The Alabama Legislature reconvened its regular session this Tuesday, March 21st, with a full agenda of bills to address following the five-day Special Session, which ended on March 16. Many were awaiting the Governor’s Education Trust Fund and General Fund budget proposals, which were released...
Volume 24 Number 2 – March 10, 2023 Last week, Governor Kay Ivey called lawmakers into a special session to distribute the last of the American Rescue Plan Act relief funds. Final votes were widely expected to occur on Thursday. On Tuesday, the House Chamber...
Volume 24 Number 1 – March 10, 2023 The Alabama legislature convened the 2023 Regular Legislative Session on Tuesday 7 March 2023. This session marks the first year of a four-year quadrennium, with approximately 30% of the membership being freshmen. As widely anticipated, Governor Ivey...
This Tuesday, the Alabama Legislature convened the 2023 Organizational Session to vote on new leadership positions, rule changes, and announce this year’s committee assignments and chairs. With such an active election cycle in 2022, there was a significant amount of turnover in the House membership,
Volume 23 Number 12 – April 8, 2022 Final legislative day brings controversial bills Representatives and Senators met for 15 hours on Thursday in an effort to wrap up the 2022 legislative session 2.5 weeks earlier than required. Despite finishing early, they were able to...
Volume 23 Number 11 – April 1, 2022 Senate approves Education Trust Fund budget The Senate, on Thursday, approved an $8.2 billion Education Trust Fund budget by a vote of 32 – 0 with very little debate. It now goes back to the House of...
Volume 23 Number 10 – March 18, 2022 House committee approves lottery legislation House Bills 501 and 502, both sponsored by Rep. Chip Brown (R – Mobile), would allow paper-based lottery games, including Powerball and Mega Millions, but not electronic ones. Both bills were approved...
Volume 23 Number 9 – March 11, 2022 Permitless carry bill signed into law On Thursday, Governor Ivey signed HB 272 by Rep. Shane Stringer (R – Citronelle), which would allow people in Alabama to carry concealed weapons without a permit or a background check....
Volume 23 Number 8 – March 4, 2022 Senate approves bill to allow handguns without permit On Thursday, Republicans voted to invoke cloture and end debate after approximately one hour on HB 272, which would allow people to carry concealed handguns in public without first...
Volume 23 Number 7 – February 25, 2022 Senate approves General Fund budget On Thursday, the Senate approved the largest General Fund budget in state history. The $2.7 billion budget was approved in a 29-1 vote. The budget will include a $20.8 million increase (35%),...
Volume 23 Number 6 – February 18, 2022 Committee approves legislation to allow concealed handguns without permit The House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee on Wednesday voted 8 – 5 to approve a bill that would do away with the current permit requirement for...
Volume 23 Number 5 – February 10, 2022 Senate approves broadband bills On Thursday, the Senate quickly approved three broadband expansion bills – SB 123, SB 124, and SB 125 – all sponsored by Sen. Clay Scofield (R – Guntersville). SB123 Under the Connect Alabama...
Volume 23 Number 4 – February 4, 2022 Gun bill advances in committee On Wednesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 6 – 4 to advance legislation to end the requirement to get a permit to carry a concealed handgun in public. The legislation is sponsored...
Volume 23 Number 3 – January 28, 2022 ARPA bill headed to Governor, special session wraps up The first Special Session of 2022 ended unceremoniously on Thursday morning with a bipartisan vote on the allocation of $772 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)...
Volume 23 Number 2 – January 21, 2022 Governor calls special session As expected, the Governor called the legislature into Special Session on Tuesday, to begin Wednesday, to address the distribution of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding. The bill was introduced on Wednesday, and...
Volume 23 Number 1 – January 14, 2022 Legislature convenes 2022 legislative session The Alabama legislature convened the 2022 Regular Legislative Session on Tuesday with little fanfare on the floor or in committee. Most activity seemed to occur in Caucus meetings and in discussions with...
Redistricting, appropriations, and vaccines…oh my! The legislature wrapped up the second Special Session of 2021 late Thursday night. What was supposed to be a session specifically focused on redistricting and a small appropriation of federal funds turned into a multi-day debate over vaccine m
Legislature approves $1.3B prison construction plan After five days in Montgomery for a Special Legislative Session, legislators on Friday approved a $1.3B prison construction plan. HB4 by Rep. Steve Clouse (R – Ozark) allows the state to borrow as much as $785 million in bonds...
