While the rest of the nation tries to figure out who can take credit for ending the federal government shutdown, and each party works earnestly to affix fault, state lawmakers in Alabama return to work today on Goat Hill for Day 5 of the 2018 legislative session.
Gridlock, dysfunction and a ridiculous blame-game may have taken hold in the nation’s capital, but in Montgomery, we have, well, business as usual, which is to say pretty much the same thing. It’s just that the lack of progress in tackling problems is such a norm in the Alabama Legislature that the absurd doesn’t convey the same level of dramatic flair in Montgomery as it does in Washington.
Faced with a crisis situation in its prison system that is impacting local communities across the state, a perpetually failing statewide educational system and a lingering budget problem that has no easy fixes, lawmakers have plenty to work on. Instead, more than 460 bills have already been introduced. Some of the bills have the potential to impact the lives of the average citizen of Alabama. Many do not. With an important election year looming, it is likely that Montgomery will follow Washington’s current lead in showcasing a great deal of grandstanding and little meaningful legislation that will address festering problems.
Rep. Steve Hurst, R-Munford, has sponsored an education bill that will do little to improve education in Alabama, but it will generate some votes. HB258 would allow public schools to include Biblical theory of creationism along with evolution when the origins of man and earth are discussed in Alabama classrooms.
Over in the Senate, there’s a bill that would stop cities from regulating companies such as Uber and Lyft. Those mobile app-based companies have had a difficult time, here in Tuscaloosa and elsewhere, with city leaders who demanded some basic rules be in place before they started operating. This bill, sponsored by Sen. Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro, would put all the licensing and permitting power in the hands of the state’s Public Service Commission.
A bill in the House would limit liability for injuries caused by animal traps on public lands. There’s also a bill that would require commercial vehicles with three or more axles to use the right lane on the interstate and four-lane highways while driving outside of corporate limits under certain conditions and except for when passing.
Rep. Rolanda Hollis, D-Birmingham, is a newcomer to the Legislature. She won her seat by winning the Democratic primary this past March. No Republican or third-party candidate qualified for the seat, which previously was held by Oliver Robinson. She’s already introduced five bills. One will prohibit smoking in a vehicle with a minor present. Two of her other bills call for the regulation of eyelash extension and microblading businesses. Microblading is a form of semi-permanent makeup for eyebrows.
The session is today just five working days old. There’s still time for our lawmakers to address some important issues. But it is looking more like it will be politics as usual.