022 that Alabama should have another majority-Black congressional district or something “close to it” so Black voters have the opportunity to “elect a representative of their choice.” Republicans, who have been resistant to creating a certain Democratic district, proposed a map that would increase the percentage of Black voters in the 2nd congressional district from about 30% to nearly 42.5%, wagering that will satisfy the court’s directive. House Speaker Pro Tempore Chris Pringle, who serves as co-chairman of the state redistricting committee, said the proposal complies with the order to provide a district in which Black voters have the “opportunity to elect the representative of their choice.” “The goal here, for me, was to provide an opportunity for African-Americans to be elected to Congress in the second congressional district,” Pringle said. However, the National Redistricting Foundation, one of the groups that backed challenges to the Alabama map, called the proposal “shameful” and said it would be challenged. “It is clear that Alabama Republicans are not serious about doing their job and passing a compliant map, even in light of a landmark Supreme Court decision,” said Marina Jenkins, executive director of the National Redistricting Foundation. She called that a pattern seen throughout the state’s history “where a predominately white and Republican legislature has never done the right thing on its own, but rather has had to be forced to do so by a court.” The Permanent Legislative Committee on Reapportionment approved the proposal in a 14-6 vote that fell along party lines. The proposal was introduced as legislation Monday afternoon as lawmakers convened a special session to adopt a new map by a Friday deadline set by the three-judge panel. House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter said he believes the new district will be a swing district that could elect either a Democratic candidate or a Republican. “I think that the models will show that it could go either way, probably. I think all the court’s asked for was a fair chance. I certainly think that map does it. I don’t think there’s any question about that,” Ledbetter said. Democrats accused Republicans of rushing the process and thwarting the court’s directive. Sen. Vivian Davis Figures, a Democrat from Mobile, said the court was clear that the state should create a second majority-Black district or something close to it. “Forty-two percent is not close to 50. In my opinion, 48, 49 is close to 50,” Figures said. She had urged colleagues to adopt a proposal by the plaintiffs in the Supreme Court case that would make the 2nd district 50% Black. Rep. Chris England, a Democrat from Tuscaloosa, said he also doesn’t think the GOP proposal would satisfy the court’s directive. He said Republican lawmakers pushed through their proposal without a public hearing or producing a voter analysis of how the district will perform. Pringle said that information will be available Tuesday. “The map that we adopted, nobody had any input on. There was no public input on it, not subject to a public hearing, and now it’s going to be the map of choice,” England said. Deuel Ross, a lawyer with the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund who argued the case before the Supreme Court, said lawmakers have yet to provide the information “necessary to evaluate whether these plans will, in fact, provide Black voters with opportunities to elect their candidates of choice in two districts.” “Any plan with a low Black voting age population does not appear to comply with the Court’s instruction,” Ross wrote in an email. Partisan politics underlies the looming redistricting fight. A higher percentage of Black voters increases the chances that the seat will switch from GOP to Democratic control. Pollster Zac McCrary said predicting a district’s partisan leanings depends on a number of metrics, but “getting a district too far below the mid-40s in terms of Black voter composition could certainly open the door for Republicans.” Republished with the permission of The Associated Press
Alabama Democrats express frustration over redistricting; GOP proposal to get vote Monday
Majority Republican lawmakers have not released their ideas for redrawing Alabama’s congressional districts to comply with a Supreme Court ruling, leading Democrats on Thursday to accuse GOP lawmakers of shutting them, and the public, out of the process ahead of next week’s special session on redistricting. Alabama lawmakers begin the special session Monday to approve a redistricting plan that is being developed by Republicans but hasn’t been presented. “There hasn’t been any public scrutiny on it, and we’re just going to be handed that map at some point over the weekend, maybe even Monday, and say here, ‘Vote on it,’” Rep. Chris England, a Democrat from Tuscaloosa, said after a meeting of the legislature’s redistricting committee. England said he understands that the GOP majority will determine what passes, but said that “something with as much jeopardy attached to it as redrawing the congressional map to satisfy a Supreme Court decision” should be done “in the light of day.” A three-judge panel gave Alabama until July 21 to adopt a new congressional map after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld its ruling that the state likely violated the Voting Rights Act with its current plan that has only one congressional district with a substantial number of Black voters. The Alabama Permanent Legislative Committee on Reapportionment held a meeting Thursday to hear public