Volume 22 Number 13 – May 18, 2021 30th legislative day Gaming stumbles at the finish line Legislation to allow Alabama citizens to vote on whether to legalize gambling including a lottery, casino games, and sports betting failed as the 2021 regular legislative session concluded....
Volume 22 Number 12 – May 7, 2021 28th & 29th legislative days Medical marijuana bill headed to Governor The House of Representatives on Thursday approved a bill that would create a statewide medical marijuana program in a historic vote that followed a debate spanning...
Volume 22 Number 11 – April 30, 2021 26th & 27th legislative days Wine shipment bill goes to the Governor After years of debate and negotiations, Rep. Terri Collins’ (R – Decatur) bill to allow for direct shipment of wine from a manufacturer to a...
Volume 22 Number 10 – April 23, 2021 24th & 25th legislative days Athletic tournaments in jeopardy over transgender sports legislation Local officials throughout the state are raising concerns over the passage of a bill that would prevent transgender youth from playing sports of the...
Volume 22 Number 9 – April 16, 2021 22nd & 23rd legislative days Senate approves comprehensive gaming legislation Senators voted 23 – 9 on Tuesday night to approve a comprehensive gaming bill that would allow for a lottery and up to nine casinos throughout the...
Volume 22 Number 8 – April 9, 2021 19th, 20th, & 21st legislative days Senate takes up lottery bills The Senate, on Wednesday, delayed a vote on Sen. Jim McClendon’s (R – Springville) bill to authorize a lottery in the state after the threat of...
Volume 22 Number 7 – April 2, 2021 17th & 18th legislative days House approves Foundation Program changes On Thursday, the Alabama House of Representatives overwhelmingly supported legislation to revise the state Foundation Program to reflect growth that occurs during a school year. Under
Volume 22 Number 6 – March 19, 2021 15th & 16th legislative days Lottery, gaming bills revived On Wednesday, the Senate Tourism Committee pumped new life into the gambling debate less than a week after a constitutional amendment to create a lottery and provide up...
Volume 22 Number 5 – March 12, 2021 13th & 14th legislative days Gaming legislation fails The Gordian Knot of Alabama politics (gaming) remains intact, despite the extraordinary efforts of former Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh (R – Anniston) to untie it. Sen. Marsh...
Volume 22 Number 4 – March 5, 2021 10th, 11th, & 12th legislative days Statewide mask mandate to end April 9 Governor Ivey announced on Thursday that the statewide mask mandate will be extended until April 9, but it will expire for good after that....
Volume 22 Number 3 – February 25, 2021 7th, 8th, & 9th legislative days Medical marijuana bill approved in Senate After fewer than 20 minutes of debate, the Senate approved legislation legalizing and regulating medical marijuana by a vote of 20 – 10 on Wednesday....
Volume 22 Number 2 – February 12, 2021 4th, 5th, & 6th legislative days Coronavirus priority legislation signed by Governor The Governor signed three priority bills on Friday. SB 30 by Sen. Arthur Orr (R – Decatur) would provide civil immunity for business entities, health...
Volume 22 Number 1 – February 5, 2021 1st, 2nd, & 3rd legislative days Legislative session off to a busy start despite almost empty State House The House and Senate gaveled in at noon on Tuesday for the 2021 legislative session despite COVID-19 protocols that...
Volume 21 Number 8 – May 18, 2020 21st legislative day Legislature adjourns sine die Following one of the most bizarre legislative sessions in recent memory, the legislature adjourned sine die today. Due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, many legislative days were lost and the...
Volume 21 Number 7 – May 11, 2020 15th – 20th legislative days Legislature adjourns, but not sine die After an extended absence due to COVID-19 and a statewide “Stay at Home” order, the House and Senate reconvened on Monday, May 4, to finish out...
Alabama Coronavirus Update In our last Legislative Report dated 13 March 2020, we noted that one case of Coronavirus just had been confirmed in Alabama. A little over one month later, the state of our world has changed considerably. As this is being written, 4075...
Volume 21 Number 6 – March 13, 2020 11th & 12th legislative days First confirmed case of COVID-19 in Alabama Alabama’s first case of the COVID-19 coronavirus had been confirmed in a Montgomery County man. Alabama State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris said Friday the...
Volume 21 Number 5 – March 6, 2020 9th & 10th legislative days Super Tuesday in Alabama On Tuesday, over 1.1 million Alabamians, 33.25% of registered voters, went to the polls to vote in the Super Tuesday primary. There were several notable elections in the...
