Alabama top stories in brief

• A new bill pre-filed by Rep. Kenyatté Hassell, D-Montgomery, would require Alabamians to obtain a permit in order to carry an assault weapon in their car or on their person, as well as to purchase a new assault weapon. The bill, House Bill 23, includes exceptions for weapons on personal property. 

• The scope of a lawsuit challenging a recent bill criminalizing several forms of aid related to absentee ballots was severely narrowed when a judge dismissed several claims made by plaintiffs. The lawsuit now challenges only a small segment of changes enacted by Senate Bill 1. The portion that the judge has allowed to proceed are the plaintiffs’ claims that the bill discriminates against blind, disabled or illiterate voters, by not allowing them a method to convey their votes, since they require assistance. Additionally, the judge is allowing plaintiffs to challenge the portion of the bill that criminalizes receiving payment for assisting with ballots.

• A judge dismissed a lawsuit on August 21 against a new bill passed into law, after Alabama’s Attorney General released guidance saying the law would not come into effect until after the November election. The bill, House Bill 100, increased penalties for crimes committed against election officials. Additionally, it also increased the number of crimes that render an individual unable to vote. Plaintiffs filed suit, arguing that it was against Alabama law to make changes to election rules within six months of the election. The Attorney General sent out clarification that the law would have no impact on the current election, but would come into effect after November, leading the judge to dismiss the case. 

• A recently pre-filed bill would change current requirements for individuals receiving unemployment benefits. House Bill 29 would require that individuals on unemployment apply for at least 5 jobs per week, instead of 3 as is currently required. The bill would also require recipients to respond to job offers within 72 hours of receiving them, and would disqualify them from benefits if they missed a job interview. The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Ed Oliver, R-Dadeville, told Alabama Daily News that the intent of the bill is to increase Alabama’s workforce participation. Dev Wakeley, a worker policy advocate with Alabama Arise, criticized the bill, arguing that it would hurt workers. “What we hear all the time is we need better workforce participation, and this is an attempt to hurt people until they’re desperate enough to take anything, no matter how unsuitable the work is, by taking away their ability to even survive unless they do so,” said Wakeley. 

• Alabama’s fifth execution of the year has been scheduled. Carey Dale Grayson, who was charged with two counts of capital murder in 1996, will be executed by way of nitrogen gas on Nov. 21. Grayson was part of a group of teenagers that in 1994 murdered Vickie Deblieux, who was hitchhiking from Tennessee to her mother’s home in Louisiana. After his initial conviction in 1996, Grayson’s sentence was upheld until 2006 upon the completion of the state appeals process. In 2009, Grayson filed a writ of habeas petition within a federal court but was denied. Two other appeals to the 11th district court and Supreme Court were also denied in 2010 and 2011. In a recent attempt to avoid execution by nitrogen, Federal Defenders for the Middle District of Alabama introduced two other options that could be used in lieu of the execution method chosen by the state. The first would include administration of ketamine before entering a hyperbaric chamber filled with nitrogen, and the second is execution by way of lethal injection. Grayson will be Alabama’s third execution by way of nitrogen gas after Alan Eugene Miller is executed in September.

Our articles you might have missed

• Xander Swain takes us on his journey exploring the Great Smoky Mountains, including two memorable hikes, in this month’s edition of The Longleaf Hiker, available on our site.

• In July’s edition of The Breathing Room, Hannah Irvin invites readers to ask themselves how they are viewing those around them and whether it is how they want to be seen.  

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