Governor Kay Ivey has signed several pieces of legislation into law. Ivey signed Senate Bill 193, sending millions of additional dollars to Alabama school systems. SB193 includes supplemental appropriations from the Education Trust Fund Advancement and Technology Fund to various school systems, colleges and universities, as well as other entities.
“Investing in Alabama’s students in a productive way is investing in our future. It is critical, now more than ever, to find ways to improve our students’ learning journeys, and I am proud to officially put pen to paper on Senate Bill 193 to put funds into much-needed projects in our schools,” Ivey said. “As long as I am your governor, putting a greater emphasis on our schools will be a top priority.”
Despite the COVID-19 global pandemic, the 2021 Alabama Education Trust Fund budget was the largest in the history of the state. This supplemental appropriation will go to school systems in this current budget year. The 2022 education budget is even larger than 2021 was.
Ivey has also signed House Bill 437, the wine shipment bill, sponsored by state Rep. Terri Collins, R-Decatur.
“I want to first thank Representative Terri Collins for putting this legislation forward, because it is certainly something the people of Alabama want available to them,” Ivey said. “Thank you to all involved in putting together a good, clean bill. We are moving Alabama with the times, and I am proud to officially make the wine shipment bill law.”
Ivey has also signed Senate Bill 388 into law. That is the Daylight Savings Time bill, sponsored by State Sen. Steve Livingston, R-Scottsboro. If Congress were to amend federal law, Alabama would adopt Daylight Savings Time statewide year-round.
Ivey is still reviewing the medical marijuana bill, SB46, sponsored by state Sen. Tim Melson, R-Florence.
On Thursday, Alabama Eagle Forum, the Alabama Citizens Action Program and other groups held a protest rally to ask the governor to veto the medical marijuana legislation, arguing that it will increase cannabis access in the state and that marijuana is a gateway drug.
Monday will be the 30th and last day of the 2021 Legislative Session. Any legislation not passed by the end of the day Monday will be dead for this session and will have to be reintroduced in the 2022 Legislative Session or addressed in a special session, should the governor call one.
Under Alabama law, the governor may veto legislation, but the Alabama Legislature can override a gubernatorial veto with a simple majority vote of both houses.
