The House and Senate approved a joint resolution by Rep. Mac McCutcheon, R-Huntsville, urging delay, withdrawal, and reconsideration of a draconian power grab attempt by the Environmental Protection Agency. The resolution says that Alabama's power production and delivery is beyond the legal scope of the EPA's authority to mandate changes.

The EPA is trying to force carbon dioxide reductions but doesn't take into account significant reductions in Alabama since 2005. The EPA's attempt penalizes states such as Alabama, which have nuclear and hydroelectric power capacities.

The Alabama Department of Environmental Management, the attorney general, and the Public Service Commission, all oppose the EPA's attempt, which is also being challenged in federal court.

The resolution states that if the EPA does not withdraw its plan, Alabama should be given additional time to develop a state plan to comply with emission guidelines by 2030. The resolution went to the governor's office.

Last year, the BCA testified at the EPA's public hearing in Atlanta in opposition to the new carbon regulation.

The BCA supports efforts to delay implementation of EPA's greenhouse gas regulations under the Clean Air Act and opposes caps or taxes on carbon emissions that would put Alabama businesses at a competitive disadvantage with other states or nations.

HB 229 by Rep. Anthony Daniels, D-Huntsville, would create the Alabama Office of the State Climatologist at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Alabama's State Climatologist has long been a rational voice in the national debate regarding climate change, and this bill would further enable research and assistance with economic development projects in the state.

The Senate Finance and Taxation Education Committee on Wednesday gave the bill a favorable report.

The Alabama Senate this week unanimously passed a major reform to the state's Medicaid program that could save $150 million a year over the next decade by utilizing more long-term care. The savings assume a 3 percent growth in the cost of the Medicaid program.

"Our state has an obligation to provide crucial long-term care services for the elderly eligible for Medicaid coverage, while at the same time finding ways to protect taxpayers from cost increases," said the bill's sponsor Sen. Greg Reed, R-Jasper. "My bill will help us better care for patients and cut spending."

SB 431 would establish integrated care networks to provide long-term care services to Medicaid-eligible recipients.

The bill would establish a 20-member board to act as the network's governing body, would establish a citizen's advisory committee, and would require minimum solvency and financial requirements as a condition of certification by the Alabama Medicaid Agency.

Savings in long-term care services such as nursing homes and in-home assistance will become particularly important as Alabamians age and require more medical care. In 2012, Reed sponsored legislation to establish Regional Care Organizations.

The Senate on Thursday approved a House bill that is part of a package of bills designed to reorganize oversight of the House and Senate, improve accountability, efficiency, and cost savings not only for the Legislature but also its staff and agencies.

Voting 25-2, the Senate passed HB 210 sponsored by Rep. Mike Ball, R-Madison. HB 210 amends the Administrative Procedures Act to change when a certified rule is effective from 35 days to 45 days after filing with the Legislative Reference Service.

A related bill, HB 211 also sponsored by Ball, is on the Senate calendar. HB 211 would revise membership of the Legislative Council, provide for membership on House and Senate legislative councils, and assume the authority of the Joint Fiscal Committee and Legislative Building Authority.

Both bills previously had been carried by Sen. Jimmy Holley, R-Elba, who has championed the legislation for several years.

The House voted 75-19 to pass HB 257 by Rep. John Knight, D-Montgomery, that would create a 12-member Permanent Joint Legislative Committee on Government Oversight and Accountability.

Its function would be to provide continuous legislative oversight of all state government operations; review expenditures by state agencies, departments or entities, investigate whether funds are spent for the purposes for which they were appropriated, and offer formal suggestions to state agencies, departments or entities to correct operational deficiencies identified by the committee.

"We owe it to the people of Alabama to ensure that the funds we appropriate are being spent as intended and that the legislation we pass is being carried out as envisioned," House Speaker Mike Hubbard, R-Auburn, said. "The Legislature is constitutionally responsible for making appropriations, and it is our obligation to ensure that government is operating as transparently and efficiently as possible." 

SB 367 by Sen. Phil Williams, R-Rainbow City, and its House companion, HB 352 by Rep. Chris England, D-Tuscaloosa, relate to restrictive covenants, like non-compete clauses, in contracts between businesses and their employees, business partners, buyers and sellers, and others.

