By MARY SELL, Alabama Daily News Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, is proposing limits on how law enforcement agencies can use artificial intelligence and facial recognition to make arrests. A draft bill from Orr, which he plans to file in the legislative session that starts Feb. 2, says “a state or local law enforcement agency may...
Author: Mary Sell (Mary Sell)
Hatcher wins Dem primary runoff of Senate seat
Hatcher won 74.2% of the vote to former longtime state Rep. John Kight’s 25.7%, according to unofficial results from the Secretary of State.
First COVID-19 vaccines arrive in Alabama
The initial nearly 41,000 doses of a COVID-19 vaccine began arriving at three sites in Alabama on Monday and more will be delivered today.
Higher education requesting 3.47% funding increase in 2022
New in the 2022 budget request is the Retain Alabama initiative, an effort to keep Alabama higher education graduates working in the state after they receive their diplomas.
Ivey uses emergency proclamation to extend incentives, clear up tax issue
Gov. Kay Ivey of Friday extended the 2020 expirations of some major economic incentives used by the state to attract businesses and clarified that Alabamians won’t have to pay taxes on certain benefits they received under the CARES Act.
Community colleges seek funding for workforce development, correctional campus
New leadership at the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles prompted the Alabama Community College System to increase its proposed spending on correctional education in the next budget year.
Parnell reelected to lead Farmers Federation for fifth term
Joining Parnell in two-year term leadership roles are North Area Vice President Rex Vaughn of Huntsville and Southeast Area Vice President George Jeffcoat of Gordon in Houston County. Both raise cattle and row crops.
Increased federal funding, decreased use gives Alabama Medicaid $178M carry forward
Despite record-high enrollment, the Alabama Medicaid Agency expects to have a $178 million carry forward in state funding at the end of this fiscal year.
Weaver announces State Senate bid
Former state representative April Weaver this week became the first announced candidate for a yet-to-be-called race for State Senate District 14 in Central Alabama.
Alabama lawmakers’ pay increasing in 2021
Next year’s pay bump reflects the 2019 median household income, according to the Alabama Department of Personnel. That means any COVID-19-caused decrease in household income this year could show up in lawmakers’ pay in 2022.
Bill would prohibit payments to groups that turn out voters
A lawmaker from north Alabama wants to close what he says is a loophole in state law that allows groups to be paid for turning out voters.
Lawmaker: State law needed to prevent COVID-19 vaccine mandate
A state senator wants to make clear in state law that Alabama citizens can’t be forced by the state to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
Kids Count report shows pre-COVID inequities for Alabama children
A report released today that measures Alabama children’s wellbeing doesn’t include any data since the onset of the coronavirus, but drafters expect some of the disparities highlighted in the Kids Count Data Book to be exacerbated by the pandemic.
State finance director ‘highly confident’ CARES funds will be spent by Dec. 30
The state finance director said Wednesday his office is working under a Dec. 30 deadline to spend more than $800 million remaining from the more than $1.76 billion federal CARES Act money allocated to the state earlier this year.
Beshear retiring from ADMH; Boswell appointed commissioner
Alabama Department of Mental Health Commissioner Lynn Beshear is retiring this month after leading the agency since July 2017.