MONTGOMERY — The Alabama Legislature on Tuesday convened for the 24th day of its 2021 regular session.
Both chambers worked well into the evening hours.
Here is a quick rundown of proceedings:
Alabama Senate
The upper chamber’s day started off with Governmental Affairs meeting at 1:00 p.m. The committee advanced six bills out of an 11-bill calendar. The measures that did not receive a favorable report during the meeting included SB 370 — Minority Leader’s Bobby Singleton’s (D-Greensboro) bill to legalize and implement the option of curbside voting in Alabama for those with disabilities, pregnant women and any other eligible voters allowed under rules adopted by the secretary of state.
The Senate gaveled in at 2:00 p.m. and took on two special order calendars, ultimately passing 31 bills. This included Sen. Arthur Orr’s (R-Decatur) SB 210, Rep. Debbie Wood’s (R-Valley) HB 521, Sen. Steve Livingston’s (R-Scottsboro) SB 388, Sen. Rodger Smitherman’s (D-Birmingham) SB 91, Rep. Mike Holmes’ (R-Wetumpka) HB 2 and Rep. Laura Hall’s (D-Huntsville) HB 385.
View the Senate’s full daily activity here.
Alabama House
The lower chamber’s Tuesday kicked off with Urban and Rural Development giving a favorable report to SB 215 as substituted at 11:00 a.m. The bill is currently on the special order calendar for the 25th legislative day.
The House gaveled in at 1:00 p.m., taking up a relatively noncontroversial special order calendar.
The 12 bills passed on the day included Rep. Gil Isbell’s (R-Gadsden) HB 560, which would legalize the drive-thru and walk-up purchase of sealed beer and wine in Alabama.
You can view the House’s full daily activity here.
Looking ahead
Wednesday will be a committee day, with neither chamber convening.
It is getting to the point of the session in which committee days are less packed, as Wednesday’s schedule underscores.
One meeting to especially watch will be House Ways and Means Education taking up the ETF budget package at 9:00 a.m. The committee is expected to vote on the package at its meeting Thursday at 8:30 a.m.
On Wednesday, Orr’s SB 267 related to vaccine passports will be on the House Health Committee’s agenda at 9:30 a.m., in another meeting to monitor.
View the Senate committee slate here and the House committee schedule here.
Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
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