You.

From our state House studio in Montgomery.

I'm Todd Stacey welcome to capital journalist.

Today was the 14th day of the Alabama Legislature's 2025 regular session.

We'll start our coverag in the House of Representatives, where it was tax cut day in the lower chamber, a series of four tax cut bills came to the House floor.

That altogether would amount t about $194 million in tax cuts.

Let's take a look at what these bills do.

House Bill 386 would accelerate the removal of the state sales tax on groceries.

You may remember tha the legislature enacted a plan to gradually reduce the grocery sales tax, but it required certain revenue levels.

This bill would take that second penny off the state sales tax on groceries right away.

House Bill 387 would allow local governments to reduce or remove their own sales taxes on groceries.

House Bill 388 would double the state's exemption for withdrawals from define contribution retirement plans.

Essentially, that means Alabamians over 65 could withdraw more money from their retirement accounts without paying income tax, and House Bill 38 would increase the income floor and the amount of the optional standard deduction.

Each of these bills is sponsored by State Representative Danny Garrett, who said House Republicans have been working to find ways to offer targeted tax cuts for Alabamians.

The first bill was to accelerate the additional 25% reduction in the grocery tax.

We have previously reduced to 25%.

This 25% brings that grocery tax cut to 50%, takes the state tax rate from $0.04 to $0.02.

And that was the additional 25% that we passed today.

Was initially, going to take place when the revenue grew 3.5%.

And that did not happen last year or this year, but probably not next year.

So we went ahead and accelerated that.

So the grocery tax goes in.

Reduction was in effect September the 1st.

And then kind of alongside that, we removed the prohibition for local governments to reduce that grocery tax.

Previously in the legislation for a couple of years ago, we've limited their ability to reduce their taxes 25%, but only if their revenue grew 2% is a move that basically there is a local government's ability to reduce taxes on groceries.

However they want much they want to be whatever they want to do.

Those bills passed unanimously, and while all House member supported the new tax cut bills, some Democrats expressed disappointment that the package did not include a plan to make permanent the state's income tax cut on overtime.

Two years ago the legislature enacted a bill that removed income taxes from overtime wages.

While it was originally projected to cost the state about $30 million in revenue, the actual amount ended up being closer to $300 million.

That law is set to expire in July unless lawmakers take action to renew it.

But as House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter explained, these new tax cuts reach more Alabamians.

I think they were important.

You know, we talked about we started last year removing a grocery tax.

And we, then another percent today moved it through the house.

That was a positive.

You know, gave the locals, anticipated the opportunity to decrease their tax, which they've alway had the opportunity to raise it, but they didn't hav the opportunity to increase it.

So that removes any anything from them.

And then their last year of this, although, I think it was Hoover wanted to decrease on and because of the state law.

And so this gives us the opportunity to do that.

Certainly for senior citizens, filing on, state taxes.

You know we moved it from 6000 to 12,000.

So that's per individual for two.

And a household left the total of $24,000.

Moving now to the Senate where lawmakers debated a bill that would give a select group of inmates serving life sentences a second chance at liberty.

Senate Bill 156, known as the Second Chance Bill, is sponsored by state Senato Wil Barfoot and was championed by Governor Kay Ivey in her state of the state address.

The measure would allow inmates sentenced to life without parole under the habitual Felony Offender Act to petition for resentencing if their original crime would not carry that same punishment under today's laws.

The bill faced opposition from some Republicans, with many arguing it could undermine sentencing laws.

It initially failed on the Senate floor with a 16 to 16 tie vote, but after some behind the scenes negotiations, state Senator Jack Williams, who had previously voted no, move to reconsider the bill on a second vote.

Senate Bill 156 passed 17 to 8 and now goes to the House.

During the Senate debate, lawmakers raised concerns about repeat offenders and the potential strain on the courts, while Barfoot defended the bill as a fair and measured approach to sentencing reform.

He was also asked about whether if some of the no votes from concerns that Republicans have making them look soft on crime, is there an automatic we've let you out early and you've re offended.

We put you in in prison unde the Habitual Felony Offender Act and you have habitually felony offended again, is there an automatic go back to jail or do we have to re adjudicate this?

I understand wha we're trying to accomplish here.

You're mentioning 200 and that are so we don' really know how many there are.

The only other concern I got is the courts.

We we are trying to keep and we are establishing new courts already, and more are needed.

And yet we're goin to put this additional petition that's in there that we haven't had.

So I have a concern about that too.

