HB 33 Galliher – License fees for RVs, campers and heavy trucks
This bill would make several adjustments to the state license fees for RVs. It would also exempt one RV per person from the additional fees. The financial impact is unclear.
HB 48 Givan – Contracts or projects using state or federal funds must use 50 percent Alabama workers
This bill would require that contracts or projects using state or federal funds must use 50 percent Alabama workers. It would be enforced by the finance department.
HB 74 by McMillan – Subdivision Regulations within Municipal Planning Jurisdiction
This legislation amends current law on subdivision regulations within the territorial jurisdiction of a municipal planning commission to provide that counties that have adopted subdivision regulations will be responsible for enforcing those regulations within the municipal planning commission’s jurisdiction unless there is a written agreement between the county and municipal planning commission authorizing the municipal planning commission to assume responsibility or the municipal planning commission meets certain statutorily-established criteria for regulating and enforcing subdivisions in unincorporated areas.
HB 93 Ron Johnson – One-call notification system
This bill would provide that an operator of underground facilities who elects not to participate in the one-call notification system would be responsible for damages to its facilities if the operator fails to meet the operational requirements for an in-house system.
HB 104 DeMarco – Workers’ compensation
This bill would eliminate workers’ compensation benefits other than emergency medical care if the employee’s injury was caused in part by drug or alcohol use.
HB 115 Long – Road contractor liability
SB 139 Scofield
This bill would relieve road contractors of any contractual responsibilities, maintenance responsibilities or civil liability for their work once the awarding authority has accepted the project as being in substantial compliance with the project’s plans, specifications and contractual requirements.
HB 136 McCutcheon – Ethics and statement of economic interests
This bill would increase the threshold for filing a statement of economic interests to $75,000, link the threshold to the consumer price index, and exempt employees who do not have the authority to expend public funds. The bill would also provide that a public employee who is not required to file a statement of economic interests would be exempt from the gift exception in the ethics law.
HB 210 Ford – Ethics, statement of economic interests
This bill would raise the threshold for filing statements of economic interests to $75,000. Public employees earning less than $75,000 would be able to accept a thing of value.
HB 216 Joe Hubbard – Preference for bidders with Alabama employees
For public works projects, this bill would give preference to bidders using at least 50 percent Alabama workers on the given project. It would also require that half of the design professionals involved in the project be from Alabama, and at least 25 percent of suppliers must be located in the state.
HB 255 Love – Retirement
SB 265 Waggoner
This bill would amend current law to clarify that overtime payments made to state policemen are part of earnable compensation for purposes of calculating retirement benefits.
HB 274 Greer – Limits government solid waste and recycling programs
This bill would prohibit a county, municipality or solid-waste authority from providing commercial recycling collection services if there are two or more private solid waste providers offering those services in the county. The bill would allow governmental entities to collect residential solid waste and recycling materials within its jurisdiction. Any county, municipality or solid waste authority in violation of this act must cease operations within six months of this act becoming law.
HB 402 McCutcheon – Department of Transportation
This bill would exempt the Alabama Department of Transportation’s chief engineer from the state merit system.
HB 312 Melton – Ban on outsourcing
This bill would prohibit work on certain public contracts from being done outside the United States.
HB 538 Tuggle – Notification system for timber harvesting
SB 409 Whatley
This bill would create a uniform system for timber owners to notify counties of harvesting operations.
HB 543 Clouse – Petroleum fees
This bill would increase the portion of petroleum fees and penalties allocated to the Department of Agriculture and Industries from 5 to 10 percent. The department’s cut comes off the top before the remainder is divided among cities, counties and the Alabama Department of Transportation. The bill would reduce county road and bridge revenue at a time when counties are struggling to make needed road repairs while also looking for matching funds for the new ATRIP initiative.
HB 608 Barton – Scrap tire fee
This bill would transfer all the income from the scrap tire environmental fee to the state General Fund, ending the grant programs counties use to clean up the right of way and scrap tire dumps.
HB 642 Baughn – Alabama Department of Transportation
This bill would expand the director of transportation’s authority to make changes on highway projects without the governor’s consent.
HB 658 Hammon – Immigration
This bill makes significant revisions to Alabama’s strict immigration law enacted in 2011.
HB 661 Hill – Fuel taxes
This bill provides that if any federal fuel tax is reduced, the state tax would increase by the same amount.
SB 1 Allen – Attorney’s fees in civil cases
This bill would provide that in all civil cases, the court shall award attorney’s fees to the prevailing party.
SB 8 Dial – Speed limits
This bill would remove a prohibition against small towns enforcing speed limits on interstates outside the municipal limits.
SB 30 Orr – Online posting of requests for bids and proposals
This bill would require the State Purchasing Division of the Department of Finance to maintain a statewide, online database for requests for bids or proposals. The database would include requests from all state agencies and political subdivisions.
SB 77 Orr – Workers’ Compensation
This bill would revise portions of the workers’ compensation law to limit the use of evidence of pain complaints by a trial court, to limit an employer’s liability for permanent total disability benefits after an employee turns 65, to increase the maximum weekly compensation payable for permanent partial disability, to limit the employer’s obligation to pay medical costs if an employee does not seek medical attention within a certain time period, and to provide for the weighing of evidence on both sides of the issue before the circuit court’s pure findings of fact may be reversed.
SB 85 Coleman – Electrical contractors
This bill would allow electrical contractors licensed by a city or county to do business statewide.
SB 145 Orr – Naming building and roads
This bill would provide that a state, county or municipal road, bridge, project or program may not be named for an individual who is currently serving in elected office.
SB 150 Orr – Alabama Transportation Infrastructure Bank
This bill would create the Alabama Transportation Infrastructure Bank for selecting and assisting in the financing of major transportation projects by providing loans and other financial assistance to certain government entities. It would be funded by a portion of an existing gas tax.
SB 156 Ross – Preference for bidders with Alabama employees
For public works projects, this bill would give preference to bidders using at least 50 percent Alabama workers on the given project. It would also require that at least 20 percent of materials be from Alabama.
SB 185 Bedford – Vegetation management
This bill would expand the acceptable uses of the county portion of the four-cent excise tax on gasoline and lubricating oil to include vegetation management.
SB 322 Allen – Alabama Uniform Severance Tax Act
This legislation, aimed at better enforcement of the severance taxes distributed to counties, would authorize the Department of Revenue to provide counties with information on taxpayers remitting the severance tax to the Department and would allow counties to request taxpayer audits by the Department if counties reimburse the Department for the costs of the audit.
SB 330 Beasley – Overtime and retirement benefits
This bill would amend current law to clarify that overtime payments and subsistence allowance payments are part of earnable compensation for purposes of calculating retirement benefits.
SB 339 Bussman – Bond issue for roads
This bill would authorize the Alabama Highway Authority to borrow up to $650 million for road projects. Projects would be selected by a council consisting of the transportation director and appointees chosen by the lieutenant governor, commissioner of agriculture, Senate president pro tem and House speaker.
SB 342 Williams – Trespassing
This bill would codify case law relating to the duty of care an owner of real property owes to certain trespassers on his or her property.