Capitol Notes Archive

The Alabama Legislature began its second special session of 2015 last Tuesday. Gov. Bentley was forced to call the session because next year’s State General Fund budget, which funds all non-educational expenses, has yet to be enacted. Legislators must pass a budget for fiscal ...Read More

The Alabama Legislature adjourned the year’s first special session on Tuesday. Though it was called for the purpose of adopting next year’s General Fund budget, the special session ended without a budget passing the Legislature. As a result, Gov. Bentley will be forced to ...Read More

In Latin, the phrase “sine die” literally means “without day.” Normally, when the Alabama Legislature adjourns, it returns the following day or the following week for the next legislative day. But when the Legislature adjourns “sine die,” the session is over and the legislative ...Read More

Unless you’re a devout student of Alabama’s legislative process, you’ve probably never heard of Senate Rule 34. Yet, among the 206 rules that govern the Alabama House and Senate, this particular rule is currently the most important rule of all. Under normal circumstances, a ...Read More

Next year’s General Fund budget took the first step of its legislative journey last week as the House Ways and Means General Fund Committee favorably reported a substitute version of House Bill 135. Sponsored by committee chairman Rep. Steve Clouse (R-Ozark), the bill appropriates ...Read More

It is nearly universally acknowledged that a major financial crisis is looming for next year’s State General Fund budget. There appears to be no consensus among legislators on how to solve the problem. There are, however, at least three public solutions being considered. First ...Read More

The first half of the 2015 Regular Session is officially in the books. Legislators have already introduced a total of 1,167 bills and resolutions, many of which impact Alabama’s banking industry. While this issue of Capitol Notes will follow normal protocol and provide you ...Read More