I would just say, you know, the Album Policy Institute is a very conservative organization, came ou with a letter of support saying, that, you know, they applauded the governor and, and for, you know, pushing this bill and for me carrying the bill.

So I don't think it's a soft on crime approach.

Again, under current law, we let, individuals with much more heinous offenses out under current standards today than we did, those 150, 200 individuals who were sitting in prison, for life without the possibility of parole.

A pair of election related bills sparke some debate in the Senate today, as senators questioned how the state maintains its voter rolls and verifies voter residency.

Senate Bill 142, sponsore by State Senator Wes Kitchens, would formally remove the Electronic Registration Information Center or Eric, as a resource for tracking voter address changes.

Alabama already stopped using Eric in January of 2023 under new Secretary of Stat Wes Allen, who instead launched the Alabama Voter Integrity Database, or IT to manage the state's voter rolls.

Meanwhile, Senate Bill 158, also sponsored by Barfoot, would prohibi the use of state issued foreign national driver's licenses as a valid form of identification for voting.

The measure target licenses issued to non-citizens, including immigrants, who later become naturalized citizens.

Democratic leader Senator Bobb Singleton voiced concerns over both measures, saying he wants more time to discuss their impact with the Secretary of State's office.

After debate on the Senate floor, both bill sponsors agreed to carry the legislation over for further discussion.

At a later date.

Here' what Singleton had to say about while he's pressing for more time to review the proposals.

Because I want to talk some more with the Secretary of State, we had we started this conversation earlier just before coming in today.

I want to kind of complete those conversations, give me a better understanding of where they're going with this.

How do we make it work?

Because I don't want us to continue to change some just because one somebody.

And that could be avoide because just as well as we could say, don't accept this license, we could do training to tell them to accept it.

Okay, the same thing.

And so I just want to make sure where are we going and making sure that we're not denying people the right to vot because it out on the surface.

You're right.

You will be trying to give everybody that right to vote.

But I can see it at some point.

It could be used for something bad.

Also.

Today, the Senate, County an Municipal Government Committee considered legislation regarding fine and fees with parking tickets.

Under current law, fines for parking in a disabled parking spot are split between the local municipality and the state house.

Bill 134 from State Representative Reed Ingram would provide that the entire fine be paid to the agency employin the ticketing officer, he said.

That gives them the incentive for enforcing the law and actually issuing tickets.

They've taken a deputy over the street, taking the police officer off of the street.

And so they just some of the municipalities and some of the counties ar saying don't write a violation.

So we're not getting anything to the general fund.

So we're thinking, if, you know, in Montgomery County, there hadn't been a violation on a handicap for seven years that we went back, we checked that the city and the county and there wasn't any violations written in.

These people that are handicapped don't have a place to to park.

So it was a fair play.

Bill.

Well, that's what he sold me on is in seven years they haven't issued a citation.

They have virtually no incentive to issue a citation.

And he's given them an incentive.

That bill passed committee and is now headed to the full Senate.

Governor Kay Ivey toda signed into law Senate Bill 67.

This is the legislatio that will revamp the governance structure at the Alabam Department of Veterans Affairs, making the commissioner a member of the cabinet and moving the boar from administrative to advisory.

It was born out of the dustup last year that led to the removal of former VA commissioner Kent Davis, and since that law went into effect immediately, Ivey took the opportunity to appoint Brigadier General Jeff Newton as the new Commissioner of Veterans Affairs.

Newton had been serving as interim commissioner the last several months prior to this appointment.

Newton had served as director o the Joint Staff at the Alabama National Guard and had a 41 year military career.

A busy start back to the legislative session and more to come tomorrow.

When we come back, I'll sit down with director of the Medical Cannabis Commission, John McMillan, to get the latest on where we are after the recent cour ruling to restart their process.

Stay with us.

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Waterloo site was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1960.

The day known as the Fort Toulouse Jackson State Park, during the colonial period, Fort Toulouse acted as a commercial, religious and diplomatic frontier outpost for the French from 1717 until 1763.

It was one of a series of fort built by the French to protect their holdings and French colonial Louisiana from British and French during the 18th century.

Fort Jackso played a major role in the Great War of 18 1314, when General Andrew Jackson and the U.S. Army used Fort Jackson, buil on the old side of Fort Toulouse on August 9th, 1814, after their defea in the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, the Upper Creeks surrendered to the United States and the Treaty of Fort Jackson, effectively ending the Great Wars.

19 million acres of cree lands were open for settlement, resulting in Alabama becoming a state only five years later.

Welcome back to Capitol Journal.

Joining me next is John McMillan, director of the Alabama medical Cannabis Commission.