Volume 21 Number 4 – February 28, 2020 7th & 8th legislative days Final approval given on bill to limit occupational taxes After approximately three hours of debate, the Senate gave final approval to HB 147 by Rep. Chris Sells (R – Greenville) on Thursday....
Volume 21 Number 3 – February 21, 2020 5th & 6th legislative days Medical marijuana bill approved in committee A bill to allow medical marijuana use in Alabama cleared its first hurdle on Wednesday. The Senate Judiciary Committee approved SB 165 by Sen. Tim Melson...
Volume 21 Number 2 – February 14, 2020 3rd & 4th legislative days House approves bill to limit local authority On Tuesday, HB 147 by Rep. Chris Sells (R – Greenville), which would prevent municipalities from passing an occupational tax except through local legislation, was...
Volume 21 Number 1 – February 7, 2020 1st & 2nd legislative days Governor Ivey calls for raises, prison overhaul, gaming task force Governor Kay Ivey, giving her third state of the state address at the Alabama Capitol on Tuesday, emphasized that the state could...
Volume 20 Number 10 – June 3, 2019 25th, 26th, 27th & 28th legislative days Legislature Approves Constitutional Amendment for Appointed State School Board, Adjourns Sine Die Late Friday afternoon, the Alabama legislature adjourned sine die for the 2019 legislative session. On the final day
Volume 20 Number 9 – May 24, 2019 22nd, 23rd & 24th legislative days Senate Approves General Fund Budget; House Committee Approves Education Trust Fund Budget On Tuesday, the Senate approved the $2.1 billion state general fund budget by a unanimous vote. The House moved...
Volume 20 Number 8 – May 17, 2019 19th, 20th & 21st legislative days Senate Passes Bill to Allow Birmingham Economic Development Project to Move Forward Monday Night Brewing, a craft brewery based in Atlanta and new client of Christie Strategy Group, has signed a...
Volume 20 Number 7 – May 10, 2019 16th, 17th & 18th legislative days Bill to Change Broadband Grant Program Approved by Full Senate SB 90 by Sen. Clay Scofield (R – Guntersville) would make changes to the Alabama Broadband Accessibility Act by expanding the...
Volume 20 Number 6 – May 3, 2019 14th & 15th legislative days Legislation to Allow Electric Utilities to Provide Broadband Approved by House of Representatives After extended debate on Thursday, the House approved HB400 by Rep. Randall Shedd (R – Cullman), which will allow...
Volume 20 Number 5 – April 26, 2019 12th & 13th legislative days Lottery Bill Approved by Senate Late Thursday afternoon, the Senate approved a constitutional amendment calling for a statewide vote on the lottery. SB 220 by Sen. Greg Albritton (R – Atmore) calls...
Volume 20 Number 4 – April 19, 2019 10th & 11th legislative days Bill to Freeze Police Jurisdictions Approved by the Senate On Thursday, the Senate passed the committee substitute to SB 23, by Sen. Chris Elliott (R – Fairhope). This legislation restricts the extraterritorial...
Volume 20 Number 3 – April 12, 2019 8th & 9th legislative days Ethics Bill Stalls in Committee The Senate Judiciary Committee discussed but did not take action on SB 230, which would overhaul the state’s ethics law. The bill would make changes to the...
Volume 20 Number 2 – April 5, 2019 5th, 6th & 7th legislative days House Approves Bill to Exempt Economic Developers from Ethics Requirements On Thursday, the House approved HB 289 by Rep. Alan Baker (R – Brewton) by a vote of 94 – 4....
Volume 19 Number 12 – March 30, 2018 24th, 25th, & 26th legislative days Legislature Adjourns Sine Die, Approves Economic Development Bill The legislature adjourned sine die on Thursday, March 29, three weeks earlier than required. Leaving four legislative days unused, legislators returned
Volume 19 Number 11 – March 23, 2018 21st, 22nd, & 23rd legislative days Rural Broadband Bill Delivered to the Governor SB 149, which establishes the Alabama Broadband Accessibility Fund, received final approval by the legislature this week and was delivered to the Governor for...
Volume 19 Number 10 – March 16, 2018 19th & 20th legislative days Rural Broadband Bill Clears House Committee On Wednesday, the House Ways and Means – Education Committee approved SB 149 by Sen. Clay Scofield (R – Guntersville), which aims to promote investment in...
