Week in review: House tampers controversial bills as session nears end

With just six days now left in the legislative session, the Alabama House of Representatives sidestepped the more controversial bills brought by its members over the past week. Instead, the House elapsed bills to make it harder to suspend drivers licenses and to review the sentences of certain elder incarcerated individuals sentenced to life without parole under the state’s Habitual Felony Offender Act.

Here’s a look back at what passed the House last week:

HB421 by Rep. Reed Ingram, R-Pike Road, designates the Yellowhammer Cookie as the official state cookie. It passed 103-0.

HB319 by Rep. Barbara Drummond, D-Mobile, revises the definition of “electronic nicotine delivery system” to include delivery of substances other than tobacco. It passed 100-1.

HB298 by Rep. Chris Sells, R-Greenville, requires certain manufacturers of internet-enabled devices to activate filters to restrict access to sexual content. It passed 70-8.

HB439 by Rep. David Faulkner, R-Mountain Brook, provides a tax credit  under the Growing Alabama Act on contributions from a parent or a holding company to a subsidiary, both filing part of an Alabama consolidated return, provided the donation is ultimately paid by the subsidiary. The bill passed 101-0.

HB455 by Rep. David Standridge, R-Hayden, would create and provide duties and procedures for the Rural and Community Fire Protection Advisory Committee as well as for administration of the Rural and Community Fire Protection Development and Improvement Grant Program. It passed 103-0.

HB404 by Rep. Thomas Jackson, D-Thomasville, would allow a commercial driver who holds a valid Transportation Worker Identification Credential from the Transportation Security Administration to obtain or renew a Hazardous Materials Endorsement from the Alabama State Law Enforcement Agency. It passed 102-0.

HB390 by Rep. Kyle South, R-Fayette, would add projects or other actions taken in relation to above-ground storage tanks registered for eligibility under the Alabama Underground and Aboveground Storage Tank Trust Fund to the projects not considered environmental response projects. It passed 97-1.

HB189 by Rep. Joe Lovvorn, R-Auburn, would create the Logging Efficiency Grant Fund, administered by the Alabama Forestry Commission, and provide for the distribution of funding to the Alabama Forestry Commission to support rural economic development. It passed 103-0.

HB229 by Rep. Chris England, D-Tuscaloosa, would give people who had been convicted of a crime that did not result in a physical injury to a person and sentenced under the law before 2000 the chance to have their sentences reviewed. It passed 64-37.

SB154 by Sen. Will Barfoot, R-Pike Road, which allows for people to keep their driver’s license after missing one court appearance. The bill passed 87-14.

SB166 by Sen. Sam Givhan, R-Huntsville, would allow cities with populations between 100,000 and 175,000 to establish self-help business improvement districts to increase tourism with the support of businesses of a particular class. It passed 102-0.

HB417 by Rep. Phillip Pettus, R-Killen, would prohibit the State Board of Health from requiring a college degree for licensure as a community paramedic. It passed 98-0.

HB306 by Rep. Paul Lee, R-Dothan, provides for the regulation of licensed dentists performing teledentistry orthodontia services in the state by the Board of Dental Examiners. It passed 77-11.

HB208 by Rep. Jamie Kiel, R-Russellville, would provide a state income tax credit to individuals and businesses that make contributions to anti-abortion centers. It passed 76-26.

SB135 by Sen. Chris Elliott, R-Fairhope, which allows employees to serve alcohol under the establishment’s license in hotels and specific retail and outlines opportunities for training. It passed 87-5.

SB256 by Sen. Tim Melson, R-Florence, which would sometimes allow for in-lieu-of-taxes payments to the Tennessee Valley Authority to be paid to the agricultural authority. It passed 91-3.

HB392 by Rep. Cynthia Almond, R-Tuscaloosa, would provide that a person prohibited from possessing a firearm under federal law is prohibited from possessing a firearm under state law and would provide criminal penalties for a violation. It passed 64-36.

HB293 by Rep. Chip Brown, R-Hollingers Island, would revise the structure of the amounts of the income tax credit is allowed for certain port activities that may be claimed, and it would expand the credit to allow port users to claim a jobs tax credit if the user increases their cargo base volume. The bill passed 103-0.

HB375 by Rep. Matt Simpson, R-Daphne, exempts gun safes and gun safety devices from sales and use tax. It passed 102-0.

HB323 by Rep. Phillip Pettus, R-Killen, requires certain benefits be provided to first responders who suffer from work-related PTSD, including reimbursement for certain out-of-pocket treatment expenses and paid time off for treatment. The bill passed 99-3.