2011 Legislative Accomplishments

JOB CREATION AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

  • Made in Alabama Job Incentives Act
    Helps the state recruit international companies to Alabama by offering incentives to offset a costly federal tariff. Alabama will be the only state in the country to offer this kind of incentive, giving us a real competitive advantage that could bring our state thousands of jobs. (Senate Bill 477)
  • Full Employment Act of 2011
    Allows the state to offer a $1,000 tax credit to companies who hire workers off the unemployment rolls. (House Bill 230)
  • Small Business Health Insurance Tax Deduction
    Allows small business employers and employees to deduct 200% of the amount they pay in health insurance premiums from their state income tax. This lowers taxes for small businesses and works to help spur job growth and make quality healthcare more affordable and available. (House Bill 61)
  • Ensuring Alabama remains a “Right-to-Work” State
    An amendment to the Constitution of Alabama which, if approved by voters, would ensure Alabama remains a “Right-to-Work” state by guaranteeing the right of individuals to vote by secret ballot on attempts to unionize. (House Bill 64)
  • Decreased Regulatory Burden on Scrap Metal Recycling Industry
    This new law provides for a procedure that allows the owner of a motor vehicle who no longer possesses its title to transfer the vehicle to an automotive dismantler, parts recycler or a secondary metals recycler, if certain conditions are met.  It will have a direct impact on job creation in the metal recycling industry which has suffered over the past two years. (Senate Bill 224)

 

HANDSHAKE WITH ALABAMA

  • Comprehensive plan to crack down on illegal immigration
    The “Alabama Citizenship and Taxpayer Protection Act” makes it a crime to be illegally present, protects Alabama jobs for citizens and legal residents and ensures that recipients of taxpayer-funded public services are legal residents of Alabama. (House Bill 56)
  • Responsible Budgeting and Spending Act
    Bases state revenue estimates upon a 15-year rolling average, absorbing cyclical economic changes and greatly reducing the risk of proration in the state’s budgets. (House Bill 57)
  • Public Official Transparency Act
    Requires public disclosure of the names of public officials, candidates, or spouses of public officials or candidates who are employed by the state or who have a contract with the state. (House Bill 58)
  • Health Care Mandate Repeal
    An amendment to the Constitution of Alabama which, if approved by voters, will prohibit any person, employer, or health care provider from being forced to participate in any health care system. (House Bill 60)
  • Small Business Health Insurance Tax Deduction
    Allows small business employers and employees to deduct 200% of the amount they pay in health insurance premiums from their state income tax. (House Bill 61)
  • Ethics Commission Protection Act
    A plan to protect the Alabama Ethics Commission against political retaliation by ensure that its annual appropriation is an amount equal to 0.1% of the the total funds appropriated from the State General Fund. (House Bill 62)
  • Ensuring Alabama remains a “Right-to-Work” State
    An amendment to the Constitution of Alabama which, if approved by voters, would ensure Alabama remains a “Right-to-Work” state by guaranteeing the right of individuals to vote by secret ballot on attempts to unionize. (House Bill 64)

 

HANDSHAKE WITH ALABAMA – DECEMBER 2010 SPECIAL SESSION

  • Granting Ethics Commission Authority to Uphold Law
    Prior to last December, Alabama’s Ethics Commission was among a small handful of state’s around the nation whose Commission lacked the authority to compel a witness to testimony in an investigation. This law allows the Ethics Commission to subpoena witnesses and launch investigations if four out of five commissioners vote to do so. (Senate Bill 1)
  • Ban on “Double-dipping”
    Members of the Alabama Legislature are prohibited from receiving two taxpayer-funded paychecks by holding another job with state government or public education, including two- and four-year colleges. (Senate Bill 3)
  • Restrictions on Lobbyist Gift-giving
    Limits what a lobbyist can spend on a public official to corruptly influence their vote to $25/day and not more than $125/year. (Senate Bill 14)
  • PAC-to-PAC Transfer Ban
    Bans the laundering of campaign contributions through various political action committees frequently used in the past to confuse voters and hide the true source of a contribution. (House Bill 9)
  • Pass-Through Pork Ban
    Prohibit legislators from directing state agency heads to spend money for projects not authorized by the state budget makes it a class C misdemeanor for an agency head to spend “pass through appropriations.” (House Bill 10)