Mr. McMillan thanks for coming on the show.

Thank you for having us.

I to be here, Todd, and appreciate it.

Well we've been eager to talk to you since this ruling came dow from the Court of Civil Appeals.

Big ruling.

Basically, I don't kno how long it's been in the court.

14 months or longer.

The original ruling from the Montgomery court really stalling what the commission can do.

So now you've got this ruling from the Court of Civil Appeals saying, no, that ruling needs to be rescinded.

And basically allowing y'all to continue your work that's been stalled for so long.

Talk about what it was like.

I'm guessing you were pretty pleased to see that ruling come down.

Yeah, absolutely.

We were very pleased because we had maintained from the very beginning that nobody was injured until we had an opportunity to go through the process.

And judicial review is provided for in the legislation once we get through the, award process, the argument being.

Yeah.

So investigative hearings are part of the process.

And so a lawsui before y'all even got started on that would be premature, because that's what after that is maybe when you want to have.

That's exactly right.

Yeah.

We'll talk about what happens next.

I know that this tro from the Montgomery court has not officially been rescinded yet or lifted yet, but assuming that it is soon, what happens next?

What can people expect next from the commission?

Well, we'll be able to g through that finish the process, which we've already done, incidentally, with all of the licensees, that, categories of licensee that are already operating like cultivation, for example, we're a growing product right now in the state.

But anyway, the the two categories that have not been addressed have been dispensaries in the integrator category.

And this is the one wher most of the lawsuits abandoned.

But what we will do, the commission will appoint an administrative law judge who then we'll take, first of all, the, applicants have to request, that process to be involved in that, in the review process, here in process.

And I've already done that, a number of them.

So the administrative law judge will look just like the administrative Procedures Act requires, will come in and have, some type hearings, contested hearings where the, applicants will be able t come in and present their case and defend their case, their ability and their, worthiness of having the license.

And then the administrative law judge will make a recommendation to the commission, and the commission will have the final say in, in awarding the licenses.

So after that, licenses would be awarded.

And that's when they can kind of finish the job.

And because I know you're talking about the integrated and the dispensaries which are, which are linked.

So at that point, could we see product start being moved and put on shelves and be available if, once we get through the, the, administrative hearing process and the, decision making that follows that any potential, judicial review then the commission is prepared to move forward.

We already have everything in place for, in fact, it already until this recent lawsuit blocked us at the circuit court level, we were just days awa from being able to move forward with the, integrated licenses that we were looking at to to issue an inspection and everything that had to do with that final issuance.

You mentioned that products are actually being grown and cultivated here in Alabama, I guess, but without a store to be open, there's no where to to go.

That's a problem because, and that's an issue that I need to talk about because we did go ahead and issue the licenses in full with the categories.

And those folks have had to now pay the license fee to operate for two years.

They've had to invest literally millions of dollars to get there, meet all the rules and regulations that are required by the commission to operate.

And they've they've had the inspections, they have grown product.

And that's a big problem for them, because the people that are paying the highest price or the patients and then the doctors who are who will be responsible for recommending the the products, and then these folks that already have licenses are being just ungodly penalized for having the expense of economic impact on them.

Well, yeah.

You don't invest millions of dollars.

You know, you get a medica marijuana of millions of dollars invested, and then it's three, almost four years later that, you know, you will actually be able to sell a product.

Most businesses witness wouldn't sign up for something like that.

Do you think that this court ruling would maybe deter other lawsuits from from taking place?

I'm just thinking, like, every step i this process has been litigious.

Do you think that maybe we've reached a point where, okay, we're we're on solid ground, we're maybe we we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Maybe if there are lawsuits, they won't be so, long and drawn out.

Hopefully.

We were we were also very pleased that the Maine attorney for the plaintiffs in this particular case was just enthusiastic about the ruling.

So hopefully that's an indication that they are ready to, not challenge us until the proper time to do the challenge.

And when the judicial review is provided following the legislation, after we get to that point in the process.

What about potential legislation?

You know, you had Senato Nelson file a bill this session.

He was the original sponsor.

Obviously, he's not the only one.

There's plenty of folks that are frustrated saying, look, we'll change the process.

We'll do it all over just to get it going.

You can't really blame them for being frustrated that it's four years later.

What do they need to kno about what you all his work is being done, as it might affect legislation moving through the chamber even right now.

Yeah.

Well, let me emphasize, and I understand Senator Melson frustration, but he doesn't even know what the frustratio is compared to this commission and the staff that's been working on this about three and a half years now.