comments and approve guidelines. House Speaker Pro Tempore Chris Pringle, who serves as co-chairman of the committee, said it will meet Monday to vote on the proposed map. While Democrats accused Republicans of keeping the process shrouded in secrecy, Pringle said they are proceeding as quickly as possible. He said the proposed map will be sent to committee members as soon as possible before the Monday meeting. “We are working on that as fast as we can,” Pringle said. Alabama now has only one majority-Black district out of seven in a state where more than one in four residents are Black. The three-judge panel said in its 2022 ruling that Alabama should have “two districts in which Black voters either comprise a voting-age majority or something quite close to it.” Republicans have the numbers to approve a plan without support from Democratic lawmakers. However, the plan must go back before the three-judge panel. GOP lawmakers risk the court stepping in and drawing its own plan if lawmakers stray too far from the court’s wishes. The group of Black voters that won the Supreme Court case urged committee members Thursday to adopt their proposed map. It would adjust the state’s 2nd Congressional District, now represented by Republican Rep. Barry Moore, to create what is described as an “opportunity” district because it would give Black voters, now making up 50% of the voting-age population, a greater opportunity to elect a candidate of their choice. The proposed district would encompass some Black Belt counties and parts of Mobile County. Some of the plaintiffs described how they joined the case after seeing their communities ignored by the white Republicans who represent their areas. “I want my community to have a seat at that table,” said Shalela Dowdy of Mobile. Some Democrats on the legislative committee disagreed on how to reconfigure the map. Sen. Vivian Davis Figures, D-Mobile, said she will introduce the plaintiffs’ map in next week’s session because it “complies with the court’s instruction.” Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, favored a rival proposal that would alter the 6th Congressional District, now represented by Republican Rep. Gary Palmer, so it includes all of Jefferson County, which is home to Birmingham. Smitherman argued that a Democrat would have a good opportunity to be elected in the racially diverse district. “Jefferson County is the melting pot,” he said. Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
Lawmakers vote to shield release of their personal information
Alabama lawmakers voted Thursday to include themselves in legislation that would allow judges, law enforcement, and prosecutors to shield personal information from being released on public records, such as a home address, phone number, or driver’s license number. The Alabama Senate approved the House-passed bill that would allow law enforcement officials to request that their personal identifying information be redacted from public documents. But senators approved an amendment to add legislators to the list of occupations that could request that their information be shielded from public view. The bill has now gone to Gov. Kay Ivey. Measures to shield the release of personal information of judges, police officers, and others have been introduced in multiple states following threats and attacks on public officials, including the 2020 fatal shooting of a federal judge’s son in New Jersey. But the measures add additional secrecy and have sometimes drawn criticism for potentially blocking information that could reveal conflicts of interest. Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, offered the amendment to include lawmakers. The change was approved in the Senate and House of Representatives without debate. Smitherman said in an interview that lawmakers have the same safety concerns as those in law enforcement. “We make a ruling on a controversial issue, and you have some overzealous people who have a set opinion about it and want to express it in an unsafe manner,” Smitherman said. “That’s why we have security” at the Statehouse. In 2021, the home of Sen. Vivian Davis Figures was shot into multiple times. The bill states that state and local agencies and departments shall make a request form available “that allows a state legislator or law enforcement officer or employee to request the redaction of personal identifying information from the records of the department or agency.” Felicia Mason, executive director of the Alabama Press Association, said Friday that the measure “would seem to be in conflict” with the information required on state ethics forms. Alabama lawmakers and other public officials are currently required to file annual financial disclosure forms with the Alabama Ethics Commission. The bill was introduced to combat the “doxing” of law enforcement officers and court officials, where information is gathered about them and posted online in an attempt to harass, threaten, shame, or exact revenge. Doxing is a shortened version of “dropping dox” or documents. Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
Alabama and Mississippi mark Confederate Memorial Day
