A south Alabama lawmaker has released his hold on a few state agencies’ contracts for services and vendors but is still delaying proposals from more than a dozen other departments to pressure the Alabama Alcohol Beverage Control Board to act on a 2023 law.
On Thursday, Sen. Chris Elliott, R-Josephine, made the unprecedented move of delaying every contract on the Legislative Contract Review Committee’s agenda, about $80 million worth in total, to call attention to what he said was a lack of action by the ABC Board to implement the law he sponsored.
He said those frustrated by the delays should contact the ABC Board.
After the contracts move through the committee, they go to the governor’s office. On Friday, Alabama Daily News asked Gov. Kay Ivey’s office if it had received any from Thursday’s meeting. The office sent a list of agencies with approved contracts:
- Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, 9;
- Board of Dental Scholarship and Loan Awards, 1;
- Geological Survey of Alabama, 1;
- Alabama Athletic Commission, 1;
- Office of the Attorney General, 1;
- Department of Corrections, 1.
“I decided which ones were going to move,” Elliott told ADN on Saturday afternoon regarding how some contracts were selected to advance. “It’s my hold and I determined that those were OK to move.”
Per the committee’s rules, any member can hold a contract for up to 45 days. He or she can release them at any point but after 45 days, they automatically advance.
There are contracts from 17 agencies still under Elliott’s hold.
Those moving forward include an attorney general’s contract worth up to $200,000 for an outside attorney defending the state in a lawsuit over the 2021 drawing of state Senate district lines. The trial begins Tuesday. The lawsuit alleges that Senate districts in Montgomery and Huntsville weaken Black votes, thereby violating Section 2 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
At Thursday’s meeting, several agencies asked the committee and Elliott to allow their contracts to move forward, saying a delay would interfere with their ability to function.
The Alabama Athletic Commission had an administrative services contract before the committee.
“If we do not have (administrative staff), that will shut down all pro wrestling, MMA, Toughman (boxing), everything because we wouldn’t be able to ensure the health or anything, and it’s going to cost the loss of significant value to other people,” Joel Blankenship said. “With respect sir, we can’t control what the ABC Board does.”
That’s one of the contracts Elliott released.
Elliott on Saturday said that while he let some of the contracts advance, his concern about the ABC Board remains. The ABC Board did not have any contracts on the committee’s October agenda.
“I’m not an unreasonable person, but I’m still very, very interested in making sure the ABC Board does what they need to do (to implement the 2023 law).”
Eighteen months ago, the Legislature and Ivey approved a bill mandating that the ABC Board accommodate online training for hospitality businesses and employees involved in alcohol service through the Responsible Vendor Program. That training includes identifying and handling underage consumers and the overly intoxicated. About 18 months later, however, Elliott says the ABC Board has yet to fully comply with what is now state law because its rules can still require for some in-person interactions for those taking the training.
Advocates for the Responsible Vendor Program and Elliott’s legislation said the current program is too cumbersome, hence a low participation rate among bars and restaurants.
The ABC Board last week said RSV training is already offered online and the 2023 law didn’t mandate any rule changes.
The board is expected to consider the rules at a meeting Thursday.
Elliott said he’d like to see the program operated through a third-party vendor like those serving some other states.
“I don’t want them building a unicorn that is impossible to comply with,” he said Saturday.