The Alabama Legislature met in session for Day 5 of the annual Regular Session on Tuesday, February 18. Twenty-eight committee meetings were held during the week to consider legislation. Both Houses met in session on Thursday, February 20 for Day 6.
535 bills have been introduced so far this Session.
The Legislature will return to Montgomery on Mardi Gras for Day 7 of the Session with the House convening at 1:00 p.m. and the Senate convening at 2:00 p.m..
DURING THE WEEK
The Senate Judiciary Committee held a public hearing on SB165 by Senator Tim Melson. The bill, named the “Compassion Act,” creates an appointed nine member medical cannabis commission to oversee regulations and licensing for medical cannabis cultivators, processors, and dispensaries, and requires a statewide seed-to-sale tracking system for all medical cannabis in the state. The bill does not allow for the smoking or vaping of marijuana or edible forms of the drug. However, treatment in the form of pills, gelatinous cubes, gels, orals or creams, transdermal patches, and nebulizers will be allowed.
Patients would receive a state issued Medical Cannabis Card and a patient registry would be established. Medical conditions are enumerated in the bill, including Crohn’s Disease, HIV/Aids Related nausea, cancer-related chronic pain, and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Proponents and opponents spoke on the bill. After several amendments were adopted by the Committee, the bill was given a favorable report.
The House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee held a public hearing, but did not vote, on HB79 by Representative Tim Wadsworth that would authorize a judge of probate, district judge, or circuit judge to carry a pistol openly or concealed in a courtroom, courthouse, courthouse property, and within his or her office.
Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) Director Lance LeFleur and staff briefed the Mobile and Baldwin delegations on the structure and timeline of the containment, clean up, and monitoring of the Barry Steam Plant Coal Ash Deposit in Mobile County.
The Senate confirmed nine of the Governor’s board and commission appointments this week including Leslie D. Sanders to the Board of Human Resources, Representative Rod Scott to the Alabama Commission on Higher Education, and Wendall Wilkie Gunn to the University of North Alabama Board of Trustees.
BILLS PASSED BY HOUSE:
HB46 by Rep. Hollis HB66 by Rep. McClammy
HB84 by Rep. Hill HB140 by Rep. Baker
BILLS PASSED BY SENATE:
SB53 by Sen. Burkette
SB106 by Sen. Barfoot
To prohibit the smoking of tobacco products or vaping in a motor vehicle when a child aged 14 or under is in the vehicle.
To authorize a municipality or county to establish a local redevelopment authority for property that is contiguous to an active US Air Force military installation.
To limit mayoral pardons in relation to convictions for domestic violence.
To provide that landfills covered by substances other than earth are included within the definition of a landfill.
To authorize a municipality or county to establish a local redevelopment authority for property that is contiguous to an active US Air Force military installation.
To authorize the formation of charter schools near military installations with a focus on serving military dependents.
HOUSE:
HB35 by Rep. Pringle
HB69 by Rep. Rich
HB74 by Rep. K. Brown
To prohibit public K-12 schools from participating in, sponsoring, or provide coaching staff for interscholastic athletic events at which athletes are allowed to participate in competition against athletes who are of a different biological gender (House State Government Committee).
To increase the fees for issuing permits in the regulation of of the manufacturing, sale, display of fireworks, and for the use of pyrotechnics before an audience with 5% of the total fee going to the Alabama Firefighters Annuity and Benefit Fund (House Insurance Committee).
To prohibit the operator of a motor vehicle from using a wireless communication device in any manner that would require the operator to physically hold the device (Amended in House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee).
SIGNIFICANT FLOOR ACTION THIS WEEK
NOTEWORTHY BILLS REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE THIS WEEK
HB81 by Rep. C. Brown
HB110 by Rep. C. Brown
HB113 by Rep. C. Brown HB209 by Rep. McMillan
HB233 by Rep. Reynolds
HB272 by Rep. Weaver
SENATE:
HB147 by Rep. Sells
SB59 by Sen. Ward
SB60 by Sen. Ward SB177 by Sen. Gudger
SB183 by Senator Sessions
A proposed Constitutional Amendment to provide that a person charged with a Class A felony, when the proof is evident or the presumption is great, and if no conditions of release can reasonably protect the community from risk of physical harm, be denied bail before conviction (Amended in House Judiciary Committee).
