MONTGOMERY — The Alabama Legislature on Tuesday convened for the 10th day of its 2021 regular session.
Both chambers worked off of respective special order calendars that contained a mixture of controversial and non-controversial bills.
The House gaveled in at 1:00 p.m. and adjourned for the day at 6:30 p.m.; the Senate got in at 2:00 p.m. and finished its business just before 3:40 p.m.
Here is a rundown of the day’s proceedings:
Alabama Senate
The Senate’s floor activity was preceded by a meeting of the Governmental Affairs Committee.
The committee gave a favorable report to several bills, including SB 235. Sponsored by Sen. Dan Roberts (R-Mountain Brook), this bill would ban curbside voting in Alabama. The committee also advanced SB 259 by Sen. Will Barfoot (R-Pike Road) that would allow the legislature to call itself into a special session. Other bills receiving committee approval were SB 174, SB 233 (as amended), SB 238 and SB 254.
On the floor, the most of the Senate’s time was spent on SB 10, the Vulnerable Child Compassion and Protection Act by Sen. Shay Shelnutt (R-Trussville). Following two unsuccessful amendment attempts and some discussion by Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton (D-Greensboro), the bill passed 23-4. Sen. Billy Beasley (D-Clayton) had an amendment that he intended to offer, and Sen. Vivian Figures (D-Mobile) said she had intended to speak against the bill; however, the two missed their opportunity to do so before the floor vote took place.
The Senate’s full floor activity for the day can be viewed here.
Alabama House
Much of the House’s floor time on Tuesday was spent on Rep. Mike Jones’ (R-Andalusia) HB 392 and Rep. Jamie Kiel’s (R-Russellville) HB 103.
Both bills ultimately passed. The House’s special order calendar was not completed, with the chamber adjourning for the day before Rep. Scott Stadthagen’s (R-Hartselle) HB 391 was taken up.
Read a recap of the House’s day here.
You can view the House’s full floor activity for the day here.
Looking ahead
The legislature’s committee schedule is packed on Wednesday, with especially hot-button bills set to be taken up by a handful of House committees.
Things start off on the House side at 8:30 a.m. with Commerce and Small Business. That agenda includes Rep. Chip Brown’s (R-Hollingers Island) HB 214, which would prohibit employers from taking adverse actions based on employees’ immunization status. The committee will also consider Senate Majority Leader Clay Scofield’s (R-Guntersville) SB 249 related to call centers.
There are multiple committee meetings at 9:00 a.m., including Constitution, Campaigns and Elections. This committee will first take up HB 396 by Rep. Laura Hall (D-Huntsville); this bill would, among other election law alterations, legalize no-excuse absentee voting in the state. HB 396’s fate looks particularly bearish after Secretary of State John Merrill this week backed away from initially supporting the legislation.
Among a slate of additional important elections bills on the committee docket, CC&E is also set to consider Rep. Kiel’s HB 70. This bill would prohibit a person from promising to make a payment to an individual or entity, on a per voter basis, in return for proof that a voter or a specific number of voters participated in a specific election. The committee will additionally take up HB 285 by Rep. Wes Allen (R-Troy) to ban curbside voting and HB 21 by Rep. Becky Nordgren (R-Gadsden) to allow the legislature to call itself into special session; as mentioned above, the Senate companion versions of these respective bills were advanced from a Senate committee on Tuesday.
Another high-profile meeting will occur at 1:30 p.m. when House Judiciary convenes. Rep. Juandalynn Givan’s (D-Birmingham) HB 8 regarding the Alabama Memorial Preservation Act is first on the agenda. The committee is also set to consider Rep. Chris England’s (D-Tuscaloosa) HB 107; the bill would repeal the Habitual Felony Offender Act and provide for resentencing for defendants whose sentences were based on the Habitual Felony Offender Act.
At the same time, Ways and Means General Fund will meet; the agenda includes the General Fund bill for Fiscal Year 2022, HB 309. Rep. Kelvin Lawrence’s (D-Hayneville) HB 320 is also on the docket; this bill would give state employees a two percent pay raise starting October 1. This is being billed as a “cost-of-living increase.”
You can view the House committee schedule here.
The Senate’s committee agendas feature relatively less hot-button bills.
Perhaps the most watched meeting should be Health at noon. Sen. Jim McClendon’s (R-Springville) SB 240 is on the docket; this complex bill would totally transform how the state’s public health bureaucracy and department are managed and overseen. This would include a secretary of the Alabama Department of Public Health being appointed by the governor instead of a state health officer being appointed by the State Board of Health.
Another bill on the agenda is SB 267 by Sen. Arthur Orr (R-Decatur). This bill would bar municipalities from adopting and enforcing ordinances to mandate vaccinations. SB 267 would provide that if a specific immunization is ever required by state law, exemptions would provided for individuals who oppose immunization based on religious beliefs or “otherwise sincerely held personal beliefs,” as well as for those with certain relevant medical conditions. Exemptions could be overridden during an epidemic upon the request of the Board of Medical Examiners and joint approval by the Senate president pro tem and the speaker of the House.
The Senate committee schedule can be accessed here.
The House will gavel in at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, and the Senate will convene at 4:00 p.m. This will be the 11th day of the 2021 regular session.
Livestreams are available for certain committee rooms and both chambers here.
Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
