2021 Alabama Legislative Session Guide
We all know that feeling when we’re not caught up on our favorite show, but our friends are talking about the latest episode. We’re sidelined. The conversation is over our head. We can’t wait to change the subject.
We wouldn’t wish that FOMO feeling upon anyone, and it’s why PERITUS PR is here to promote you from unsure understudy to confident conversationalist on the topic of this season’s must-see, the 2021 Alabama legislative session.
Whether it’s your first time, your fourteenth or your fortieth, the plot is always entertaining. Want to keep up with the session’s biggest fans? Keep reading.
Quick Season Recap on the Last Legislative Session
Although it seems like a lifetime ago, you may remember last year’s assembly of the Alabama Legislature was cut short due to concern surrounding COVID-19. Like all great things reimagined, this year’s session will look a bit different.
We’re willing to bet you were a bit preoccupied navigating the first weeks of a global pandemic to pay much attention last year. (Heard). But like a good sitcom, anyone can tune into the session at any point without missing a beat. However, it wouldn’t hurt to first familiarize yourself with the usual characters and themes through Peritus’s 2020 session guide.
All caught up? Good. Now we’re ready to pull the curtain and present our third edition of Peritus’s Guide to the Alabama Legislative Session.
SETTING THE SCENE: What to Expect
After the 2020 session ended with an abrupt cliffhanger, the 2021 Alabama legislative session kicked off with heightened anticipation on Tuesday, Feb. 2. With the first bang of the gavel like a starting pistol, our lawmakers are off to the races with an impressive list of legislative priorities to address within a tight timeframe.
After a variety of safety measures including more spacious venues were explored, the session will be held at the State House as planned. Sparing no space, the gallery and other areas typically reserved for the public will now be occupied by the legislature, allowing them to spread out in the chamber.
We already know the legislature will pause the session after two weeks to stop and reassess health and safety measures, but in the meantime the legislature is implementing precautions many of us have grown accustomed to such as limiting capacity, checking temps at the door and allowing visits to House and Senate offices by appointment only. Want to see things for yourself? Be sure to reference House and Senate visitor protocols first.
To make up for reduced physical access to the State House, we can expect expanded virtual touchpoints including enhanced livestreaming of chambers and committee rooms and a revamped website. (Nice facelift, ALISON).
Since voting mechanisms are built into lawmakers’ desks and many of them will not be sitting at their desks this year, the House is trying out a new remote voting system. Check out this AL.com video of Speaker Mac McCutcheon demonstrating.
THIS SEASON’S SPOILERS: Legislative Priorities
With the 2020 session cut short, many pressing issues had to be tabled. Lawmakers are expected to make up for lost time by prioritizing these policy areas. It’s a marathon and a sprint, and we don’t envy their road ahead.
BUDGETS
The General Fund and Education Trust Fund (ETF) budgets are the only legislation required by the Alabama Constitution to be passed during the legislative session. For fear of another session cut short, Speaker McCutcheon has pressed for budgets to be brought to the table ASAP. While lawmakers have been somewhat tightlipped about what we can expect, it sounds like we have online shopping to thank for keeping revenue up during the pandemic.
FYI: Alabama is one of only three states with separate general and education funds. Last year’s session produced the largest ETF ever at $7.2 billion, a $90 million increase from 2019. This year, the Alabama Department of Education is looking for an increase to the tune of about $450 million to tackle challenges brought on by COVID-19. Gov. Ivey countered with $441 million. In her annual State of the State address, she proposed a 2% raise for educators and state employees. Beyond a deserved pay raise, we can also agree that every teacher deserves a big virtual hug this year.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Economic development is like The West Wing — a bit heady but pretty easy to connect the dots when you break it down. The important thing to know is “economic development” equates to jobs. Several incentive packages that have a major impact on Alabama’s economy, the Alabama Jobs Act, Growing Alabama Credit and Alabama Port Credit, are ripe for renewal. According to Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield, the Jobs Act brought 184 projects to Alabama between 2015 and 2020, bringing more than 30,000 jobs with them. With reauthorization, we can expect to see these incentives come back bigger and better with credits reserved for underrepresented businesses. Legislation like this is key to continuing Alabama’s growth, especially in innovative pursuits and the tech sector, marked by milestones such as the Alabama Incentives Modernization Act and Governor Ivey’s creation of Innovate Alabama (innovatealabama.org).
FYI: Like many other issues, the renewal of these incentives was left on the table last year. Upon the abrupt ending of the 2020 session, Governor Ivey extended the horizon of the incentives with funds from the federal CARES Act.
GAMBLING
Could 2021 be the year Alabamians no longer have to travel to our four border states when they feel like rolling the dice? After many years of lottery bills not quite making it out of the State House, Rep. Steve Clouse’s popular lottery bill, dedicating all revenue to education, died with the end of the session last year. After coming close to the jackpot, Clouse stated he’s unsure of introducing another lottery bill this session since the window has passed to get an amendment on the ballot for a major election when voter turnout is highest. In 2020, Governor Ivey formed a study group charged with gathering intel to guide gambling policy decisions. The group released a report of its findings late last year, leading us to believe we might see some movement on the lottery if we get lucky.
