Governor Bentley signed SB121, the Patent Trolling bill sponsored by Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, into law on Tuesday as Act 2014-218. The House on March 13 passed the patent trolling bill, which previously passed the Senate 20-1.

HB97 sponsored by Rep. Jim Patterson, R-Meridianville, passed the Senate 25-1 on Tuesday and was sent to Governor Bentley. If he signs the legislation, it will authorize the Alabama Department of Revenue to administratively suspend collection of a tax or fee if the cost of collecting the tax is greater than the amount to be collected. The ADOR said that some antiquated taxes and fees cost more to collect than any amount that would be collected. 

The BCA supported this legislation.

The House on Thursday voting 97-1 gave final passage to the Senate-amended HB24 sponsored by Rep. Bill Roberts, R-Jasper. The bill previously passed the Senate 27-1. The bill, which goes to Governor Bentley for consideration, would require public agencies to pay contractors working on public jobs within 35 days after the contracting agency approves payment. The current payment deadline is 45 days. HB24 would set time limits for reviewing contracts in excess of $50,000 and paying invoices once they're received by the contracting public agency. There are exclusions including the Department of Transportation, the University of Alabama, Auburn University, professionals such as architects who do not provide construction-related services, and for public health and safety reasons. 

The BCA supported the prompt-pay bill.

Following the Senate's passage of the FY 2015 Education Trust Fund budget on Tuesday by a tight margin of 18-16, the Alabama House on Thursday quickly passed the conference committee's version of the $5.931 billion spending plan, 54-45. The total amount appropriated in the budget is equal to the total passed by the House, while it totals $15.7 million less than the amount passed by the Senate. It totals some $60 million less than the amount recommended by Governor Bentley in January.

The House on Tuesday approved the Senate amendment to HB151 by Rep. Barry Moore, R-Enterprise, the Small Business Tax Relief Act of 2014. The bill goes to Governor Robert Bentley for consideration.

The Senate Fiscal Responsibility and Accountability Committee on Tuesday favorably approved a bill that amends the 2013 Accountability Act, which authorized scholarship donations, but the bill died in the Senate on the last day of the session. HB558 sponsored by Rep. Chad Fincher, R-Semmes, would have eliminated the $7,500 annual income tax credit limit for contributions made by individual taxpayers to approved Scholarship Granting Organizations, allowed an Alabama S corporation or Subchapter K entity to contribute to SGOs, allowed the credit to pass through to their owners, and revised the definition of a failing school eligible to receive scholarships, according to the Legislative Fiscal Office.

Speaking at the final Business Council of Alabama Governmental Affairs Committee weekly briefing of the 2014 regular legislative session, state Senator Roger Bedford, D-Russellville, thanked committee members for successful passage of Taxpayers Bill of Rights II legislation and for blocking efforts to repeal Common Core education standards.

Bedford, speaking Tuesday, said although the session has been productive, there is "a lot of unfinished business to do," including final passage of both budgets.

Hard work by BCA Governmental Affairs Committee members helped pass TBOR II, which creates a Tax Appeals Tribunal independent of the Alabama Department of Revenue. "Congratulations on finally, finally getting TBOR done, it's long overdue," Bedford said. "It's odd that the state says you owe taxes and you appeal it to the same people who say you owe it."

Bedford  also thanked committee members for helping kill attempts to repeal Alabama College and Career-Ready Standards, or Common Core, that were adopted by the State Board of Education in 2010 and adapted to reflect Alabama standards. The BCA helped lead the charge to defeat legislation allowing Alabama schools to withdraw from Common Core principles.

"Thank you for being advocates, thank you for being involved, thank you for making a difference out there," Bedford said. "We depend on y'all to give us accurate information. You're an important part that makes Alabama work."

Bedford noted that another BCA endeavor, Career-Technical education, is "making a difference out there." He said that students should be exposed to post-high school job opportunities and should begin receiving training for those jobs or more technical education to create job skills. 

Bedford was first elected to the state Senate in 1982. An attorney and small businessman, he owns a lumber company that employs 30 people and a trucking company.