Alabama and Mississippi closed most government offices Monday for Confederate Memorial Day as efforts have stalled to abolish state holidays that honor the old Confederacy. Legislation has been introduced in the ongoing Alabama legislative session to remove, alter or rename Confederate-related holidays, but the effort has so far gained little traction. Camille Bennett, the founder of Project Say Something, an organization that has worked for the removal of Confederate monuments in Alabama, said the determination to keep Confederate holidays comes at the same time Alabama lawmakers push legislation banning so called “divisive concepts” from being taught in state classrooms and diversity training for state workers. “On one side, you have white conservative men defining what divisive is and what it means. … At the same time, you are honoring the Confederacy, which in itself is a divisive concept. It’s really hypocritical, quite tone deaf,” Bennett said. An Alabama Senate committee last week rejected a proposal to separate the joint state holiday celebrating Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee and slain civil rights leader the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on the same day. “We’re trying to separate the holidays of two men whose ideologies were totally separate, from one end of the totem pole to the other. One believed in justice and fairness for all, and another believed in slavery,” state Sen. Vivian Davis Figures said. Figures’ bill would have kept Lee’s holiday but moved it to Columbus Day in October. “Whoever wants to honor either man will have their own day,” she said. The vote split along racial lines, Figures said at the end of the meeting, with white Republicans voting against it and Black Democrats voting for it. Several Southern states have ended or renamed Confederate holidays. Louisiana, in 2022, removed Robert E. Lee Day and Confederate Memorial Day from the list of state holidays. Georgia, in 2015, renamed Confederate Memorial Day to “State Holiday.” Arkansas, in 2017, ended the practice of commemorating Lee and King on the same day. Mississippi Public Broadcasting on Monday had historians read Mississippi’s secession declaration, which makes clear that slavery was the central issue. Mary Jane Meadows, a member of the North Mississippi chapter of the Indivisible advocacy group, told Mississippi Public Broadcasting that the group protested Confederate Memorial Day last year and planned to do the same for 2023. “That means that 25,000 or more state employees have a day off with pay courtesy of the Mississippi taxpayers, 39% of whom are Black persons who are voters and taxpayers,” Meadows said. Some government offices in Mississippi remained open Monday, including courts in majority-Black Hinds County. Bennett said she believes the continued recognition of Confederate holidays “speaks to the blatant disregard of the humanity of Black Alabamians.” “We experienced a Holocaust, right. We experienced our families being ripped apart, and there is a celebration saying, ‘We wish things could have stayed the same,’ ” Bennett said. Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
Democrats seek repeal or exemptions in state abortion ban
Alabama’s abortion ban that took effect this summer allows no exemptions for pregnancies resulting from rape and incest. Democrats in the Alabama Legislature are seeking to change that but face impossible odds without some Republican support. Sen. Vivian Davis Figures, D-Mobile, filed legislation Tuesday to allow exemptions for rape and incest. Similar legislation is planned in the Alabama House of Representatives to repeal the ban or add exemptions. But Republicans hold lopsided majorities in both chambers, meaning the bills are doomed without garnering some GOP support. Figures told The Associated Press in a statement that a victim of rape and incest would again be traumatized “if she does not have a choice and she is forced to have a child that was fathered by a rapist or a family member via an incestuous act.” “Politicians have no business playing doctor or forcing a child to give birth by her rapist,” said Democratic Rep. Mary Moore of Birmingham agreed. “Politicians have no business playing doctor or forcing a child to give birth by her rapist,” she said. Alabama lawmakers in 2019 approved a near-total abortion ban, but it did not take effect until this summer when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe. v. Wade, the decision that had guaranteed the nationwide right to an abortion. A federal judge soon after lifted the injunction that had blocked the Alabama ban. Some Republican lawmakers in 2019 described the strict ban as a legal strategy to challenge Roe as lawmakers in conservative states hoped to get the issue before a more conservative Supreme Court. Republican Rep. Terri Collins, the sponsor of the 2019 ban, said at the time that lawmakers could come back and write a new bill, and debate exemptions, if Roe was overturned. Collins told The Associated Press earlier this year that she wanted to have conversations with fellow Republicans to gauge if members want to keep the law as is or make changes. On Wednesday, Collins said that she was focused on her education bills at the moment. “I think it’s an issue that our members will bring forth on what they want to do,” House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter said Wednesday when asked about possible revisions to the abortion ban. Ledbetter noted that a majority of Alabama voters in 2018 voted to put anti-abortion language in the Alabama Constitution. The constitutional amendment saying Alabama recognizes “the rights of the unborn child” was approved by 59% of voters. “I feel good about where we’re at. We’re for life,” Ledbetter said, adding that lawmakers are working on bills to make adoption easier. Eric Johnston, an abortion opponent who helped write the 2019 ban, has argued that the constitutional amendment would prevent lawmakers from adding exceptions. Democrats argue that Republicans went too far with the ban. “It is time they understood that they made a crucial mistake. Women want access to safe abortions near them. … It should be their decision made with their doctor,” Figures wrote in a statement. Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
