Latest news with #SB111
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
House committee approves $10 billion education budget; floor vote expected Thursday
Rep. Danny Garrett, R-Trussville, speaking to the House Ways and Means Education Committee on April 22, 2025, in the Alabama State House in Montgomery, Alabama. The committee approved the 2026 Education Trust Fund budget and other supplemental appropriations on Tuesday. (Anna Barrett/Alabama Reflector) An Alabama House committee Tuesday approved a 2026 Education Trust Fund budget with a few changes, bringing it closer to a vote in the chamber. SB 112, sponsored by Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, increases the current budget by $543.3 million (5.81%), but a substitute from the Alabama House Ways and Means Education Committee added an additional $17.6 million. That brings the total growth of the ETF to 6%. 'That's the maximum we were allowed to increase the budget because of our secondary cap. Next year, that number will be 5.75% under this current budget,' Rep. Danny Garrett, R-Trussville, the chair of the committee, said Tuesday. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The Senate approved the nearly $10 billion budget on April 10. Garrett said one of his priorities in the budget is continuing to invest in public education in the state. SB 305, also sponsored by Orr, allows the Legislature to appropriate additional funds to schools based on student needs. The House added an additional $58 million to begin the transition to the new model. SB 111, also sponsored by Orr, would appropriate $375 million over three years for that transition, which aims to get more money to students with particular needs, including children in poverty and English Language Learners. The budget also includes $135 million for the CHOOSE Act, a voucher-like program that will award students with funds to be used for education-related expenses, including private school tuition. The program was initially slated to get $100 million, but Orr said that demand for the program led the chairs to increase the allocation. The program is currently limited to special needs students and those making under 300% of the poverty line, about $79,950 for a family of three. The program will be open to all applicants starting in 2027, without any income limits. About two-thirds of the 37,000 applicants for the program this year are already in private school or homeschooled. 'I realize that there's different opinions about school choice,' Garrett said. 'We have the CHOOSE Act, and we're committed to that. But we are committing more than that funding into the public schools. And I think that what we're doing, especially looking at student needs, is very, very important.' There are also additional line items for workmen's compensation for educators, SB 1, sponsored by Sen. Sam Givhan, R-Huntsville; and paid parental leave, SB 199, sponsored by Sen. Vivian Figures, D-Mobile. Teachers will receive $1,000 for classroom supplies, and the state will allocate $100 per student for textbooks. Teachers will not get a raise this year, but Garrett said the education community wanted an increase in the Public Education Employees' Health Insurance Plan. There is a $99.2 million increase in PEEHIP. 'What we were hearing from the education community was that they really wanted that PEEHIP increase covered, and that's almost $100 million out of the budget,' he said. The Alabama Math, Science and Technology Initiative will see a 31% ($32.2 million) funding increase while the Alabama Reading Initiative's (ARI) funding would grow by 6.4% ($9 million). The two programs' funds remain unchanged from what the Senate passed earlier this month. State Superintendent Eric Mackey supported the budget and hopes they pass smoothly. 'I think they've done their homework,' he said. ' They've found the right balance.' House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter, R-Rainsville, said the House would vote on the ETF on Thursday. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Alabama Senate committee approves $10 billion education budget
Senate Finance and Taxation Education committee Chair Arthur Orr leads the committee's meeting opn April 9, 2025 in Montgomery, Ala. (Alander Rocha/Alabama Reflector) An Alabama Senate committee Wednesday approved a nearly $10 billion education budget for 2026 that increases funding in some areas and prepares for an attempt to overhaul how state schools get money. SB 112, the main budget bill sponsored by Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, would increase the education budget for the fiscal year 2026, which begins October 1, by $543.3 million, or 5.81%, to $9.89 billion. 'We're still in a good place with resources for our public educational institutions, be they universities, colleges, junior colleges, and K-12, Pre-K and other elements,' Orr said, though he added that they have 'to be very mindful going forward' not only due to future economic uncertainty but also because of efforts to create a new funding formula. The budget includes $9.6 million to fund a new parental leave law for state and education employees, as well as $15.6 million for an injury compensation program for education employees awaiting legislative approval. The budget also appropriates $2.5 million for a pilot project to provide teletherapy, or mental health counseling via phone or video, in schools and increased funding for prison education by $3.7 million, or a 19.3% increase, for a total of $22.8 million. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'We know that there's a lot of mental health challenges in our schools today. Well, there are companies that do via video telecounseling, and because it's so hard, as you heard in the committee, to find school counselors, this will be an assist,' Orr said. The Alabama Math, Science, and Technology Initiative (AMSTI) would receive an increase of 31%, increasing it's funding by $32.2 million under the Senate committee substitute. The Alabama Reading Initiative'sfunding would increase by 6.4% percent, a $9 million increase. Transportation funding would be increased by about 9.1%, or about $40 million. The state's share that it pays for state and education employees is also increasing. PEEHIP would have to contribute $904 to each education employee's health insurance premiums, up fron $800, while SEIB would have to contribute $1,025 to their state employee's health insurance premiums. The Alabama Public Library Service would keep their funding level from the current fiscal