Volume 5 - March 10, 2017

A Publication by the Franklin Resources Group

THE HOUSE One-Third of Session Complete HOUSE RECONVENES Tuesday, March 14 – 1:00 p.m.

THE SENATE Historical Monuments SENATE RECONVENES Tuesday, March 14 – 2:00 p.m.

GENERAL FUND BUDGET

Committee Approved

IN COMMITTEE VISIT OUR WEBSITE

Week Five www.franklinresourcesgroup.com

Ryan deGraffenried, III • Johnny Crawford • Susan Hansen • David Rogers 4120 Wall Street, Montgomery, 36106 • Email: [email protected]

Week 5 March 10, 2017

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THE HOUSE

One-Third of Session Complete

Tuesday, the House debated and temporarily carried over HB29 by Rep. (R-Wetumpka). This bill deals with harsher penalties for violators with a type 2 restrictive drivers licenses. Slowing the House down Tuesday with heavy debate and much discussion was HB150 by (R-Brewton). The legislation would create a detailed job description and minimum qualifications for the appointment of members of the Boards of Registrars. The final vote was 43-43, resulting in a tie which prevents passage of the legislation.

THE SENATE Historical Monuments

Thursday, the Senate passed several bills prior to a 3-hour long debate of SB60 by Sen. Gerald Allen (R-Tuscaloosa), which establishes the Alabama Memorial Preservation Act of 2017. The bill creates a 12-member Permanent Joint Committee on Alabama Monument Protection to review and grant the removal, relocation, or other disturbances of monuments located on public property. It also prevents the removal, renaming, relocation and alterations to any monument on public property that is older than 20- years. The bill passed with a vote of 24-7 and now goes to the House for consideration.

GENERAL FUND BUDGET Committee Approved

House Bill 155 by Rep. (R-Ozark), the General Fund Budget for, FY 2017-18, was approved in committee Wednesday. Most state agencies would receive approximately the same amount of money from the General Fund as this year’s budget (FY 2016-17), Clouse said.

Overall, the budget calls for spending $1.8 billion, similar to the current budget. The Alabama Medicaid Agency would receive $701 million from the General Fund, same as last year, plus $105 million from a BP oil spill settlement plan the legislature approved last year.

The Medicaid appropriation is $43 million less than requested by Governor Bentley.

Missing was the 4 percent pay raise for state employees promised by Bentley in his State of the State address. State employees received a cost of living raise of 3.5 percent in 2009. The raise proposed by Bentley would have cost $19 million a year.

Week 5 March 10, 2017

IN COMMITTEE Week Four

HB288 by Rep. Margie Wilcox (R-Mobile) received a favorable report from the House Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security. The bill would allow the owner of a vessel to purchase one-year distinctive vessel ID stickers, showing support for approved organizations. Half the proceeds would be allocated to Alabama’s state parks.

HB328 by Rep. Alan Baker (R-Brewton) was discussed in the House County & Municipal Government Committee Wednesday, but a vote was delayed until next week. The bill would alter the local governing bodies’ approval process for siting a new solid waste management facility located within the jurisdiction of the governing body.

SB59 by Sen. Cam Ward (R-Alabaster), the bill developed by the Governor’s office, which proposed an $800 million bond issue to finance the construction of three new large regional prisons for men and one new prison for women, received a favorable repost from the Senate Judiciary Committee this week, but not without some major changes.

Those changes include reducing the bond issue to $775 million, scrapping the building of a new women’s prison and instead renovating the current Tutwiler Prison for Women. Another significant change was removing the design build aspect of the bill and adding a provision that would allow cities and counties to spend their own money to build a prison and lease it back to the state. The plan would increase prison capacity by 2,000, which would drop capacity from 173 percent to 137 percent, enough to prevent a federal intervention.

SB255 by Sen. Arthur Orr (R-Decatur) had a public hearing Wednesday in the Senate Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee. Under current law, landowners can't use rivers for agricultural irrigation unless their land touches the river. This bill would create a system to authorize a landowner whose land is not contiguous to the Alabama River, the Tennessee River, or the Tombigbee River to use water from these rivers for agricultural irrigation with certain restrictions. No vote was taken after the public hearing and the committee chairman indicated it would not be brought back up before the Legislature returns from Spring Break April 4th.

The committee did approve SB257 also by Sen. Orr. It would provide an income tax credit equal to 20% of the cost of the purchase and installation of any qualified irrigation equipment not to exceed $10,000.

SB16 by Sen. Dick Brewbaker R-Pike Road) passed out of the House Judiciary Committee Wednesday. The bill would end the ability of judges to give death sentences after a jury recommends life in prison.

Congratulations to Rolanda Hollis (D-Birmingham) newly elected member to the Alabama House of Representatives from District 58. She was elected during a special election Tuesday night. Rep. Hollis will fill the seat left vacated by the recent resignation of Rep. Oliver Robinson.

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