Friday Five: May 3, 2024
The Alabama Legislature is in session, and Peritus PR is back with our fan-favorite #FridayFive legislative highlights series.
Every Friday, we’ll delve into the legislative “specials” of the week to help you digest the issues legislators have been chewing on at the Alabama State House. Grab your fork and knife, and dig into some of the bills that were introduced, debated, passed, failed or signed this week.
Still hungry? Stay tuned for more information about Peritus’ upcoming Legislative Session Recap virtual panel on May 30th.
THIS WEEK’S FRIDAY FIVE
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The Senate Finance and Taxation Education Committee approved measures extending tax credits for child care and housing construction, part of the "Working for Alabama" package aimed at increasing workforce participation. These bills, supported by Gov. Ivey and bipartisan legislative leaders, aim to address barriers to employment by incentivizing employers to fund child care and housing initiatives. The proposed legislation includes tax credits for employers supporting childcare expenses and housing developers, with the goal of improving access to work opportunities and ultimately fostering economic growth in the state.
Read more: Alabama Senate committee approves tax breaks for child care, housing (Alabama Reflector)
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Alabama lawmakers advanced moderate changes to the 2025 General Fund and Education budgets, including a $75.3 million increase in General Fund spending. The changes redirected education spending to fund a summer food program for low-income children and provide workers' compensation for teachers. The House approved the General Fund and it now moves back to the Senate for agreement. Meanwhile, the Senate approved the education budget and sent it back to the House, where representatives plan to have final discussions via a conference committee next week to address differences.
Read more: Lawmakers advance education, General Fund budgets; final votes pending next week (Alabama Daily News)
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The reworked gambling proposal, aimed at legalizing a lottery and slot machine gambling, fell one vote short in the Senate. Despite robust supportive lobbying efforts, the bill remains in limbo, with senators divided on its provisions. The setback looms large with limited time left in the session. Sen. Greg Albritton, initially supported the bill but voted against it, citing concerns about its impact on his constituents, particularly the Poarch Band of Creek Indians. The proposed legislation faced opposition due to its broad scope and allocation of revenue.
Read more: 1 vote away: How the latest attempt at gambling and lottery sunk in the Alabama Senate (AL.com)
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A Senate committee approved HB130, an expansion of Alabama's "Don't Say Gay" law, despite concerns about its scope. The bill would extend restrictions on discussing sexual orientation or gender identity in schools from fifth grade to eighth grade and prohibit K-12 employees from displaying related flags or insignia. While some argue the bill is necessary to prevent the sexualization of children, others criticize it as likely unconstitutional and harmful to LGBTQ+ students. The bill now heads to the full Senate for consideration.
Read more: Senate committee advances “Don’t Say Gay” bill (Alabama Political Reporter)
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The Senate approved a bill which would grant eight weeks of paid parental leave to education employees, but Senate President Pro Tem Greg Reed, R-Jasper, halted its progress to the House. The bill aimed to address the lack of paid leave for women in the state and initially proposed 12 weeks of leave for both parents. Despite amendments raising the leave period to eight weeks, concerns over budgetary requirements and the short time left in the legislative session led to the bill's blockage by Reed.
Read more: Alabama Senate passes — then kills — parental leave bill for school employees (Alabama Reflector)
OUR PUBLISHED BY PERITUS TAKEAWAY
Like curating your perfect plate at Nana’s Thanksgiving, we all have the right to saddle up to the table with our idea of what’s right for Alabama. With this legislative menu in hand, it’s time to decide what is going to hit the spot for our communities, our organizations and our lives.
Our team has brewed the perfect pairing with our #ALPolitics Guide, helping you identify and contact the representatives serving as head chefs in your communities’ kitchens, explore media resources to keep you informed throughout the session and bridge the gap between policymakers and your community’s table.
Whet your appetite for a better Alabama — we will see ya here next Friday!
At Peritus Public Relations, we know you want to make an impact. To do that you need confidence and clarity to take action. Tell us what’s keeping you up at night and stop letting fear of a misstep get in the way of driving your mission forward. We believe you deserve to get it right. For over a decade, organizations like yours have trusted us to navigate the best path forward.
Peritus specializes in issue advocacy, stakeholder engagement, government affairs and strategic consulting. Let’s connect if you want to learn more about how state policy affects your mission and bottom line.
Check out the 2024 Peritus PR Alabama Legislative Guide here.