What to expect at the Alabama State House Monday

Now that the Rebuild Alabama Act overwhelmingly passed the House, the infrastructure package is set to receive a public hearing in the Senate.

Members of the public will be able to make their thoughts heard at 1:00 p.m. Monday before the Senate Transportation and Energy Committee. The meeting will take place in room 825 of the State House. HB 1, HB 2 and HB 3 are on the agenda. It will be live-streamed.

The committee is expected to vote on the bills the same afternoon, after which the legislation could get its second reading. This would set the stage for debate, a third reading and a final vote on the bills to occur Tuesday.

If the Senate makes substantive revisions to any of the bills passed by the House, that legislation would need to head back to the House before reaching the governor’s desk. It is likely that a conference committee would be needed to reconcile the respective versions passed by each chamber.

SB 4 has also been added to the Senate committee’s Monday agenda. The new bill would need a two-thirds vote because it is not included in the governor’s special session call. Sponsored by State Sen. Larry Stutts (R-Tuscumbia), SB 4 would allow volunteer firefighters to use personal vehicles as emergency vehicles with purple emergency lights.

In the House Monday, SB 1 and SB 2 are scheduled for the Transportation Utilities and Infrastructure Committee’s meeting at noon in room 410. SB 2 is the Senate’s version of HB 1, the legislation that overhauls the Joint Transportation Committee to add accountability, oversight and transparency.

SB 1, sponsored by State Sen. Arthur Orr (R-Decatur), increases state width and weight restrictions for off-road vehicles, ATVs and recreational off-road vehicles. This bill also requires a two-thirds vote. It unanimously passed the Senate.

The full House convenes at 1:00 p.m. Monday, while the Senate gavels in at 3:00 p.m.

Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn