Bill to cut down on special elections passes Alabama House committee

The Conference Committee for HB 4145 will pick back up Tuesday morning, and the Senate will gavel in as normal at 11 a.m.

“This is the most childish bill that I’ve ever seen and I’m embarrassed that it’s on the floor”, Minority Whip Stephen Hershey said, The Baltimore Sun reports.

“We asked the parents not be excluded”, Cothran said.

The state Senate’s Judiciary Committee unanimously approved an amended bill which would ban marriage for those under the age of 18 without the permission of a judge who will first hear from parents and conduct a private interview with the minor.

Hall went on to say that the state’s six-year plan would support a 5 percent raise, and that’s always been the case, he said. “Calculations will be done, and there will be very deep cuts”.

Gov. Jim Justice chimed in with a statement: “While everyone is focused on the mistakes, my focus is exclusively on getting our children back to school”, it said in part.

He proposed giving the rest of the evening to discussions, although most of the others on the conference committee emphasized that school had been out long enough and a deal needed to be reached.

Hall said that the governor’s office planned to submit an adjustment letter that would have around $5.5 million of extra revenue that would help support a budget for the 5 percent raise. Not only this, but my staff and I made additional cuts which will give all state employees 5 percent as well.

The bill, sponsored by 36 representatives and six senators will designate January 7 as Estelle Reel Day if passed through the Senate.

When the governor’s tweet announcing the deal was released, an audible whoop went out in Capitol hallways. Others waiting inside the meeting room indicated that they’re wary of getting excited until House and Senate majorities approve the deal.

“I think we have awakened a sleeping giant”, said Dale Lee, president of the West Virginia Education Association.

“There is a lot of people digging in in their position, and they don’t want to budge at this point”, Beach said on WAJR’s Morgantown AM Monday.

In a separate agreement, Justice announced the creation of a new task force charged with, among other things, improving the state employee health care system-in reaction to another demand from teachers for stronger professional benefits.

Though the practice is not necessarily uncommon, Beach said an inaccuracy would require the Legislature to find another means of funding the pay raise.

Both chambers put the nuclear mess at the top of their “to do lists” for this year’s session, with some in leadership saying they feared little would get accomplished until the state’s angry ratepayers had some sort of resolution. Gipson said. “Now it’s creating a new exception of a gun-free zone that doesn’t exist today in the law”.