And, and a good two years or more of it has been this type frustration.

The only our, our job is to do what th legislature mandates us to do.

And that's what we've been doing and are doing to this point and are prepared to do moving forward.

The only concern I would have, or you might say a word of caution to the legislature, would be, be carefu what changes you make, because those kind of things could cause us a whole new round of litigation and a whole new.

You know, we had a 100,000 pages application, over 100,000 pages, over 10 pages of rules and regulations.

There's plenty of things there for creative lawyer to figure out to, to sue about.

And we're in the best position.

We've been through this whole process right now with this civil appeals ruling that lets us mandates us to be able to move forward with the appeals, with the hearing process.

And that's that's what we need to do now.

Okay.

You don't want to go back to square one.

I absolutely understand that, with bears reminding viewers exactly wh we're even talking about this.

Why the legislature went down this path of legalizing medical cannabis.

These products was very careful about it, was careful about how it wen about setting up the commission, careful about which products would be available.

But it's a very specific law.

Take us back then.

I kno you weren't in the legislature.

You were in two different jobs in two.

But it's important to remind viewers exactly why these products are needed by some patients.

And some out there might not agree with medical marijuana, but let me explain why, this product exists and why the legislature tasked y'all with going about this process and making them available.

Well, it was just briefly, it was like a three year process.

And representative Mike ball was I tell him now he was the grandfather of it.

But and then Senator Melson certainly did a yeoman's job in the Senate but they worked on he even had even took one year for us appointed, study committed.

And this legislation kind of came from that.

And some of those, study committee members are ow members of the commission now, but it's just over around 40 states now have, medical cannabis.

And we've come to realize how important it i as a product for some illnesses.

And the, the statistics has caught my attention the most PTSD.

Since 911, there have been like, 70, 500 military personnel that have been killed in some type of combat.

Over 40,000 have committed suicide and PTSD.

Treatment seems to be one of the major things.

So just that alone is enough.

But chronic pain, the 15 different type of illnesses that the legislation in Alabama, let's be addressed with a recommendation by doctors and doctors, have to certify the patient and all that.

We are ready to go with all the all the information, all the computer systems, all the, patient I.D.

or medical association has been fantastic working with us to be ready for the doctors.

They certify the doctors.

So we are ready.

And we have been for, like, a year and a half.

Read to go with this whole program.

And it's just been held up by this, legislation that is impairing our ability to move forward.

Well, look, I hat to not let legislation correct.

Yeah.

That's true.

There was only one, bill that passed.

Well, I hate to ask you to put a timeline on it, because it seems like every time you've been here over the years, we'd say, hey, it's coming, coming.

Maybe next year, maybe next year.

So maybe that's not fair.

But just because that's the question everybody has is when might we see, products on the shelves, prescriptions being written, patient having access to the products?

Is there any kind of range that you could possibly give that might give us an insight on, I'm going to give you an answer.

And incidentally that's the number one question we get on our website.

Number one question we get wherever we go, the commissio members get it wherever they go.

But, it if this ends this litigation, by the end of this year, we should be able to have medical cannabis availabl to patients that are certified by their physician and have a recommended dosage.

Okay.

Fingers crossed.

Absolutely.

Well, thanks again for coming on the show.

We'll we'll look for updates coming from the commission and especially as this investigative process gets going.

So thank you again for coming on the show.

Thank you.

Appreciate the opportunity.

We'll be right back.

You can watch past episodes of Capital Journal online any time at Alabama Public Television's website.

aptv.org.

Click on the online video tab on the main page.

You can also connect with Capital Journal and link to past episodes on Capital Journal's Facebook page.

is a World War Two era battleship that first served in the Atlantic theater, but was better known for helping to take Japanese held islands in the Pacific between 1943 and 1945.

During the battle of the Philippine Sea, the Alabama State of the Art radar alerted the fleet to incoming aircraft, providing the American enough time to scramble fighters and decimate the attacking force.

Later, the Alabama serve during the Battle of Lady Gulf and anchored in Tokyo Bay t unload Allied occupation forces.

In 1964, the state of Alabama took possession of the battleship Alabama.

School children raised $100,000 in nickels and dimes to help bring the ship to mobile an create battleship memorial Park.

The park features the Alabama, the World War II era submarine USS Strom, and an American military aircraft collection battleship memorial Park as one of the state's most visited attractions.

That's our show for tonight.

Thanks for watching.

We'll be back tomorrow night with more coverage of the Alabama legislature right here on Alabama Public Television for our Capital Journal team, I'm Todd Stacey.

We'll see you next time.