To designate the Dauphin Island Sea Lab’s Alabama Aquarium as the official Aquarium of Alabama (House State Government Committee).
To provide for additional offenses that would require mandatory denial of bail (Amended in House Judiciary Committee).
To permit a pet dog in an outdoor dining area of a food service establishment under certain conditions (House County and Municipal Government).
To allow a municipality to use electronic records and signatures in the conduct of its affairs (House County and Municipal Government Committee).
To revise deadlines for candidates to qualify for the November 3, 2020 general election to accommodate the dates of the 2020 Republican National Convention (House Constitution, Campaigns and Elections Committee).
To prohibit a municipality that does not already have an occupational tax from imposing an occupational tax unless authorized by local law (Senate Governmental Affairs).
A proposed Constitutional Amendment to provide that all individuals are entitled to reasonable bail prior to conviction, except for offenses enumerated by the Legislature by general law (Substituted by Senate Judiciary Committee).
To provide for additional offenses that would require mandatory denial of bail (Substituted by Senate Judiciary).
To provide that former public employees may resume employment with their former employer or with another public employer during the 2 year prohibition against lobbying or otherwise representing clients before the government body for which he or she had worked (Amended in Senate Fiscal Responsibility ond Economic Development Committee).
To authorize any county to issue bonds to refund certain bonds previously issued by the county, and to ratify and confirm the validity of any refunding bonds originally issued prior to January 1, 2011 (Amended in Senate Banking and Insurance Committee).
SB196 by Sen. Williams
To provide the Department of Agriculture and Industries with exclusive jurisdiction over the regulation of working animals; to provide a reporting and investigation process for alleged violations of animal cruelty (Senate Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee).
SIGNIFICANT INTRODUCTIONS THIS WEEK
A proposed Constitutional Amendment that would authorize municipalities to levy and collect ad valorem tax for the purpose of paying debt service on bonds, and the costs of public capital improvements (House County and Municipal Government Committee).
To specify that the definition of gross receipts, for the purposes of municipal business license taxes, does not include any excise tax imposed by the federal, state, and local governments (House County and Municipal Government Committee).
To exempt slot machines manufactured prior to 1960 from the crime of possession of a gambling device under certain circumstances (House Judiciary Committee).
To create the Alabama Church Protection Act to provide for the justification for a person to use deadly phycial force in self-defense or in the defense of another on the premises of a church in certain circumstances (House Judiciary Committee).
To require each public school senior to legibly print and sign his or her name in cursive writing as a requirement for graduation from high school (House Education Policy Committee).
To provide that if a person is convicted of boating under the influence, the person’s boating license and driver’s license will be suspended (House Judiciary Committee).
To authorize the adoption of local legislation authorizing wagering on professional, collegiate, and amateur sports contests and athletic events (House Judiciary Committee).
To prohibit a medical procedure on or medication to a minor child that is intended to alter the minor child’s gender or delay puberty (House Health Committee).
HOUSE:
HB253 by Rep. Ball
HB258 by Rep. Crawford
HB260 by Rep. C. Brown
HB263 by Rep. Greer
HB270 by Rep. Sells
HB284 by Rep. Shaver
HB301 by Rep. Rogers
HB303 by Rep. Allen
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SENATE:
MSB194 by Senator Waggoner
SB217 by Sen. Whatley
SB219 by Sen. Shelnutt
SB110 by Sen. Figures
To revise deadlines for candidates to qualify for the November 3, 2020 general election to accommodate the dates of the 2020 Republican National Convention (Senate Governmental Affairs Committee).
To require a municipality or county that levies a motor fuel tax to use the proceeds for road and bridge construction and maintenance with certain exceptions (Senate Finance and Taxation Education Committee).
To prohibit a medical procedure on or medication to a minor child that is intended to alter the minor child’s gender or delay puberty (Senate Healthcare Committee).
To repeal Act 2019-189 making abortion or attempted abortion a felony (Senate Judiciary Committee).