Bill advances to allow concealed handguns without permit
Alabama lawmakers advanced legislation Wednesday that would end the requirement for a person to get a permit to carry a concealed handgun in public. The Senate Judiciary Committee approved the House-passed bill, which now moves to the Alabama Senate. Gun rights advocates have championed the proposal they call “constitutional carry.” They argue that people should not have to get a permit, which requires a background check and paying a fee, to carry a handgun they legally own. Many state sheriffs and other law enforcement officials have opposed the legislation, arguing the permits provide a crucial tool to combat crime and enhance public safety. Republican Rep. Shane Stringer, the sponsor of the bill, said people “shouldn’t have to get permission to carry” a legally owned handgun. “House Bill 272 simply allows law-abiding citizens that are legally able to own a firearm to carry that gun concealed or on or about their persons or in their vehicle without a permit,” Stringer, a former captain with the Mobile County sheriff’s office, told the committee. Law enforcement officials spoke against the bill in a public hearing “I assure you, it would take away some of our ability to protect our communities with a tool that effectively removes weapons from the hands of criminals,” Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones, the current president of the Alabama Sheriffs’ Association, told the committee. Alabama currently requires people to get a concealed carry permit, which requires a background check, to carry a handgun under their clothes or in a purse or bag when they go in public. The bill would do away with the requirement, but people could still choose to get a permit if they wanted. It would also do away with the current requirement for people without concealed carry permits to keep handguns unloaded and secured when driving. There are 21 states that allow concealed weapons in public without a permit, according to Stateline, an initiative of the Pew Charitable Trusts. “In the 21 states that have passed this legislation, there’s been absolutely no increase in crime or decrease in officer safety as associated with the law. That will remain the same here in Alabama,” Art Thomm, state director for the National Rifle Association, told the committee. A Democratic member of the committee, who recently had her home shot into 23 times, questioned the assertion that there would be no impact on crime. “It’s already like a wild, wild west. And I can just only imagine that this is going to help it escalate somewhat because people are going feel more brazen,” said Sen. Vivian Davis Figures, a Democrat from Mobile. Proponents of the bill said the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency is developing a database, authorized by a state law creating a lifetime concealed carry permit option, that officers will be able to use to flag people not legally entitled to carry a handgun. Stringer maintained that will be a better tool for law enforcement officers to remove guns from people who can not legally possess them. The database is not operational yet. Jones said that while the idea of the database is good, he believes it will have inevitable gaps in data. Amanda Wasden, a spokeswoman for the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, said the database is currently in the developmental phase. She said the testing phase will begin in August, and the agency has a goal of having it fully operational by Oct. 1 as the law requires. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Republicans advance bill for claiming vaccine exemptions
Alabama lawmakers on Tuesday advanced legislation aimed at protecting employees who choose not to get vaccinated against COVID-19 by setting out an easy process to claim a religious or medical exemption. The legislation comes as Republican leaders in many states have expressed opposition to the federal vaccine mandate, calling it an infringement on personal decisions. But opposed lawmakers said Republicans were authorizing people to “lie” to avoid getting vaccinated and thereby risk the lives of others. The Alabama Senate voted 26-5 for the bill by Republican Sen. Chris Elliott of Fairhope would mandate businesses requiring COVID-19 vaccinations to distribute a form where employees could claim a religious or medical exemption by checking a box. An employee submitting the form could not be fired over not getting the vaccination unless the business appealed and got permission from the Alabama Department of Labor. State senators also voted 26-4 for a separate bill that gives the state attorney general authority to enforce an existing state law that prohibits businesses from refusing service to unvaccinated customers. It also requires parental consent for a child to get a COVID-19 vaccine. Both bills now move to the Alabama House of Representatives. Elliott said the federal government already allows exemptions for religious and medical reasons, and they are trying to “make it as easy as possible on the employee to claim those exemptions so that they can keep their job.” “I’ve got constituents in my district that are losing their jobs right now at various different employers that have a vaccine