The Alabama House of Representatives will meet on Tuesday to consider an ambitious special order calendar with 21 different Senate bills. Since there are only three days left in the regular session, any bills that have not already passed out of their house of origin are dead for this session as it takes three legislative days to pass a bill through either body.
The agenda includes:
- SB388 by Senate Livingston/Representative Whorton to adopt Daylight Savings Time statewide if Congress amends Federal law to allow it.
- SB384 by Senator Gudger/Representative Harbison creating a special fund in the Cullman County treasury for taxation on alcohol sales in Community development districts in Cullman County outside of existing city limits.
- SB238 by Senator McClendon/Representative Hurst providing procedures so that qualified visually impaired voters may vote absentee ballot under certain conditions.
- SB61 by Senator Chesteen/Representative Lovvorn creates the Education Retirees Trust Fund to pay for future bonuses for education retirees.
- SB143 by Senator Singleton/Representative Ingram revising a program by the Alabama Department of Public Health to reduce lead exposure.
- SB267 by Senator Orr/Representative Lee prohibiting the issuance of vaccine passports as a condition for receiving government benefits or services.
- SB113 by Senator Orr/Representative Scott limiting the use of facial recognition technology in criminal prosecutions.
- SB210 by Senator Orr/Representative Sorrell reforming the procedures for civil asset forfeiture for drug offenses.
- SB151 by Senator Singleton/Representative McCampbell making the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge Free and Accepted Masons of Alabama and the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge F, and A.M. of Alabama exempt from sales, county and municipal fees and taxes.
- SB374 by Senator Williams/Representative Wilcox rewrites and amends state code dealing with tax collectors.
- SB298 by Senator Orr/Representative Garrett amends the Alabama Innovation Act to clarify that any grants awarded to an Alabama research entity must be the result of a partnership with a private sector applicant. This bill will also authorize the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs to establish a competitive scoring system to award grants and establish an internship program that would allow interns to be compensated for their work on a qualified research project. It would also modify provisions regarding maximum individual grant awards and establish the maximum amount of indirect costs and administrative costs that may be funded from grant funds.
- SB315 by Senator Jones/Representative Shaver would authorize victims who were sold nonauthentic collectible items, sports memorabilia, art, etc. represented as authentic to recover their purchase price and damages in civil actions.
- SB260 by Senator Singleton/Representative Warren amends competitive bid law for public contracts to provide for a local preference zone.
- SB345 by Senator Singleton/Representative England establishes small business development pilot program teaching prisoners how to become businessmen.
- SB221 by Senator Chambliss/Representative Sells creates the position of Deputy Commissioner of Prison Rehabilitation within the Department of Corrections and the position of Deputy Director for Parolee Rehabilitation within the Bureau of Pardons and Paroles. It also create the Study Commission on Interagency Cooperation and Collaboration on the Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Formerly Incarcerated Individuals.
- SB205 by Senator Allen/Representative Garrett deals with limitations on the civil liability of state licensed home inspectors.
- SB18 by Senator Smitherman/Representative Faulkner authorizes Class 1 municipalities (Birmingham) to have 15 entertainment districts.
- SB70 by Senator Livingston/Representative Ledbetter grants the School of Cyber Technology and Engineering the same sovereign immunity and participation in the Educators Liability Trust Fund as provided to other public K-12 schools.
- SB8 by Senator Elliott/Representative South prohibits homeowners associations and condominium associations from restricting the display of the state flag of Alabama.
- SB204 by Senator Williams/Representative Stringer, the Bail Bond Regulatory Act, will establish qualifications of the Professional Bail Bonding and revise the fees that the Board collects. It would also provide for the issuance of temporary licenses.
- SB19 by Senator Jones/Representative Lipscomb will increase the number of working days for the Etowah County Board of Registrars.
What is not on the calendar includes a bill that would ban health care for transgender minors, a bill to give the Legislature input into future public health emergencies, a bill to allow medical marijuana in the state of Alabama, permitless carry of firearms and a bill ordering state and local law enforcement to not cooperate with federal gun laws.
These bills have passed the Senate and have been given a favorable report by House committees, but have not yet been placed on a special order calendar to be voted on the House floor. Legislation to authorize casinos in the state and create a state lottery is awaiting committee action. That could come as soon as Tuesday.
A bill delaying implementation of reforms under the Alabama Literacy Act had already had a public hearing in the House Education Policy Committee but is awaiting a vote by the committee. Some or even all of these controversial bills, plus many more Senate passed bills could be on Thursday’s House special order calendar.
Tuesday is day 28 of the 2021 Legislative Session. If legislation has not been approved by the end May 17, it will be dead and will have to be reintroduced in 2022.
The Senate will be working on House bills, but has not made their special order calendar public knowledge.
