Presented by the

Alabama League of Municipalities

Good morning!

Here’s your Daily News for Monday, March 7.

 

1. Reed: Senate to look at repealing business privilege tax

• Senate President Pro Tem Greg Reed said Friday that the Legislature will consider repealing the state’s business privilege tax.
• Appearing on Alabama Public Television’s Capitol Journal, Reed listed doing away with the business privilege tax as one of several tasks the Senate would take up as part of a package of tax relief bills down the stretch of the legislative session.
• “Alabama’s economy is strong. Our receipts have been increased into both the General Fund and education budget, so there’s an opportunity for us to give a tax break to the people of the state of Alabama – give those resources back to the people,” Reed said. “We’ve heard over and over, ‘why are we paying this privilege tax to be a business owner in the state of Alabama?'”
• Reed said the estimated revenue loss from repealing the tax would be about $25 to $27 million.
• Reed said the tax relief package would include five bills impacting retirees and working families, in addition to businesses. Total tax savings would be more than $130 million.
• Read more from me HERE.

 

 

2. Bill would require more resource information for pregnant women prior to abortions

• A bill pending in the House Health Committee would require women prior to an abortion to call a state-staffed 1-800 number to find out what public resources might be available if they decided not to have the procedure.
• House Bill 401 also creates a “Pregnancy Launch Program” that would be overseen by the Alabama Department of Public Health, to link women with medical assistance and postpartum support.
• The “Every Mother Matters Act,” by Rep. Charlotte Meadows, R-Montgomery, is based on a similar bill passed last year in Arkansas.
• “This is an effort to make sure every mother when she finds herself most vulnerable in an abortion office or clinic is given the choice to understand her options,” Meadows said.
• The Committee did not vote on the bill on Wednesday. Chairman Paul Lee said that could happen this week, but more information is needed about costs and where funding would come from.
• Read more from ADN’s Heather Gann HERE.

 

 

 

 

A message from the

Alabama League of Municipalities

Municipalities are the foundation of Alabama’s economy. The Alabama League of Municipalities was formed in 1935 and currently represents more than 450 member municipalities. Year after year, the League works to secure legislation enabling all cities and towns to perform their functions more efficiently and effectively; offers specialized training for both municipal officials and employees; and conducts continuing studies of the legislative, administrative and operational needs, problems and functions of Alabama’s municipal governments. For more information, visit almonline.org

 

 

3. Harris leads ‘Bloody Sunday’ remembrance in Selma

• Vice President Kamala Harris was in Selma yesterday for the 57th anniversary of “Bloody Sunday,” the day state troopers violently beat and tear gassed demonstrators attempting to march in support of voting rights in March 1965.
• The images of violence at the Edmund Pettus Bridge — originally named for a Confederate general — shocked the nation and helped galvanize support for passage of the Voting Rights Act.
• Harris, echoing a theme from the Biden administration at large and congressional Democrats, tried to link the struggle to end Jim Crow voter suppression laws in the 1950s and 60s to current efforts to enact a national election law that would make voting more convenient.
• “Today, we stand on this bridge at a different time,” Harris said in a speech before the gathered crowd. “We again, however, find ourselves caught in between. Between injustice and justice. Between disappointment and determination. Still in a fight to form a more perfect union. And nowhere is that more clear than when it comes to the ongoing fight to secure the freedom to vote.”
• Read more from Kim Chandler HERE.

 

 

4. Ukraine asks for warplanes

• In a private video call with American lawmakers over the weekend, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a “desperate” plea to the United States to help Kyiv get more warplanes to fight Russia’s invasion and retain control of its airspace.
• U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says Washington has given a “green light” to the idea and is currently “very, very actively” looking at a proposal under which Ukraine’s neighbor Poland would supply Kyiv with Soviet-era fighters and in turn receive American F-16s to make up for their loss.
• However, the proposition is fraught with uncertainty and Poland has been less than enthusiastic about it in public, largely because Russia has warned that supporting Ukraine’s air force would be seen in Moscow as participating in the conflict and open up suppliers to possible retaliation. Official comment from NATO and European Union member Poland has been only to confirm continuing talks on the subject.
• Read more about why Ukraine needs warplanes and how they can get them HERE.

 

 

5. Gas prices hit 14-year high

• The price of regular gasoline broke $4 per gallon on average across the U.S. on Sunday for the first time since 2008.
• During the first full week of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the price of regular gas rose by almost 41 cents, according to the AAA motor club.
• Alabama’s gas prices are below the national average at $3.91 per gallon on average, according to AAA. The highest average price ever recorded in Alabama was $4.052 per gallon in September of 2008.
• “As Russia’s war on Ukraine continues to evolve and we head into a season where gas prices typically increase, Americans should prepare to pay more for gas than they ever have before,” Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy, said in a statement.
• Neither President Joe Biden nor Congress has moved to ban the import of Russian oil or place energy sanctions on the country, which could have major global economic repercussions.
• On Sunday, California had the highest average price per gallon among U.S. states at $5.29, while Missouri had the lowest at around $3.60.
• Story link.

