TINY STEPS
The last session of the Alabama Legislature took tiny steps when it comes to accomplishing any real serious issues plaguing the state. Prisons, health care’ medicaid” and the gambling bill all wound up in the trash can.
A plus was a bill that allowed alcohol to be delivered to your home, that was a top priority.
Medical Marijuana gained some traction. It should be noted that Mexico and Canada have legalized recreation use. “The recreational use of cannabis is legalized in 17 states, the District of Columbia, the Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam. Another 13 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands have decriminalized its use.”
“Medical marijuana is a start. A baby-step start I didn’t think I’d ever see on my watch in this state. It’s another tool in the utility belt for doctors. It will help sick children. It will help dying people feel more comfortable in their final days. Compassion. It’s a good thing. It can be tweaked to be better.”
Yoga is now legal !
The 1993 Alabama ban on Yoga has been embarrassing this state for almost 30 years. This should wake up citizens to the nonsense on goat hill.
The state Board of Education passed a regulation barring yoga from public schools in 1993 because of yoga’s ties to the Hindu religion.
Kick the can!
The politicians again kicked the can down the gaming road. Big politics, lot’s of money and corruption stand in the way to a lottery or gaming bill. Alabama citizens are the losers, our neighbors are the winners.
“Gambling was going to pay for health care. It was going to pay for broadband expansion. It was going to cut taxes.
But gambling is a big thing. And if the 2021 legislative session proved anything at all, it’s that the Alabama Legislature doesn’t do big things.”
Baldwin County’s State Senator “DUI” Elliott, flip lopped on the gaming bill and was in favor for tolls. While some serious issues were falling through the cracks Elliott decided that now he was a State Senator he would even an old score. Trouble is his little vendetta will cost a very good program millions and deprive homeowners assistance in fortifying their roofs.
Lagniappe’s previous articles have exposed Elliott’s attempts to halt funding for SAH. Elliott has seized the opportunity to settle an old score, where he was dismissed, as a contractor, for wanting personal information that would favor him in the bidding process.
In February, State Rep. Chip Brown of Mobile County introduced a bill to increase the amount of funding to the program. It passed the House by a vote of 96-1 but was subsequently stalled by State Sen. Chris Elliott, R-Fairhope, and others, citing concerns of transparency and equitability. Elliott, a licensed contractor, had been removed from the program in 2016 after being accused of “profiling” and “cherry-picking” applicants.
SAH, Strengthen Alabama Homes director Brian Powell said:
“Powell claims the program provides a 6-to-1 return on investment by keeping residents in their homes after storms and providing savings on insurance premiums that can be spent elsewhere in the local economy. He admits the bill’s defeat is a setback, but said he is committed to working with legislators in 2022 to introduce something more palatable.”
“I hope funding is available to help the people that won’t get it this year because of this,” he said. “There are at least 200 people or more that won’t receive these benefits this year. This is really a sad case of economics when you are not putting money into a program that is doing a lot of good to help a lot of people.”
Elliott does not deserve another term as a State Senator. Stay tuned, another Elliott story will soon break.