The House voted 63-39 on HB558 by Rep. Chad Fincher, R-Semmes, sending it to the Senate for consideration. The bill would update the 2013 law by removing the current $7,500 cap on tax credits for individual contributions to scholarship-granting organizations.

Fincher, sought to amend 3 portions of the bill in the hopes that more children could receive the scholarship sooner.

"We want to make sure year after year, we're providing as many opportunities as possible," Fincher said. He said moving the scholarship release back to May each year will allow families and school districts to plan.

The AAA authorized scholarship-granting organizations to raise a maximum of $25 million a year to pay for scholarships to students in families that earn up to 150 percent of the median family income, which is about $62,000 a year.

HB558 also would increase the types of businesses that could contribute to scholarship-granting organizations and allow the credit earned by the entity to pass through to and be claimed by its owners. The bill would amend the release date for unaccounted scholarship funds from Sept. 15 to May 15 of each year for students of non-failing schools.

AL.com reported Thursday that the scholarship granting organization that raised the most money last year under the Alabama Accountability Act is helping poor, minority families. The Alabama Opportunity Scholarship Fund has awarded 1,038 scholarships since passage of the law and has awarded 83 percent to minority students in families with an annual average income of $22,272.

Lesley Searcy, executive director of the Alabama Opportunity Scholarship Fund, said it raised $17.8 million last year. Searcy estimates that would award 3,500 to 5,000 scholarships. All 12 scholarship-granting organizations raised $24.7 million from 866 donors last year, al.com reported. About 90 private schools receive scholarships.

Rep. Terri Collins, R-Decatur, added an amendment to change the definition of a failing school. The AAA defines a failing school as one that has been in the bottom 6 percent on test scores three of the previous six years. Collins' amendment would change that to two of the last four years. She believes that the current look-back is too long and can inadvertently hurt schools making progress. The definition of failing schools will change yet again when a grading system being developed by the state Department of Education is in place in 2017.

BCA Chairman Fred McCallum, president of AT&T Alabama, conducted the meeting that included a report on ProgressPAC and its release of 2014 political endorsements, approval of the federal legislative agenda, a report on the Partnership with the Chamber of Commerce Association of Alabama, and a report by BCA President and CEO William J. Canary.

New Alabama Power Co. President and CEO Mark Crosswhite spoke to board members.

The two-hour reception was attended by Governor Bentley and legislators.

Reception sponsors were Alabama Power Co., Alabama Self-Insured Worker's Compensation Fund, Alabama Trucking Association, BlueCross BlueShield of Alabama, Drummond Company, Inc., Hoar Program Management, McWane, Inc., Regions Financial Corporation, 3M, Alabama Association of Health Plans, Boise Paper, Honda Manufacturing of Alabama, PowerSouth Energy Cooperative, Raytheon Company, Volkert, Inc., Alabama Society of CPAs, Alacare Home Health and Hospice, Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama, Greater Shelby County Chamber of Commerce, Cullman Economic Development Agency, Huntsville Utilities, Protective Life Corporation, Shoals Chamber of Commerce, State Farm Insurance Co., and Vulcan, Inc.

The House on Thursday passed HB568, sponsored by Rep. A.J. McCampbell, D-Gallion, on a vote of 97-1. The bill if it becomes law would restore the fee ratio from the Emelle hazardous waste landfill in Sumter County between the state General Fund and the county. The bill would split the fees between the county and the General Fund, with the first $400,000 in the state's portion earmarked for the Alabama Department of Environmental Management.

House and Senate conferees on Thursday took up the Education Trust Fund budget for 2014-15. The budget would provide extra money to the Public Education Employees' Health Insurance Plan and fund an additional 150 middle school teachers but whether the final product will contain a pay raise or bonus is unknown.

The Senate-initiated Education Trust Fund budget, SB184 by Sen. Trip Pittman, R-Montrose, narrowly passed the House by a vote of 51-47 with 13 Republicans voting against it. The debate whether to give teachers a 2 percent pay raise and to fully fund health insurance continued to prove contentious. The House also had stripped the Senate's proposal of a one-time, 1 percent bonus to teachers.

The nationally recognized Pre-K program will receive an additional $10 million and the Career-Tech dual enrollment program will receive an additional $6 million, two programs that are supported by the Business Council of Alabama.

Rep. Bill Poole, R-Northport, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, said applying bonus money, $38 million, to health insurance will be a better use of funding because not only will it benefit education employees and retirees but it also won't be taxed as part of their pay.

