2021 Legislative Session Begins
By Sherri Blevins
Alabama’s State Legislature started its 2021 Legislative Session on Tuesday, February 2. The scheduled ending date is May 30, 2021. This year’s session will look very different from those in the past due to COVID-19 concerns. COVID precautions will prevent business as usual from taking place.
According to one legislator, debating and amending significant bills will be difficult because of social distancing and coronavirus constraints. The Capitol is usually filled with spectators and lobbyists, but this year access to the public will be extremely limited. Several safety precautions limiting the number of people allowed in each location will be observed for the first two weeks of the session. However, they will be evaluated again to see if the need for those precautions still exists.
Even Governor Ivey’s State of the State address will be different. According to an article from the Alabama Daily News by Mary Sell and Caroline Beck, the legislative session usually begins with great pomp and circumstance, as a joint session of the House and Senate convenes in the historic Capitol building for the State of the State Address. This year Ivey will be alone except for the camera crew as she speaks to Alabamians about Alabama’s current status. Ivey stated, “It’ll just be me and the camera here in the State Capitol so that it will be an unusual State of the State in that regard. I’ll use the State of the State to touch on issues and to thank the people of Alabama for responding in such a positive fashion with COVID.”
Many lawmakers are concerned that virus outbreaks could delay legislative progress. If the legislature has to quarantine or suspend their sessions, multiple special sessions may be needed later in the year to complete the State’s business. One special session that is not related to COVID-19 is expected to be needed. It is the legislature’s job to redraw congressional and state legislative districts after completing the Official Census. The official Census results will not be released until March or April, potentially delaying the process.
Both the House of Representatives and the Senate have a Republican majority. The Senate is led by Senate President and Lieutenant Governor Will Ainsworth, Majority Leader Greg Reed, and Minority Leader Bobby Singleton. The House of Representatives is spearheaded by Speaker of the House Mack McCutcheon, Majority Leader Nathaniel Ledbetter, and Minority Leader Anthony Daniels. These leaders are tasked with overseeing 300 potential pieces of legislation during the session. Some of the bills expected to be acted upon concern ensuring that federal COVID relief funds received by Alabamians and businesses are not subject to state taxes, providing entities with liability protection from COVID related lawsuits, revising, revamping, and expanding economic business incentives. Other bills of interest deal with education reform, a wide-ranging gambling proposal, prison reform, and racial profiling.
Mountain Valley News spoke with House Majority Leader Ledbetter and Senator Steve Livingston about the new session. Ledbetter stated, “As the 2021 Legislative Session kicks off, we are facing more operational challenges than ever due to COVID-19. However, I am proud of the leadership and our members for coming together to do the work we have been elected to do, despite the odds.
Of course, the General Fund budget and the Education Trust Fund budget will be top priorities that both chambers work to pass. Thankfully, both budgets are healthy due to conservative spending and cautious planning in previous years.
We have three priority bills that we will address quickly in the first two weeks. All three deal with COVID-19 and CARES Act funding.
I am eager to move forward with our mental health initiatives. We have several bills to move this year that passed in the House last year but never made it out due to a short session. We have been very excited to hear of the success of the Mental Health Service Coordinators in our school systems, and I look forward to keeping things moving as the session progresses.”
Senator Livingston responded with these words: “This legislative session will certainly be different than any other. COVID-19 protocol will be in place for all members, our staff, and visitors with appointments. There are several important issues for immediate consideration. Firstly, a renewal of the state’s key economic incentives that expired last year. COVID-19 frivolous lawsuit immunity and, more importantly, making the federal stimulus money tax free for Alabamians will be addressed. We anticipate strong general fund and education budgets this year.”
