The Alabama House of Representatives has approved a watered-down child care bill aimed at getting more oversight for hundreds of faith-based day cares that go uninspected by the state. House members voted 86-5 Thursday for the bill described as a compromise between child welfare advocates and church centers. The bill moves to the Alabama Senate. Alabama for years has exempted…
Simmering tensions over a monkey email sent by an Alabama legislator erupted into shouting match on the House floor. A black lawmaker on Thursday night said a Republican legislator had offered only excuses, and not an apology, for the email The email forwarded Wednesday by Republican Rep. Lynn Greer, of Rogersville, described an experiment showing how punished monkeys will eventually…
State senators have approved an Alabama general fund budget after a debate where tempers flared multiple times. The budget passed Thursday, 23-4. Sen. Rodger Smitherman sharply criticized one senator’s unsuccessful proposal to take $600,000 from Birmingham tourism projects. Senators also rejected an amendment that would have cut state agencies’ funding by 3.4 percent to in order to boost highway spending…
Alabama lawmakers have passed the state education budget. The House of Representatives unanimously approved the $6.4 billion budget proposal Wednesday. Tuscaloosa Republican Rep. Bill Poole says the budget will keep state schools mostly funded at the same levels as last year but provides some increases for K-12 schools. It sets aside money to hire 152 more teachers in fourth through…
A Senate committee has voted to cut 3.4 percent from the budgets of most state agencies in order to steer $63 million to the state highway department. The Senate Finance and Taxation General Fund Committee on Wednesday approved the budget cut proposed by Republican Sen. Paul Sanford of Huntsville. Sanford says his amendment was a way to fund state road…
Alabama voters will decide in 2018 whether to write anti-abortion language into the state constitution. The Alabama House of Representatives voted 73-24 Tuesday to give final approval to the legislation seeking to put “right to life” language into the Alabama Constitution. If approved by voters, the wording could put Alabama in a position to deny access to the procedure if…
Alabama might protect faith-based adoption organizations that refuse to place children with gay parents or in certain other households because of their religious beliefs. The Alabama Senate approved the bill Tuesday on a 22-9 vote. The legislation prohibits the state from refusing to license or sign contracts with faith-based adoption groups that refuse placements because of their religious beliefs. Sen….
Lawmakers have voted to add Alabama to the list of states that protect faith-based adoption organizations that refuse to place children with gay parents or in certain other households. The House of Representatives passed the bill 60-14 Thursday. The legislation would prohibit the state from refusing to license or sign contracts with faith-based adoption groups that decline to make placements…
The Alabama Senate has passed a bill requiring driver’s license offices in the state to open at least one day a week. The measure passed 21-3 Tuesday. Sen. Hank Sanders of Selma sponsored the legislation. He says it will help people who live in rural counties. The offices would have to open during regular business hours. Sanders says a similar…
Alabama lawmakers have voted to create a commission that could move judge positions to areas with crowded court dockets and rapidly growing populations. The Alabama House of Representatives voted 77-15 Tuesday for the bill. It now goes to Gov. Robert Bentley for his signature. The bill creates a Judicial Resources Allocation Commission to review population size and caseloads. When a…