year. The budget does not include a $100 million supplemental appropriation to transition the state's student funding formula to a hybrid model from the Education Opportunities Reserve Fund for the same fiscal year. SB 111, also sponsored by Orr, would appropriate $375 million over three years for that transition, which aims to get more money to students with particular needs, including children in poverty and English Language Learners. The committee also approved SB 113, sponsored by Orr, which appropriates an additional $524.3 million to schools in the current fiscal year, which ends on Sept. 30. That includes $100 million to local school boards for new school buses and $166 million to the State Department of Education for one-time expenses, such as college and career readiness grants and providing additional school safety training and services. Orr said that higher education institutions received additional funding in the supplemental to keep the current funding ratio between K-12 and higher education due to an increase from the student funding formula changes. 'Colleges and universities usually get around 25%, 27% of whatever the K-12 world gets, so they're going to be getting additional resources in this budget because we remove $375 [million] from the savings account [and] put it towards K-12,' Orr said. SB 114, also sponsored by Orr, is another supplemental appropriation bill that would allocate $1.25 billion from the Education Trust Fund Advancement and Technology Fund for the current fiscal year, ending September 30. That supplemental also includes about $908 million for the Department of Education to be distributed to local school boards and other education state entities, such as the Board of Trustees of the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind and the Board of Youth Services School Districts. The committee also approved separate funding bills for Tuskegee University, totaling $15.8 million, Talladega College with $1.33 million, and Southern Preparatory Academy, a boarding school in Camp Hill, totaling $450,000. Orr said he expects the Senate to consider the funding bills Thursday. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gov. Rhoden has signed 64 bills, including baby box bill
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) – Gov. Larry Rhoden has signed 64 bills into state law so far this legislative session. One of the most recent bills Rhoden signed on Thursday was House Bill 1044, which authorizes the use of safety boxes to anonymously surrender a newborn at an emergency location. Bill removing librarian defense heads for Senate floor The bill was named after Baby Gabriel, who was found dead in a Sioux Falls recycling center last August. Supporters of the bill say if the safe haven boxes had been legal in the state and another option was available instead of abandonment, it could have prevented Gabriel's death. 'Hopefully with these baby boxes, there will be fewer 'Baby Gabriels' and more babies in loving homes,' Rhoden said in a news release from Thursday. Rhoden also signed five other bills into law Thursday. SB 93 prohibits payment or rebate of insurance deductibles by contractors providing motor vehicle repair services SB 111 permits a court to order family therapy or reunification therapy in a custody or visitation dispute HB 1099 modifies the community paramedic endorsement HB 1144 adopts the dietitian licensure compact HB 1189 extends by two years the date on which moneys appropriated to the Governor's Office of Economic Development in 2021 for marketing, route restoration, business development, and air service marketing will revert to the general fund. KELOLAND News has reported twice on bills Rhoden signed. Our latest report from February 25 covered 43 bills. How Sioux Falls suspects were tracked down in Michigan From February 25 to March 5, Rhoden signed an additional 15 bills. SB 65 provides for the sale of certain real estate located in Pennington County and provides for the deposit of the proceeds SB 71 revises provisions pertaining to the compulsory age for school attendance SB 72 revises the payor of autopsy costs in certain circumstances SB 84 extends the timeframe for filling a vacancy in a board of county commissioners SB 97 allows the governing body of a municipality to change the use of municipally owned parkland by ordinance SB 109 permits a school district to implement a new or revised section 504 plan, individualized family service plan, or individualized education program for a student who is the child of an active-duty member of the United States armed forces HB 1042 makes an appropriation for the construction of historical exhibits at the Cultural Heritage Center HB 1053 requires age verification by websites containing material that is harmful to minors HB 1057 transfers moneys from the South Dakota-bred racing fund to the special racing revolving fund HB 1160 waives the driver license renewal period for members of the military and their families, and employees of the state department HB 1063 revises the provisions for preparing a fiscal note for ballot questions HB 1118 prohibits the award or use of state moneys for the research, production, promotion, sale, or distribution of cell-cultured protein HB 1052 prohibits the exercise of eminent domain for a pipeline that carries carbon oxide HB 1173 eliminates the cap on assessment amounts for road improvements HB 1095 extends the area in which a director for an irrigation district may reside All bills will go into effect on July 1, unless they have an emergency clause, then they go into effect immediately. The following bills have already taken effect and are currently being enforced: SB33 makes appropriations for water and environmental purposes and declares an emergency SB 35 modifies substances listed on the controlled substances schedule and to declare an emergency HB 1014 modifies provisions related to emergency medical services personnel and to declare an emergency HB 1033 makes an appropriation for costs related to emergencies and disasters impacting the state and to declare an emergency HB 1034 makes an appropriation for costs related to the suppression of wildfires impacting the state and to declare an emergency HB1047 makes an appropriation to reimburse health care professionals who have complied with the requirements for rural recruitment assistance programs and declares an emergency As of March 7, there are only five days left of this year's legislative session, including Veto Day. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