Dr. Thomas Vocino, executive director of the Center for Leadership and Public Policy at Alabama State University, and a retired political science professor at Auburn University Montgomery, discussed Governor Robert Bentley's second-term chances.

"I don't expect a great many surprises," Vocino said. "Governor Bentley is likely to win handily in his bid for reelection."

Governor Bentley has two opponents in the June 3 Republican primary, Stacy Lee George and Bob Starkey. Two Democrats seek the office, Kevin Bass, and former state Sen. Parker Griffith of Huntsville.

Vocino said the interesting race will be for the Sixth Congressional District in the Birmingham area to determine who succeeds 11-term U.S. Rep. Spencer Bachus, R-Vestavia Hills. He decided not to seek a 12th term.

Seven Republicans and one Democrat seek their party nominations in June for the privilege of being on the November general election ballot.

Vocino said the challenge for Democrats in November will be to reduce Republican legislative numbers and remove their supermajorities in both the House and Senate. "It's going to be hard because Republicans were in charge of redistricting," Vocino said.

He said many elections will be determined in the primaries where challengers and even Democrats seek to replace incumbent Republicans and in open seats where Republican incumbents chose not to seek reelection.

The new Legislature will take office the day after the Nov. 4 general election but the governor and other constitutional officers will take office in January.

Vocino said the governor and the Legislature's challenge will be to find money for General Fund agencies, particularly Medicaid and prisons. Medicaid has a constantly growing financial need and the overcrowded state prison system may be forced by a federal court to spend more money, particularly to eliminate sexual abuse claims at the Tutwiler women's prison.

"The challenge in 2015 will be the need to find more money for General Fund agencies," Vocino said. "We're heading for a train wreck if we can't do that."

It also would develop, maintain, and administer an online business personal property tax filing system prior to Sept. 30, 2016, that would allow taxpayers to electronically file business personal property tax returns with any county assessing official or applicable agency at no charge to the taxpayer or the local tax jurisdiction.

In addition, the bill would require the taxpayer to first file an itemized business personal property tax return before filing a short form tax return, according to the bill. The tax liability for any taxpayer using the short form return will be calculated at $10,000, which could increase business personal property tax receipts to the state and local governments by a small, undetermined amount dependent upon the actual acquisition costs of those taxpayers using the short form.

SB344 by Sen. Jabo Waggoner, R-Vestavia Hills, passed the Senate 20-9 on March 11 and was favorably reported by the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday. The legislation would expand the Birmingham Water Works Board to include three non-Birmingham members. Waggoner said the bill maintains a Birmingham majority on the board. The bill is on the regular Senate calendar.

The legislation also would: 1) limit the term of all board members to two, four-year terms (except the board member appointed from the surrounding counties, which would be on a rotating, one-year term); 2) limit the compensation and expense allowance of board members; 3) specify that board members would be subject to the State Ethics Law; 4) provide for notice and a public hearing prior to the board adopting any rate increase; 5) provide that the board is subject to the Open Meetings Act; 6) expand the board by adding two additional members; and, 7) provide that one of the existing board members be appointed by the Jefferson County association of mayors.

The Senate on Thursday voting 30-2 passed a substituted and amended 2014-15 General Fund budget, HB235 sponsored by Rep. Steve Clouse, R-Ozark. Since the Senate version differs from the version passed 80-20 by the House, the bill must return to the House for consideration.

There are two areas in the budget that have been of particular interest for the Environmental and Energy Committee: funding for ADEM and the potential statewide water assessment program. ADEM received a general fund appropriation of $1.2 million. 

In the area of water resources, BCA has supported agencies collecting the appropriate data needed to assist the state in making informed decisions regarding water policy in Alabama. The budget includes a $1 million appropriation to the Geological Survey of Alabama to be spent in coordination with the Office of Water Resources. These funds are to be used to support the state water assessment program.  Unfortunately, this week the Senate reduced the funding for the water wars litigation by $300,000.

The wind energy bill sponsored by Sen. Phil Williams, R-Rainbow City, is on the House calendar ready for consideration when the Legislature returns April 1 for the final three days of the 2014 regular legislative session. The Senate had passed SB12 on a vote of 24-6 and it was assigned to the House Commerce and Small Business Committee. The committee favorably reported the bill and it was placed on the House calendar on Wednesday.

SB12 would require the regulation wind energy conversion systems as well as create a mechanism for the removal of abandoned systems. The bill was introduced in both the Senate and the House. Rep. Becky Nordgren, R-Gadsden, sponsored HB106.