Alabama voters will face the choice of whether to display the Ten Commandments on state property like schools and public buildings in the November mid-term election. The Alabama House of Representatives passed a constitutional amendment proposed by Republican state Sen. Gerald Dial 66-19 on Thursday. No state money could be used to display the set of rules or laws, given…
Alabama’s legislative session is quickly coming to the end and so is time to act on school safety and gun control bills. From arming teachers to banning the sale of assault-style rifles, lawmakers have introduced several bills since the Parkland, Florida school massacre. A bill to raise the age to purchase semi-automatic weapons from 18 to 21 did not make…
Alabama lawmakers have approved a 2.5% pay raise for teachers and school employees that will cost more than $100 million. The Alabama Senate voted 29-0 Thursday for the pay raise in the education budget for the next fiscal year. The total $6.7 billion budget included a $1.2 million boost to Alabama State University to offset the damage of a finance…
The House Judiciary Committee passed a bill that would require police to collect data on traffic stops to prevent racial profiling. The bill by state Sen. Rodger Smitherman, a Democrat from Birmingham, would require officers to record the race of a person pulled over in a traffic stop. Police would submit data annually to the state attorney general’s office. Smitherman,…
Alabama inched closer to setting aside a day to honor civil rights icon Rosa Parks. An Alabama Senate committee on Tuesday approved legislation to name Dec. 1 as Rosa Parks Day. The bill now moves to the full Senate. Parks was arrested Dec. 1, 1955 in Montgomery for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white man. Her…
Alabama inched closer to abolishing judge-signed marriage licenses, a change that would let conservative probate judges avoid issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. A few Alabama probate judges for years have refused to issue marriage licenses to anyone so they do not have to give them to gay couples. The House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday approved the bill on a…
The Alabama House of Representatives has approved a redistricting bill after an all-day debate. Lawmakers on Thursday voted 71-32 to approve the boundaries for the 35 Senate districts. The bill now goes to Gov. Kay Ivey for her signature. Black lawmakers, who are opposed to the plan, had the lengthy bill read aloud on the House floor. The process took…
Alabama lawmakers have advanced an effort to require yearly inspections of faith-based day cares that are currently exempt from state oversight. The Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday approved a compromise plan passed by the House last month. The proposal would require all child care facilities that take government subsidies to be licensed. It would also allow the Department of Human…
An Alabama lawmaker shouted down a committee meeting speaker who dismissed marijuana arrest disparities as playing the “race card.” Democratic Rep. Juandalynn Givan, of Birmingham, warned former state Rep. Richard Laird on Wednesday to never return to the House Judiciary Committee for using the term. She also argued with the body’s chairman for interrupting her during the spat. Laird apologized…
The Alabama Legislature has given final approval to the education budget and a four percent pay raise for teachers. The House of Representatives and state Senate on Thursday approved conference committee reports on the legislation. The two bills now go to Gov. Robert Bentley for his signature. Bentley praised the passage of the bills, saying state leaders are sending a…
