In the first year of their term, Alabama lawmakers elected in 2018 tackled hot-button issues in long work weeks and late-night debates. The Alabama Legislature packed much into its three-month 2019 regular session. The Legislature approved changes in unemployment compensation…
The Clarke-Figures Equal Pay Act takes effect Sept. 1, making Alabama the 49th state with a pay equity law. Mississippi is now the only state without a state pay equity law. The federal Equal Pay Act, which covers pay equity…
In the 2019 regular legislative session, Mountain Brook and Hoover (only portion within Jefferson County) got the go ahead to move up the time restaurants and bars there can offer alcoholic beverages on Sundays to 10 a.m. SUNDAY SALES Seven local…
Act No 2019-492 by Rep. Chris England, D-Tuscaloosa, will allow bars to make up to 5-gallon batches of infused liquor for on-premises consumption, beginning Sept. 1, 2019. An infusion occurs when a single liquor is combined with fruits, spices, herbs,…
As of Sept. 1, there will be a criminal penalty for those in Alabama who misrepresent a pet as a service animal or an animal-in-training in public spaces or housing accommodations. Gov. Kay Ivey signed the law June 7, aligning…
Bills aimed at lowering drug costs for Alabama consumers, improving the relationship and communication between doctors and pharmacists and other pharmacy issues became law in the 2019 regular session. COLLABORATIVE PRACTICE AGREEMENTS Licensed Alabama pharmacists and physicians can enter into…
Friday evening, the Alabama Legislature ended what many veteran lawmakers and observers described as the most grueling regular session in memory. In the final day alone, 100 bills traveled through the hopper of one of the two legislative chambers. Included…
On the final day of the 2019 regular session, legislation died that originally intended to increase fines by almost 5,000% and assess them daily for not displaying a human trafficking hotline poster. The Senate carried over and never debated HB264…
Senate legislation intended to protect franchisees from unjust termination and non-renewal died in the Alabama House. Although the House Commerce and Small Business Committee conducted a public hearing on SB129, the legislation was never put to a committee vote. The…
Legislation that would have prevented cities without an occupational tax from adopting such a tax died in the House. In the final legislative week, not enough House members voted to consider SB305 by Sen. Jimmy Holley, R-Elba, before the state’s budgets….