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This Week in the Alabama Legislature…Feb. 22, 2008
Download a printer friendly version of the Feb. 22, 2008 report.
The Alabama Legislature finished off the first seven days of this year’s regular session with a short work schedule on Thursday. Although no ACCA Bills were considered on the floor of either chamber this week, several bills gained committee approval and are ready for consideration in the coming days and the resolution calling for a study commission on enforcement of Alabama’s litter laws was given final approval.
The week’s activities also included the first of this year’s County Commission Days. A special “Thank You!” is expressed to all county officials and employees who made the effort to come to Montgomery to help set the stage for a successful session.
The Legislature is scheduled to reconvene on Tuesday and is expected to follow a traditional schedule. Work sessions are set for Tuesday and Thursday with most committee activity scheduled on Wednesday of next week.
County Modernization — The House of Representatives is expected to consider the 2008 version of the County Modernization Act as early as Tuesday. The bill is near the end of the Special Order Calendar for Tuesday, meaning that consideration could be delayed until Thursday’s work session. However, county officials and employees are asked to contact their HOUSE members this weekend to encourage them to support HB110 by Rep. Richard Lindsey.
Bid Law Amendments — The House version of the bill, which expands the local bid preference to 5 percent (HB100 by Rep. Pebblin Warren), was approved by a Senate committee this week and is ready for final passage in the Senate. Please contact Senate members to ask that they support this legislation when it reaches the floor. The sponsor in the upper chamber is the Dean of the Senate, Bobby Denton.
Road and Bridge Funding — On Thursday the fourth bill in the road and bridge package, (HB518 by Rep. Johnny Mac Morrow) which alters the collection method for gasoline and motor fuel taxes, was introduced. The bill was assigned to the House Government Appropriations Committee, joining the other three bills, which were introduced last week — HB 470 and HB 471 by Rep. Mac Gipson, increasing the statewide gas tax and allowing county commissions to levy a local gasoline and diesel fuel tax; HB466 by Rep. Mike Hill, clearing the way for a second County Bridge Bond Issue.
The bills are pending in the House Government Appropriations Committee and are expected on the agenda during the first week of March. It is important that county officials and engineers use this time to contact each member to secure a commitment to vote to give the bills a “favorable report.” House Government Appropriations Committee: Chairman, Rep. John Knight; members: Reps. Page, Gaston, Allen, Baker, Beasley, Canfield, Grantland, L. Hall, Letson, C. Newton, Salaam and E. Thomas.
The bridge bond issue legislation was also introduced in the Senate as SB357 by Sen. Larry Means and is expected to be given committee approval next week.
Litter — The ACCA-initiated resolution establishing a study commission on the enforcement of litter in Alabama, SJR13 by Sen. Hinton Mitchem, was signed by Gov. Bob Riley this week. The resolution sets up a group to search for ways to enhance the enforcement of Alabama’s litter laws. The group will begin work following the close of the legislative session.
9-1-1 Communication — The House version of the bill that would allow local 9-1-1 districts to contract with the Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center for network communication access, HB253 by Rep. Mike Curtis, was delayed by the House Government Appropriations Committee because of opposition from AT&T. It is important that county officials and 9-1-1 directors contact the committee members (listed above) to ask that they support the bill in committee. A committee vote is expected soon.
Administrative Fee for Educational Taxes — Wording in the 2006 constitutional amendment requiring at least 10 mils of local property tax for education could result in some counties paying more in administrative costs for the assessment and collection of ad valorem taxes. Legislation to correct the unintended problem is pending in the House (HB349 by Rep. Charles Newton) and in the Senate (SB378 by Sen. Lowell Barron). Both bills are expected on committee agendas this week.
Amendments to Sex Offender Notification Act — The amendments to the Sex Offender Notification Act aimed at reducing the number of “released” offenders who are immediately re-arrested and placed in county jails is now pending committee action in both chambers.
The House version, HB332 by Rep. Blaine Galliher, is expected on the agenda of the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. The members of the Judiciary Committee are: Chairman, Rep. Marcel Black; members, Reps. C. Newton, McMillan, Collier, DeMarco, Dunn, England, Hall, Irons, Ison, Keahey, J. Robinson, Salaam, Sanderford and Ward.
The Senate bill (SB110 by Sen. Myron Penn) is also expected on the agenda of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The members of that committee are: Chairman, Sen. Rodger Smitherman; members: Sens. Penn, Bedford, Benefield, Brooks, Figures, Lindsey, Ted Little, Marsh, Pittman, Sanders, Singleton, Micthell, Zeb Little and Orr.
Internet Voting — A public hearing on three different bills aimed at providing an easier alternative for American citizens and military personnel to vote while overseas is scheduled for a public hearing Wednesday. The hearing will focus on two proposals to create committees to study voting over the Internet (HB182 by Rep. Jimmy Martin and HB201 by Rep. Mike Hill). The Association is not supporting either bill but is encouraging the committee to approve an easier and less expensive method to ease the administrative difficulties for supplying absentee ballots for such voters.
HB183 by Rep. Hill would allow for absentee ballot requests and blank ballots to be transmitted by email or fax. The voter would then mark the ballot and return it by mail to the absentee election manager in the voter’s home county. The Association is urging the committee to adopt this less complex method. The members of the House Elections Committee are: Chairman, Rep. Jimmy Martin; members, Reps. Sherer, Love, Bandy, Canfield, Davis, Fincher, Gordon, Guin, Hammon, Mask, Mitchell, Moore, Page and Todd.
Trust Funds — The final bill in the Association’s legislative package, a measure that would allow counties to establish trust funds to finance the cost of providing benefits to retirees, was introduced in both the House and Senate this week. SB380 by Sen. Myron Penn is on the agenda in the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee on Tuesday afternoon. The House version, HB481 by Rep. Bill Dukes, is awaiting action in the House Government Appropriations Committee.
County Presence in Montgomery – The next County Commission Days are scheduled for Tuesday, March 11 for Colbert, Fayette, Franklin, Lamar, Lauderdale, Limestone, Madison, Marion, Walker and Winston Counties and Thursday, March 13 for Blount, Cherokee, Cullman, DeKalb, Etowah, Jackson, Lawrence, Marshall, Morgan and St. Clair Counties. The County Commission days scheduled for March 18 and 20 will likely be rescheduled because of the Legislature’s spring recess. Details on that will be provided in a few days.
Also, registration materials for this County Day at the Legislature, April 16 and 17, have been sent to all counties. It is important that all counties be represented at this event.
The real-time status of all ACCA, Danger and local bills can be found by going to acca-online.org and following the steps under Legislative News. Please make copies of this report for all county officials and employees. And remember, the ACCA staff will update the Association's web site with the latest information on the activities in Montgomery.
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