Speaker Ledbetter’s career and technical education package cleared the House Thursday with unanimous support. HB517, sponsored by Majority Whip James Lomax (R-Huntsville), creates the TRAIN Act—establishing a tax credit for employers who temporarily loan qualified employees to community colleges and high schools to teach CTE courses. HB520, sponsored by Rep. Marcus Paramore (R-Troy), creates an expedited certification pathway for CTE teachers relocating to Alabama from other states.
Both bills passed unanimously and head to the Senate. A companion House Joint Resolution calls on the Legislature to appropriate an additional $150 million for CTE programs statewide. Ten working days remain for Senate passage.
A bill prohibiting law enforcement from conducting random, suspicionless boat inspections cleared both chambers and heads to Governor Ivey. The measure protects Alabamians’ Fourth Amendment rights on the water, requiring probable cause or reasonable suspicion before stopping a vessel.
A bill creating a seagrass restoration task force for Alabama’s coastal waters cleared the legislature and heads to Governor Ivey. The measure addresses declining seagrass beds in Mobile Bay and coastal areas that support fish populations and water quality.
The House adopted a substitute expanding Sen. Sam Givhan’s (R-Huntsville) Capitol Complex security bill beyond the original Statehouse footprint to encompass the entire “Capitol Area,” including the parking deck and surrounding grounds. The substitute adds a new criminal offense for operating an unmanned aircraft (drone) within the Capitol complex without authorization. The bill previously passed the Senate; the House substitute requires Senate concurrence.
The Legislature completes Week 8 having passed veterans hiring preference, school board consolidation, a SNAP junk food restriction, the retiree work bill, military and trade signing days, the CTE package, and the boat inspection ban. Both budgets—the ETF (HB238) and General Fund (HB218)—begin moving through committee next week. The ALGOP chairmanship race concludes Saturday. Week 9 begins Tuesday, March 10.