House has very little contention in third legislative week

The main point of controversy last week for the Alabama House of Representatives was a bill that will significantly reduce the amount of good time accrued by eligible incarcerated individuals.

That bill passed the House 79-24 and has since been signed into law.

But outside of that contentious bill, there wasn’t much disagreement in the House this week.

Here’s a look at what else made it out of the chamber:

HB56 by Rep. Frances Holk-Jones, R-Foley, expands on the scope of practices of licensees of the Alabama Board of Social Work Examiners. It clarifies that licensed independent clinical social workers have the authority to diagnose and develop treatment plans, but that does not include the diagnosis, treatment, or provision of advice to a client for problems or complaints relating to conditions outside the boundaries of the practice of social work. The bill passed 104-1.

HB79 by Rep. Phillip Rigsby, R-Huntsville, would require permit holders with the Board of Pharmacy to register a representative and pay an additional annual fee. The bill passed 104-0.

HB112 by Rep. Danny Crawford, R-Athens, would increase the number of working days that the Limestone County Board of Registrars may meet to a maximum of five working days each week. The bill passed 99-0.

HB51 by Rep. Corley Ellis, R-Columbiana, would increase various threshold dollar amounts for which competitive bidding is generally required and would authorize those dollar amounts to be further increased based on increases in the Consumer Price Index. The thresholds generally doubled from previous numbers. The bill passed 105-0.

HB161 by Rep. David Faulkner, R-Mountain Brook, would authorize the Department of Insurance to post a notice of a hearing for matters that would otherwise require separate notices to more than 50 persons at least 30 days prior to the hearing on a webstie maintained by the Department in lieu of publication in newspapers. The bill passed 104-0 and moves to the Senate.

SB104 by Sen. Chris Elliott, R-Fairhope, which clarifies liability for providers of alcohol if the recipient injures a third party. The changes add that the person who sells the alcohol is only liable if the person is visibly intoxicated when the sell is made. The bill passed 104-0.

HB144 by Rep. Jim Hill, R-Moody, would require a certification process for court interpreters. The bill passed 103-0.

HB29 by Rep. Allen Treadaway, R-Morris, would prohibit some car maneuvers related to exhibition driving. The bill passed 95-3.

HB34 by Rep. Tracy Estes, R-Winfied, would make it a Class B Felony if a person shoots or discharges a firearm on school property during school hours or during school activities after school hours. The bill passed 102-0.

HB37 by Rep. Jim Hill, R-Moody, would decrease the penalties for making a terrorist threat from a Class C felony to a Class A misdemeanor if it doesn’t lead to an evacuation, disruption of school, church or government activities, or is not targeted towards judicial or administrative proceedings or law enforcement, juvenile probation officers, prosecutors, or a judge. The bill passed 102-0.

HB141 by Rep. Corley Ellis, R-Columbiana, authorizes insurers providing employee disability policies to expand disability insurance benefits to include family leave under specific circumstances for which paid leave is not currently available, subject to certain limitations and exclusions, such as when an employee receives unemployment insurance benefits. The bill passed 105-0.

HB65 by Terri Collins, R-Decatur, would increase the minimum amount for contracts of city and county boards of education subject to competitive bid from $15,000 to $40,000, and it would provide a legislative process for increasing the threshold dollar amount in the future based on increases in the Consumer Price Index. The bill passed 101-0.

HB21 by Chip Brown, R-Hollingers Island, would require every law enforcement agency and the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences to report certain data regarding sexual assault cases to the Alabama State Law Enforcement Agency. It would also require the Alabama State Law Enforcement Agency to submit an annual report containing certain data regarding sexual assault cases to the Chairs of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees. The bill passed 104-0.

HB47 by Cynthia Almond, R-Tuscaloosa, would increase the minimum threshold dollar amount a trustee of trust property may terminate the trust to $100,000 from $50,000. It would also allow that amount to be increased or decreased in subsequent years based on changes to the Consumer Price Index. The bill passed 102-0.

HB162 by Ed Oliver, R-Dadeville, would amend the Alabama Medical Liability Act of 1996 to include emergency medical services personnel and any emergency medical provider service to the definition of “health care provider.” The bill passed 104-0.

HB241 by Rep. Danny Garrett, R-Trussville, would extend the Alabama Jobs Act, set to expire this year, to 2028 and raise money available under the act from $350 million to $475 million over the next five years. It also would expand tourism language and provide definitions about tourism opportunities. The bill passed 105-0.

HB257 by Rep. Danny Garrett, R-Trussville, would create a site development grant funding program to encourage the purchasing of new sites to meet demand. The bill passed 105-0.

HB240 by Rep. Cynthia Almond, R-Tuscaloosa, would require the Department of Commerce to publish the details of agreements with companies that receive the incentives on its website. The bill passed 105-0.

HB247 by House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels, D-Huntsville, would provide up to $25 million for tax credits for qualifying businesses. Under the bill, the credits could be used to offset up to 50 percent of a taxpayer’s liability. The bill would also require businesses receiving incentives to move into the state within a year and require most top executives and employees to reside in Alabama. The bill passed 105-0.