Alabama top stories in brief

• As Alabama gets closer to the end of the legislative session, a gambling bill is hanging on a thread before the Senate looks to a final vote. When the bill passed the Alabama House of Representatives it included a state lottery, a gaming commission and authorized casino gambling and sport betting at seven locations across the state. It also enabled Gov. Kay Ivey to enter a compact with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians on gambling. The revenue from gambling was at the discretion of the Legislature, but required lottery revenue for educational funding. If passed by the Senate, the bill will move to an electoral vote on election day in November. After passing the House, the bill was stripped to only create a state lottery, a gaming commission and the compact. The election day for the bill was also moved to September. In response, the House rejected the changes and the bill moved to a conference committee to be edited. After leaving committee, the current version of the bill would create a lottery and slot machine betting at seven locations across the state. The Senate voted on it 20-15, but a constitutional amendment needs 21 votes to pass. However, it requires two ballots and the 20-15 vote will move the bill to the second vote. With only three meeting days left, the legislative session could end before the bill sees a final Senate vote. 

• Leaders at Alabama A&M University have publicly expressed interest in purchasing Birmingham Southern College’s campus and told Alabama Daily News that they would  make an offer to BSC to purchase the campus. They aren’t the only History Black College and University to announce interest in purchasing the land after BSC officially declared it would close at the end of May. Miles College told Birmingham Watch in March that they were interested in purchasing the campus. 

• State sales tax on baby and menstrual hygiene products in Alabama may be eliminated by the House of Representatives before the end of the legislative session. SB62, sponsored by Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, would eliminate the state sales tax on most baby and menstrual hygiene products. The bill would cost the state $11.2 million a year but could benefit over half the state population and has bipartisan support. The bill has been approved by the senate and is currently stalled in the house, though legislators have said the bill will be considered before the session ends. 

• As a wave of local and state library policy changes pass over the nation, over 100 people spoke at a public meeting for the Alabama Public Library Service Board. The majority of people who attended the meeting voiced their opposition to policy changes proposed by Gov. Kay Ivey. Ivey previously proposed a series of policies that would connect library funding to whether or not local libraries adopt more restrictive content policies and children supervision policies. Countering Ivey’s policies is the Alabama Library Association. The ALLA released their own policy recommendations that focus on a display policy for sensitive content and other policies ensuring parents are the sole authority for what their children read, instead of the state. The APLS will vote in mid-May after all public comments have been heard.

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• In the latest edition of The Longleaf Hiker, Xander Swain travels to Moss Rock Preserve, where he explores the beauty of its rare sandstone glades and completes his first outdoor bouldering climb. 

Announcements

• In the interest of keeping our Roundup short and sweet, we’ve decided not to publish this week’s legislative update as part of the Roundup. Over 60 new bills have been passed since our last update, so it’s a pretty hefty update. Instead, we’ll be publishing it separately on our site and will send it out to email subscribers on Tuesday. 

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