mandate right now. I think we need to do everything we can to protect those jobs and protect those folks that are just trying to provide for their family,” Elliott said. Democratic Sen. Bobby Singleton of Greensboro said Republicans were giving people the ability to “tell a big lie” to avoid getting vaccinated. He said the Labor Department would have limited or no ability to investigate the sincerity of the employee’s claim of a religious or medical reason for declining the vaccine. “We as a Legislature are about to manufacture an excuse for people not to take the vaccine,” Singleton said, predicting that “everybody will claim some sort of illness” or religious reason. Democratic Sen. Vivian Davis Figures of Mobile said Republicans supporting the bill were putting the lives of others at risk and interfering with the ability of a business to make decisions about its workplace. “All of the thousands and thousands and thousands of people who have died of COVID since early 2020, and you have the audacity to introduce a bill like this to sanction the death of so many others,” Figures said. Alabama has seen at least 15,629 COVID-19 related deaths and has the second-highest per capita death rate from COVID-19 among states, according to researchers from Johns Hopkins University One of the state’s largest business groups opposed the bill, saying it interferes with private business decisions and puts federal contractors in a difficult situation that could cost jobs. “This legislation would prevent Alabama employers from making personnel decisions and place that authority in the hands of state government,” the Business Council of Alabama said in a statement. The group said court action was the best way to challenge the mandate. Senate President Pro Tem Greg Reed said lawmakers are trying to do what they can, within their authority, to address the federal vaccine mandate. “The Biden administration’s vaccine mandates are a reckless federal government overreach that infringe on Alabamians’ liberty and freedom of personal choice and could cause significant economic harm to Alabama and Americans across the country,” Reed said in a statement. Republican-led states have turned to a mix of lawsuits, executive orders, and legislation to try to resist President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Nineteen states, including Alabama, have filed lawsuits against Biden’s requirement that all employees of federal contractors be vaccinated against the coronavirus by Dec. 8, arguing that the mandate violates federal procurement law and is an overreach of federal power. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Bill would let students enroll in schools outside districts
A legislative committee on Tuesday advanced a proposal that could allow parents to enroll their children in any school district in the state. The Senate Education Committee voted 7-3 to approve the bill by Sen. Del Marsh, which would require public K-12 school districts to establish an application process to enroll students from outside the attendance area. Families would have to pay a tuition equal to local per-student tax support for public schools. Marsh, one of the Alabama Legislature’s most vocal proponents of expanding school choice options, described the bill as a step toward expanding education options for families and improving the state’s low education rankings. “We’ve got to do something,” Marsh, R-Anniston, told the committee. “We’ve got to look at the state as a whole cause we will have a price to pay if we don’t fix this problem.” Sen. Vivian Davis Figures, D-Mobile, said some parents will not be able to afford the transfer and said all schools could improve with assistance and resources. “I know that it can be done but the resources are not being put in place to make it so … All of our children deserve to have a quality education of excellence,” Figures said. The proposal drew concerns from some groups, including Shannon Cauley, president of the Alabama Association of School Boards. Cauley said she was concerned the bill could allow districts to refuse to enroll special education students. The bill now moves to the Alabama Senate. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Bills on pandemic power, virus lawsuit protection advance
An Alabama Senate committee on Wednesday advanced bills related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including a proposal to limit the power of the state health officer and another to extend liability in virus-related lawsuits. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 7-4 to approve a bill by Republican Sen. Tom Whatley of Auburn that would give elected politicians oversight of emergency decisions currently made by the state health officer. The proposal would require the state governor to approve the state health officer’s emergency health orders during a pandemic. It also would require legislative approval to extend an emergency declaration beyond 14 days. “It still maintains emergency powers in emergency situations for the governor. It just transfers the authority for making those decisions from an unelected person to a person elected by the people of Alabama,” Whatley said. Whatley said he did not bring the bill in response to any particular actions by State Health Officer Scott Harris, but said there should be a “check and balance.” Democratic Sen. Vivian Davis Figures of Mobile said lawmakers should not interject themselves when “dealing with life and death situations.” Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey expressed skepticism about the bill on Wednesday. “I don’t know that we need to limit the hands of decision-makers, especially when they’re guided by health people trying to give us good advice too,” Ivey told reporters. “We’ll just have to see where that goes.” Committee members voted 9-2 to advance a bill to shield companies and others from lawsuits during the pandemic. The bill by Republican Sen. Arthur Orr could provide immunity for businesses, health care providers, and others from certain damages claimed by individuals who allege that they contracted or were exposed to the virus. Orr said the bill would give protection to companies, churches, and other entities from virus-related claims only if they were following appropriate precautions. “A business that chose to ignore that guidance and did not require, say like masks in their workplace or took no steps to try to limit the interaction of their workers being very close together then they would not have protection in that safe harbor,” Orr said. The governor and GOP leadership have said the bill is a priority and it could receive a floor vote as soon as Thursday. Opponents said they were concerned the bill would give companies too much protection for risky practices. Robin Hyden of Alabama Arise, an advocacy group for low-income people, urged lawmakers to take more steps to protect workers. “Front-line workers deserve access to health care, hazard pay, and social support programs if they are unable to work in a high-risk field. Too many workers are being driven into risky working conditions with no alternatives,” Hyden said. The Senate committee also advanced medical marijuana legislation by an 8-3 vote. The bill by Republican Sen. Tim Melson would allow people with a qualifying medical condition to purchase marijuana, in forms such as gels or tablets, for medical use from licensed dispensaries. The bill cleared the Senate last year with a 22-10 vote but did not get debated in the House of Representatives. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
State steers money for preservation of last slave ship
Legislators included the money in the state budget that takes effect Oct. 1.
2018: Year of the Woman in Alabama politics, primary update
If there ever was a “Year of the Woman” in Alabama, it’s 2018. Following the national trend, more Alabama women are stepping up to run for political office as a major party candidate than ever before, according to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. But how did the female candidates fare in the June 5 primaries? Below is a list of women who prevailed in their races. Statewide Executive Office Currently only two women serve in statewide elected executive positions — Gov. Kay Ivey and Alabama Public Service Commission President Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh. But after last night’s election results, those numbers could change in November. Governor Gov. Kay Ivey (Republican candidate) triumphed over her three male opponents, and will face Walt Maddox in November’s general election. Lt. Governor Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh (Republican candidate) will face Will Ainsworth in a runoff election, July 17. Secretary of State Heather Milam (Democratic candidate) won her primary election, and will face John Merrill in the November general election. Alabama Court of Civil Appeals Christy Olinger Edwards (Place 1, Republican candidate) won her spot over Michelle Manley Thomason, another female republican candidate. U.S. Congress Currently only two women represent the Yellowhammer State in the United States Congress — 2nd District U.S. Rep. Martha Roby and 7th District U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell. Five other women ran for office in U.S. house races. Alabama 2nd District in the U.S. House of Representatives Rep. Martha Roby (incumbent, Republican candidate) was forced into a runoff set for July 17 with former Rep. Bobby Bright. Tabitha Isner (Democratic candidate) won the democratic primary for the 2nd district and will face either Roby or Bright in November. Alabama 3rd District in the U.S. House of Representatives Mallory Hagan (Democratic candidate) won the democratic primary for the 3rd district and will face incumbent Mike Rogers in the November general election. Alabama 7th District in the U.S. House of Representatives Rep. Terri Sewell (incumbent, Democratic candidate) was the only candidate in her race. State Legislature Amy Wasyluka (Democratic candidate) won the State Senate District 2 race Deidra Willis (Democratic candidate) won the State Senate, District 7 race Vivian Davis Figures (Democratic candidate) won the State Senate, District 33 race Laura Hall (Democratic candidate) won the State House District 19 race Barbara Bigsby Boyd (Democratic candididate) won the State House District 32 race Debbie Hamby Wood (Republican candidate) won the State House District 38 race April Weaver (Republican candidate) won the State House District 49 race Louise “Lulu” Alexander (Democratic candidate) won the State House District 56 race Rolanda Hollis (Democratic candidate) won the State House District 58 race Mary Moore (Democratic cadet) won the State House District 59 race Juandalynn Givan (Democratic candidate) won the State House District 60 race Elaine Beech (Democratic candidate) won the State House District 65 race Pebblin Walker Warren (Democratic candidate) won the State House District 82 race Pat “Patsy” Jones (Democratic candidate) won the State House District 83 race Adline C. Clarke (Democratic candidate) won the State House District 97 race
