Good morning! This is your Daily News for Thursday, March 22.

1. Guns are done

The teacher carry bill is dead.
Rep. Will Ainsworth and House Speaker Mac McCutcheon both blamed Democrats for threatening filibuster the bill, yet there wasn’t a whole lot of enthusiasm for passing it within the House GOP Caucus.
Gun control bills are also dead.
Not that they were ever going to pass, but a committee meeting on gun control measures never got off the ground yesterday because Republican members did not come to constitute a quorum. That’s one way to do it.
Now, all eyes are on Gov. Kay Ivey’s school safety task force, whose recommendations are expected in late April.

2. Brewbaker promises floor fight

The Department of Commerce’s bill to make sure economic development site selectors don’t have to register as lobbyists got out of a Senate committee Wednesday.
But, not before Sen. Trip Pittman added an amendment and Sen. Dick Brewbaker promised to fight the bill on the Senate floor.
A few senators told me this bill was going to stir up significant debate when it hits the floor today or early next week.
And, because the bill has changed again, it will need to come back to the House for final passage, further complicating things.
Read Brian Lyman’s story in The Montgomery Advertiser for more.

The General Fund in done. The Senate concurred with the House-passed version and sent it to the Governor’s desk.
Read Mike Cason’s story at AL.com.
The Education Trust fund is not done. The House and Senate have now both voted to go to a conference committee to work out the differences between their versions. I’m hearing a final product might not be finished until next week.
That might seem counter-intuitive, but it actually makes sense.
The Legislature tries to pass most bills before the session ends, giving lawmakers time to wait out a possible pocket veto from the Governor.
But, in this case, the Governor is very unlikely to veto the Education budget, especially if lawmakers jam her up by passing it and immediately adjourning for the year.
The added bonus for legislative leadership is that they get to keep the procedural hurdle known as the Budget Isolation Resolution, which remains in place until both budgets are transmitted. That makes it harder to pass legislation, or at least it makes it easier to stop legislation from being passed.
So, anyway, that’s one reason they are in no rush to give final passage to the Education Trust Fund.

Headlines

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Lawmakers approve budget with prison boost.

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Senate votes to track civil asses forfeiture cases.

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Alabama to execute bomber nearly 30 years later.

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Weather service finds nine tornado tracks in Alabama.

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – House passes contested car rental tax for Birmingham stadium.

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Jones says Congress must act on gun violence.

MONTGOMERY ADVERTISER – Economic developer bill could face floor fight in Alabama Senate.

MONTGOMERY ADVERTISER – House committee considers equal pay for equal work.

AL.COM – 49 Alabama sheriffs hide jail food funds, flout open records law.

AL.COM – Advocates call for equal pay for women; bill unlikely to pass.

AL.COM – Tommy Battle pushes Gov. Kay Ivey on issue of debates.

AL.COM – Most Americans against arming teachers, Gallup says.

AL.COM – Will Trump lawsuit ruling affect Roy Moore court case?

AL.COM – Failed Alabama theme park promoter sentenced to prison.

AL.COM – JSU President: Campus closed through April 2.

AL.COM – ‘It is time’: Doug Jones calls on Senate to unite on stemming gun violence in floor speech.

AL.COM – Protective Life offering paid parental leave to mothers, fathers.

DECATUR DAILY’ – Bill to allow judges to commit 18-year-olds on – hold.

FLORENCE TIMES DAILY – Cobb proposes ‘Lifelong Learner Lottery’.

FLORENCE TIMES DAILY – Walk focuses awareness on poverty.

TUSCALOOSA NEWS – UA: Student using racial slur in video no longer enrolled.

ANNISTON STAR – Residents around Jacksonville sort through rubble left in tornado’s wake; JSU closed until April 2.

ANNISTON STAR – Sen. Jones takes the floor.

OPELIKA-AUBURN NEWS – Alabama House speaker blames Dems for blocking vote on bill that would arm some teachers in schools.

OPELIKA-AUBURN NEWS – NBC documentary looks at images that propelled civil rights.

WASHINGTON POST – Congressional negotiators reach deal on $1.3 trillion spending bill ahead of Friday government shutdown deadline.

WASHINGTON POST – Columnist George Will: Fueled by fury against Trump, Democrats dream of turning California bluer.

WASHINGTON POST – Federal Reserve hikes interest rate to highest level in a decade amid stronger economy.

WASHINGTON POST – States Extend Medicaid For Birth Control, Cutting Costs — And Future Enrollment

WASHINGTON POST – As Americans become more educated, the GOP is moving in the opposite direction.

NEW YORK TIMES – Highlights of What’s in, What’s Out of Vast Spending Bill

NEW YORK TIMES – Trump Plans to Slap Stiff Tariffs and Investment Restrictions on China

NEW YORK TIMES – Border Wall Not High Priority for Front-Line Agents, Study Finds

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