Wednesday was the final day of the Alabama legislative session and Governor Kay Ivey signed a number of bills into law. The Alabama Political Reporter says that on Thursday she signed the remaining bills in the Safe Alabama public safety package, House Bill 202 and House Bill 199. HB202, sponsored by Sen. Lance Bell and Rep. Rex Reynolds, “provides law enforcement with enhanced legal protections that allow them to carry out their duties courageously and effectively”. HB199, the Juvenile Accountability and Monitoring Act, was sponsored by Sen. Bobby Singleton and Rep. Travis Hendrix to enhance pretrial detention and pretrial electronic monitoring of juveniles.
Earlier in the week, Gov. Kay Ivey signed the FOCUS Act into law. It prohibits students from using smart phones and “other wireless devices” in public school. As part of the FOCUS Act, students must keep phones in their locker, backpack, car or another storage location. WIAT TV in Montgomery reports that students are allowed to use them for emergencies. The FOCUS Act also requires the Alabama State Department of Education to offer safe social media training for all students entering the eighth grade.
Gov. Ivey also signed a controversial bill aimed at regulating consumable hemp products. The bill faced strong opposition from the hemp industry. It claims the bill overregulates federally legal products. The Alabama Policy Institute, a conservative think tank, argued it did not regulate the products enough. The Alabama Reflector reports the legislation will require testing and labeling for consumable hemp products in certain package sizes. It will require the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board to license retailers of these products, restrict stores that sell them and impose an excise tax. The bill also prohibits sales to minors. Representatives of the hemp industry said the bill’s language was vague and have suggested that litigation will follow.
For the second time in three years, lawmakers knocked a penny off of the state’s sales tax on most grocery items, bringing it to 2% starting Sept. 1. They also removed the sales tax from feminine hygiene products, maternity items and baby goods, including diapers and formula. The Alabama Daily News reports that goes into effect Sept. 1.
The Huntsville area housing market continued its strong start to the year with robust April sales. Realtor Matt Curtis told AL.com that last month’s 6.2% increase in pending sales is a strong sign that buyer confidence remains high in Huntsville. All the surrounding counties, with the exception of the Decatur metro, posted higher home sales last month than they did a year ago.
Alabama is the nation’s fifth-most obese state. That’s according to the ranking by U.S. News & World Report. Last year, the same list had Alabama at No. 7. The ranking was tabulated using adult obesity rates for all 50 states, based on self-reported survey data compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state health departments. The most obese state was West Virginia, followed by Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana. AL.com notes that seven of the top 10 most obese states were in the South.
The Alabama Department of Transportation will perform maintenance paving on US-231 on Brindley Mountain in Morgan County next week, weather permitting. A news release from ALDOT says crews will make pavement repairs on the southbound roadway from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, Monday, May 19, through Thursday, May 22. Drivers should expect single-lane closures and delays. You’re asked to drive with caution, reduce speed and be prepared to merge.