Volume 19 Number 9 – March 9, 2018 17th & 18th legislative days Senate Approves Payday Lending Regulation Bill The Senate approved SB 138 by Sen. Arthur Orr (R – Decatur) by a vote of 20 – 4 on Thursday. The bill would set the...
Volume 19 Number 8 – March 2, 2018 15th & 16th legislative days Senate Approves Pay Increase for State Employees On Tuesday, the Senate voted 28 – 1 to approve a three percent pay raise for state employees. The last cost-of-living increase was approved in...
Volume 19 Number 7 – February 23, 2018 13th & 14th legislative days Bill to Ban Traffic Cameras Delayed Rep. Ken Johnson’s (R – Moulton) bill to ban cities from using automated cameras to enforce traffic signals and speeding laws was delayed in the House...
Volume 19 Number 6 – February 16, 2018 11th & 12th legislative days General Fund Budget Approved by Committee The General Fund passed out of committee on Wednesday, sending forward a $2 billion budget that would be the largest in a decade. This year, growth...
Volume 19 Number 5 – February 9, 2018 9th & 10th legislative days Education Budget Approved in Committee On Wednesday, February 7, the House Ways and Means Education Committee approved a $6.63 billion education budget that provides pay raises for teachers and increased funding for...
Volume 19 Number 4 – February 2, 2018 7th & 8th legislative days Senate Passes Rural Broadband Bill On Thursday, the Senate approved SB 149 by Sen. Clay Scofield (R – Guntersville), which is intended to expand broadband into rural areas. The bill was approved...
Volume 19 Number 3 – January 26, 2018 5th & 6th legislative days House Democrats Announce Legislative Agenda On January 24, 2018 the Alabama House Democratic Caucus announced their legislative agenda for the 2018 session. In the announcement, Democrats listed their legislative interests an
Volume 19 Number 2 – January 19, 2018 3rd & 4th legislative days Winter Weather Derails Legislature Like most of the state, Montgomery was under a winter weather advisory and hard freeze warning starting Tuesday night. The weather made travel very difficult, so the legislature...
Volume 19 Number 1 – January 12, 2018 1st & 2nd legislative days Governor Ivey Gives First State of the State On January 9, 2018, Governor Kay Ivey delivered her first, and what she hopes will not be her last, State of the State Address....
Volume 23 Number 6 - February 18, 2022 Committee approves legislation to allow concealed handguns without permit The House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee on Wednesday voted 8 - 5 to approve a bill that would do away with the current permit requirement for a person...
Volume 23 Number 5 - February 10, 2022 Senate approves broadband bills On Thursday, the Senate quickly approved three broadband expansion bills - SB 123, SB 124, and SB 125 - all sponsored by Sen. Clay Scofield (R - Guntersville). SB123 Under the Connect Alabama Act of 2021, the...
Volume 23 Number 4 - February 4, 2022 Gun bill advances in committee On Wednesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 6 - 4 to advance legislation to end the requirement to get a permit to carry a concealed handgun in public. The legislation is sponsored by Sen....
Volume 23 Number 3 - January 28, 2022 ARPA bill headed to Governor, special session wraps up The first Special Session of 2022 ended unceremoniously on Thursday morning with a bipartisan vote on the allocation of $772 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars in...
Volume 23 Number 2 - January 21, 2022 Governor calls special session As expected, the Governor called the legislature into Special Session on Tuesday, to begin Wednesday, to address the distribution of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding. The bill was introduced on Wednesday, and the House...
Volume 23 Number 1 - January 14, 2022 Legislature convenes 2022 legislative session The Alabama legislature convened the 2022 Regular Legislative Session on Tuesday with little fanfare on the floor or in committee. Most activity seemed to occur in Caucus meetings and in discussions with leadership and...
Redistricting, appropriations, and vaccines...
Legislature approves $1.3B prison construction plan After five days in Montgomery for a Special Legislative Session, legislators on Friday approved a $1.3B prison construction plan. HB4 by Rep. Steve Clouse (R - Ozark) allows the state to borrow as much as $785 million in bonds for...
Volume 22 Number 13 - May 18, 2021 30th legislative day Gaming stumbles at the finish line Legislation to allow Alabama citizens to vote on whether to legalize gambling including a lottery, casino games, and sports betting failed as the 2021 regular legislative session concluded. Despite the efforts of...
Volume 22 Number 12 - May 7, 2021 28th & 29th legislative days Medical marijuana bill headed to Governor The House of Representatives on Thursday approved a bill that would create a statewide medical marijuana program in a historic vote that followed a debate spanning more than two...