 

TORT REFORM

  • The Alabama Small Business Protection Act prohibits product liability actions for relief against sellers that are not manufacturers. (Senate Bill 184)
  • Post-Judgment Interest lowers post judgment interest to 7.5 percent, the current Southeast average, currently post judgment interest is set at 12 percent on the amount the court or jury awarded the plaintiff. (Senate Bill 207)
  • Wrongful Death Venue Reform prohibits “forum shopping” of wrongful death actions by requiring that a suit can be brought only in the county where the deceased could have filed suit. (Senate Bill 212)
  • Admissibility of Expert Testimony brings Alabama up to date with the federal rules of evidence and prevents the use of “junk science” testimony in civil litigation. (Senate Bill 187)
  • Reduction of the Statute of Repose on Architects, Builders and Engineers lessens the statute of repose such that an architect, engineer or builder may not be sued if alleged damages occur over 7 years after their work is completed. (Senate Bill 59)

 

REFORMING STATE GOVERNMENT

  • The new “Students First” Tenure Reform law grants local school boards more authority to remove bad teachers and was widely supported by the state’s education community as a much-needed reform. The Students First Act protects due process rights and keeps tenure for teachers in place, while protecting students from those who might harm them and removes federal arbitrators from the dismissal process. School superintendents who’ve had the authority to hire employees, now have the authority to get rid of employees. (Senate Bill 370)
  • A much-needed Election Transparency Reform which requires greater transparency in the filing of campaign contributions and overhauls a current system that makes it nearly impossible in some cases to determine the true source of political campaign contributions. This legislation requires more frequent reporting of campaign finance reports, the establishment of an electronic searchable public database of all campaign contributions and expenditures, electronic reporting beginning with the 2014 election cycle. (Senate Bill 136)
  • The Fiscal Transparency Act increases accountability of taxpayer funds by requiring the state Finance Department to post monthly reports on the condition of the state’s General Fund and education budgets. (House Bill 25)
  • DROP Repeal – The Legislature repealed the state’s costly Deferred Retirement Option Program (DROP), an excessive and unnecessary benefit plan that put a tremendous burden on our retirement system. Repealing this program saved taxpayers roughly $70 million dollars, eliminating the risk of additional cuts to state agencies and programs (Senate Bill 72).

 

TORNADO RELIEF

  • Senate Bill 271 allows the at least 18 local school systems damaged or destroyed by the storms to make up missed school days by adjusting the number of instructional hours in a day and authorizes the State Superintendent of Education to excuse days for schools in extraordinary circumstances.
  • The Alabama Homeowners and Storm Victims Protection Act (House Bill 179) protects the homestead exemptions of those whose homes were destroyed or severely damaged, ensuring storm victims won’t be subject to an unfair property tax increase.

 

ADDITIONAL REFORMS

  • Military and Overseas Voting Legislation broadens the means by which members of the U.S. Armed Forces and citizens temporarily living abroad can vote in local, state and national elections. (Senate Bill 55)
  • Alabama Indigent Defense System Reform significantly reduces the risk of fraud and abuse, while safeguarding the quality of legal defense services to those who simply can’t afford an attorney (Senate Bill 440)
  • Stronger Sex Offender Notification and Registration Requirements – requires adult sex offenders to verify their registration information four times a year and also prohibits the sex offender from establishing a residence with a minor if the offender’s sibling was his or her victim or the sex offender was convicted of a crime involving force against a minor. (Senate Bill 296)
  • Tougher Penalties for Drunk Drivers – doubles all fines and imprisonment for those convicted of driving under the influence with a blood alcohol level of .15 or higher. Currently, Alabama law only provides punishment for those with a blood alcohol level of .08 or higher. (Senate Bill 67)
 


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