These bills would replace existing law with a more specific list of protectable interests and presumptively reasonable restraints on length-of-time and geographic area.

The Senate passed SB 367 on Tuesday and it was sent to the House Judiciary Committee. The House passed HB 352 the same day.

SB 367 and HB 352 originate from proposals by the Alabama Law Institute. The ALI supports these bills because of the lack of clarity in Alabama law on these types of restrictive covenants.

Currently, disparate results flow from various Alabama courtrooms. Current law is not consistent and judges have significant discretion in their reasoning and decisions. A new law would provide a guide for judges to follow in interpreting these covenants and add clarity for those in the business community who not only draft these agreements but also face the potential of costly litigation over them.

SB 9, sponsored by Sen. Paul Sanford, R-Huntsville, was introduced as a state income tax credit for contributions to health savings accounts. But during the Senate Finance and Taxation Education Committee meeting, the committee's chairman, Sen. Trip Pittman, R-Daphne, substituted the bill to change a credit to a deduction.

The deduction would be allowed beginning tax year 2017 and would mirror a similar deduction allowed under federal law.

HB 232 sponsored by Rep. Jack "J.D." Williams, R-Vestavia Hills, would increase the eligible amount-in-controversy in small claims court from $3,000 to $6,000. The Senate passed the bill on Tuesday and sent to the governor for consideration.

The House on Tuesday voting 101-0 approved HB 416, sponsored by Rep. Chris Pringle, R-Mobile. The Alabama Renewal Act would authorize a port credit, create the Growing Alabama Act tax credit to meet economic development needs that cannot be solved with traditional tax incentives.

The port credit, if approved by the Alabama Renewal Commission, would be granted to users of Alabama's publically owned ports based on qualifying increased cargo shipments and would offset a company's income tax liability. The port credit, with an aggregate annual cap of $8 million, is designed to match incentives offered by other states and spur increased shipments of certain types of cargo through Alabama's ports.

The House on Tuesday passed a bare-bones General Fund budget for 2015-16 that would make major cuts to every agency, including Mental Health, Medicaid, Law Enforcement, ADEM, and the courts. This budget, as is, is not popular, but it is an alternative to arbitrary tax increases.

The Senate Fiscal Responsibility and Accountability Committee favorably reported SB 475, by Sen. Trip Pittman, R-Daphne, which would remove the exemption of local government road and bridge projects from the contractors' gross receipts tax.

It also would hold-harmless current recipients of the tax revenue and direct the additional revenue, presumably from the removal of the exemption, to be distributed as gasoline and fuel tax monies. Current recipients and their percentages are the Alabama Department of Transportation at 45 percent and cities and counties at 55 percent.

On Thursday, Sen. Bill Hightower, R-Mobile, offered Senate Joint Resolution 81 on the Senate floor, which would create the Alabama Simplified Tax Study Commission. This commission would be charged with evaluating and making recommendations to the Legislature in regards to simplifying and lowering Alabama's personal and corporate income tax rates by implementing a flat tax.

SJR 81 passed the Senate chamber unanimously. The resolution states that the goal of the commission is to examine and determine if Alabama's income tax structure should be simplified and modified to achieve a more predictable result in filing, computing, and collecting income taxes.

If the House passes it, the resolution would require the members of the commission to schedule an initial meeting upon adjournment of the 2015 Legislative Session, and also would require the commission to publish its findings by the first day of the 2016 Legislative Session.

Sen. Hightower introduced SB 409 earlier in the legislative session, which called for reform of Alabama's tax code by replacing Alabama's current income tax with a flat tax. A public hearing was held in the Senate Finance and Taxation Education Committee on SB 409 but a vote was not taken.

The Healthy Food Financing Act, SB 260 by Sen. Greg Reed, R-Jasper, would establish and provide for administration of a loan fund to help finance the construction or expansion of grocery stores offering fresh produce and other nutritious foods in underserved areas.

The Senate passed the bill 31-0 on March 31, and the House voting 100-0 passed the bill on Tuesday.

Rep. James Buskey, D-Mobile, the sponsor of HB 283, the House companion bill, was successful in substituting SB 260 for his HB 283 on Tuesday on the House calendar.