 

 

Headlines

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Reed: Senate to look at repealing business privilege tax

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Bill would require more resource information for pregnant women prior to abortions

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Harris leads ‘Bloody Sunday’ remembrance in Selma

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Ukraine asks allies for warplanes

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Gas prices hit 14-year high

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Judicial allocation aggravates senators

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Senate puts more reporting requirements in 2023 budget

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Cruises resume from Mobile, Alabama, after pandemic break

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – No. 5 Auburn tops South Carolina 82-71 to win SEC outright

 

AL.COM – ‘The future of our democracy is being decided now’: VP Harris marks ‘Bloody Sunday’ in Selma

 

AL.COM – Biden on Bloody Sunday anniversary: ‘The right to vote is the most fundamental’

 

AL.COM – Death toll nears 6 million as pandemic enters its 3rd year

 

AL.COM – Convoy protesting COVID-19 mandates does beltway circuit

 

AL.COM – Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, APT to host tribute to Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth

 

Montgomery Advertiser – ‘Time to march’: Hundreds gather in Selma to commemorate 57th anniversary of Bloody Sunday

 

Montgomery Advertiser – Montgomery man facing felony charges in hit and run that left a toddler dead

 

Montgomery Advertiser – Montgomery’s Lady K’s golden ticket performance leaves American Idol judges ‘Wide Awake’

 

Decatur Daily – Council to vote on changing process for home business approvals

 

Decatur Daily – Barrels of Love raises food for local schools and organizations

 

Decatur Daily – Riverkeeper’s David Whiteside: The making of an environmental activist

 

Times Daily – Hea focuses on getting landmarks right

 

Times Daily – Get out and participate in these fun kids events

 

Times Daily – Dealer nominated for NAPA award

 

Anniston Star – County school system wants to help improve industrial workforce

 

Anniston Star – District 40 candidate Bill Lester has academic background

 

Anniston Star – Annual pancake breakfast again held drive-by style

 

WBRC Fox 6 Birmingham – Affordable homes being built in North Titusville

 

WBRC Fox 6 Birmingham – Birmingham Police identify 13-year-old killed in 1st Ave. South shooting

 

WBRC Fox 6 Birmingham – Irondale firefighter dies after battle with brain cancer

 

Tuscaloosa News – ‘Time to march’: Hundreds gather in Selma to commemorate 57th anniversary of Bloody Sunday

 

YellowHammer News – Senate President Pro Tem Reed: Elimination of business privilege tax ‘most significant’ bill in tax relief package

 

Gadsden Times – ‘Time to march’: Hundreds gather in Selma to commemorate 57th anniversary of Bloody Sunday

 

Gadsden Times – Council actions: Bringing lights to Tuscaloosa Avenue, resolution on rendering

 

Gadsden Times – PET OF THE WEEK: Sweet Regis would be lovely addition to family

 

Dothan Eagle – Death toll surpasses 6 million for pandemic now in 3rd year

 

Dothan Eagle – China calls Russia its chief ‘strategic partner’ despite war

 

Dothan Eagle – Death toll surpasses 6 million for pandemic now in 3rd year

 

Opelika-Auburn News – Russia-Ukraine War: What to know on Russia’s war in Ukraine

 

Opelika-Auburn News – New Zealand will rush through new law to sanction Russia

 

Opelika-Auburn News – Georgia’s Abrams, Kemp among candidates to qualify for 2022

 

WSFA Montgomery – Hundreds gather to mark 57th anniversary of ‘Bloody Sunday’

 

WSFA Montgomery – Homicide investigation underway after man’s body found in Salem

 

WSFA Montgomery – VP Harris visits Selma for ‘Bloody Sunday’ anniversary

 

WAFF Huntsville – One person injured after truck collides with train

 

WAFF Huntsville – Fights at BJCC cause lockdown inside

 

WAFF Huntsville – Financial Friday: Federal student loan payments resume on May 1

 

WKRG Mobile – They’re off: Mushers begin trek to Nome; Seavey seeks record

 

WKRG Mobile – Russia-Ukraine War: What to know on Russia’s war in Ukraine

 

WTVY Dothan – Wildcats return home to state championship celebration

 

WTVY Dothan – Fire investigation underway in Daleville

 

WTVY Dothan – Wiregrass Museum of Arts hosts glass blowing series

 

WASHINGTON POST – Ukraine denounces evacuation routes leading to Russia, Belarus

 

WASHINGTON POST – Russian forces attack airfields in Ukraine as Zelensky pleads for fighter jets

 

WASHINGTON POST – Amid the death and rubble, Ukrainian teams hunt for evidence of possible war crimes

 

NEW YORK TIMES – Live Updates: Zelensky Warns of New Russian Attacks in Ukraine

 

NEW YORK TIMES – Arming Ukraine: 17,000 Anti-Tank Weapons in 6 Days and a Clandestine Cybercorps

 

NEW YORK TIMES – Proud Band of Ukrainian Troops Holds Russian Assault at Bay — for Now

 

WALL STREET JOURNAL – Chinese Tech Firms Weigh Opportunities in Russia After Western Pullout

 

WALL STREET JOURNAL – Russian Aluminum Giant’s Owner Considers Splitting Foreign Operations

 

WALL STREET JOURNAL – Russia Recruiting Syrians for Urban Combat in Ukraine, U.S. Officials Say

 

 

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