FYI: 71% of Alabama voters polled in favor of instituting a lottery. This is a key predictor of what might happen if gambling finally passes this session and reaches Alabama voters via constitutional amendment. In fact, former Senate Pro Tem Del Marsh announced he will introduce a “comprehensive gaming package” directing revenue to urgent needs such as education and rural broadband.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM
A bit of friction arose last year when Governor Ivey announced her plan to address the issue with three privately developed mega-prisons. On Monday, Feb. 1, a day before the 2021 session began, Gov. Ivey signed deals with private prison company CoreCivic agreeing that the state will lease two new men’s prisons in Elmore and Escambia counties. Though this plan is underway, it remains controversial, even causing Regions Bank to cut ties with CoreCivic. In order for the governor to hold up her end of the deal, lawmakers must make room for annual $88 million lease payments in the budget. Lawmakers will also be considering other measures to alleviate issues in the criminal justice system including a bill, sponsored by former judge Rep. Jim Hill, to create a second parole board that will help prevent a bottleneck of inmates eligible for parole. So far, lawmakers have tabled a bill to repeal the Habitual Felony Offenders Act and sent a slew of criminal justice reform bills to the House floor.
FYI: After issuing two reports on the unconstitutionality of Alabama’s prisons, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Alabama’s Department of Corrections (ADOC) at the end of last year. The reports issued in April 2019 and July 2020 detail ADOC’s violations of the Eighth Amendment, which protects against cruel and unusual punishment. Without swift action here, Alabama risks a federal takeover of the state’s prison system.
RURAL BROADBAND
The pandemic has put a spotlight on the gaps in connectivity across rural Alabama at a time when equitable access to reliable internet is more important than ever before. Broadband remains scarce and even absent in some rural areas of the state, creating disparities in health, education and opportunity for significant swaths of Alabama’s population. More than just a vehicle for Zoom happy hours with friends, broadband is an essential tool in administering health care, education and recruiting and retaining business. We haven’t seen any pre-filed legislation on broadband this year, but it’s likely to be wrapped up in a CARES Act COVID-relief package. Under contract with the state, CTC Technology and Energy has been charged with developing a master plan for broadband expansion. Just before the start of the session, CTC estimated a budget for this undertaking: $4 billion to $6 billion.
FYI: In an Alabama Living interview, Senate Speaker Pro Tem Greg Reed gets to the root of why broadband is such a pressing issue – it touches everything: “health care, economic development, industrial growth, manufacturing, or whatever on the economic side, or whether it’s education, our students, whether they’re working on their MBA or they’re in second grade.” Preach, Sen. Reed.
MEDICAL CANNABIS
A controversial but serious topic causing some Alabamians to feel an urge to unwind... After legislation to legalize medical cannabis passed in the Senate and died in the House last year, Alabama is one of four U.S. states that could legalize it this year. If passed, the bill sponsored by Sen. Tim Melson would create a Medical Cannabis Commission responsible for overseeing the industry from “seed-to-sale” and institute a 9% tax on both cannabis sales and profits with revenue going partly to cannabis research and the rest to the general and education funds. Sen. Melson’s Bill, The Compassion Act, passed in committee and heads to the Senate floor.
FYI: In the U.S., all but six states, Idaho, Wyoming, Kansas, South Carolina, Tennessee and Alabama, have decriminalized the use of cannabis.
COVID-19 RELIEF
As the pandemic continues to sweep the state, CARES Act funding allocation and measures such as state tax exemptions for federal relief funds will be high on the agenda. We have already seen the Senate pass Senate Bill 30 to protect businesses from liability when patrons file lawsuits claiming exposure to the virus. For all the Friends fans out there, this episode, The One Where We Wear Masks, isn’t over yet.
FYI: Various sectors of the state are vying for relief including Alabama’s Department of Education and Department of Corrections. Budget hearings were held last week, offering opportunities for state entities to make their case to lawmakers for how much they need and why.
ARE YOU STILL WATCHING?
To continue, let’s get into the cast.
THE CAST: Session Key Players
This year, the plot thickens with a few shifts in leadership due to outgoing Senate Speaker Pro Tem Del Marsh stepping down and passing the baton to Sen. Greg Reed, who was officially sworn in on the first day of the session. As Sen. Reed assumes his new role, Sen. Clay Scofield will take his place as senate majority leader. If titles aren’t your thing, (okay, Meghan Markle), you can reference our 2020 Guide for a spirited description of each official’s role.
AND, ACTION: Legislative Resources
Now that you’re up to speed, it’s time to press play. Are you the kind of person who misses the climax of the show because you’re deep in IMDb, finding the actors on Instagram or ruining the plot by peeking ahead on Wikipedia? Here’s how you can stay in the loop this legislative session – aside from following us, of course.
WHO’S WHO — In addition to the key players’ platforms linked above, follow these Twitter profiles and we guarantee your feed will be chock-full of #alpolitics. Every year, but this year especially, these are our eyes and ears in the State House.
Media on the #ALPolitics Beat — Click to follow
State House Accounts — Click to follow
WHAT’S WHAT — Use these resources to help you on your way to become an Alabama politico.
Our PUBLISHED by Peritus takeaway is this: the show must go on!
As Alabama continues to weather COVID-19, we’re glad to see legislators taking important precautions to help produce a fruitful session. With so many hot button issues reaching a boiling point, we’re certain to see big movement this year.
At Peritus, our mission is to connect our communities for a brighter Alabama, and a key part of that is making #alpolitics accessible to all.
If you’ve made it this far in our guide, we guarantee you’re more equipped to talk policy than the average bear. No matter what you’re passionate about, there’s something for everyone this session. Choose your own adventure and tune into the issues close to your heart.
There are no such things as “political people” and “apolitical people” – only people who do and do not claim their rightful seat at the table.
You don’t want to miss a beat – keep up with us on Peritus’s Twitter and Instagram accounts for key updates throughout the session.