The Baldwin County legislative delegation has been making waves this session, helping to pass numerous pieces of statewide legislation including funding for a PreK expansion, raising penalties for sex crimes and stolen firearms and marriage license reform.
Rep. Matt Simpson (R-Daphne) had bills signed into law by Gov. Kay Ivey which raised the penalties for possessing stolen firearms and second-degree sexual abuse to a Class C felony.
“You know, this is really a lot of common-sense legislation,” Simpson said. “It’s looking at ways to improve upon what we have already there and trying to make changes that we know we need especially the criminal code with the two bills that I really pushed this year- the sex crimes and the possession of a stolen firearm. Both of those upped those crimes to felonies, which helps deter people from committing those crimes, and if they do commit those crimes, gives them a harsher penalty which is deserved for those crimes.”
Before the passage of Simpson’s act, second degree sexual abuse was a Class A Misdemeanor. Under Simpson’s act, the crime has now been upgraded to a Class C felony if the victim is between the ages of 12 to 15 and is 15 years or more younger than the abuser. Under the current law, possessing a stolen gun is only elevated to a felony charge if the value of the stolen weapon is $1,500 or more. HB 375 changes the statute to include language that says felony charges will be brought for “receiving stolen property that is a firearm, rifle or shotgun, regardless of its value.”
A Class C felony carries with it a penalty of between one year and one day and 10 years in jail.
Also out of Montgomery this session was an increase in the amount of First Class PreK classrooms across the state. A total of 164 new classrooms will be added to 38 counties this fall. Baldwin County will be benefiting from this legislation to the tune of four new PreK classes.
Rep. Steve McMillan (R-Foley) said he was proud to be able to help continue funding for the program and its expansion.
“It’s all about expanding educational opportunities,” McMillan said. “Over the last 11 years, we’ve consistently been one of the highest ranked, if not the highest ranked, PreK in the entire nation. This is something Alabama does really well, and we want to continue to do it really well. This funding gives us four new classrooms in Baldwin County which adds to the huge number in Baldwin County that we already have, but we need it.”
According to a press release, a new study shows that students who participate in First Class Pre-K are more likely to be proficient in math and reading, with no evidence of fade out of the benefits of high-quality pre-k over time. These long-term results hold true even after the study controlled for student demographics and other variables such as poverty. Students who attended First Class Pre-K are more likely than other students to be proficient in reading and math, all else equal, and this academic advantage continues into at least middle school.
“We are a growing county and in order to keep up with the growth and make sure we are continuing to provide great educational opportunities to the children of this county,” McMillan said. “We need these additional classrooms. We’re happy to continue that funding. This is the type of spending that is not a Republican thing or a Democrat thing. We all realize that spending money on our children benefits all of us in the long run.”
Rep. Alan Baker (R-Brewton) passed seven different pieces of statewide legislation this session, including protections for economic development, expanding opportunities for apprenticeship and internships and allowing Alabama’s education and state retirees flexibility in how they receive their retirement.
The retirement bill would allow education and state retirees, at no additional costs to the state, the option of taking up to two years of their retirement benefit as a one-time partial lump sum at the start of their retirement.
“This is a great change that allows our retirees flexibility and autonomy to deal with their retirement as they see fit,” Baker said. “This was an easy fix that received a huge amount of bipartisan support.”
After a lot of pushback from probate judges on issuing marriage licenses to same sex couples following the nationwide legalization, Sen. Greg Albritton (R-Range) has been working to find a legislative solution.
His answer—abolishing the license altogether.
The previous law stated “Marriage licenses may be issued by the judges of probate of the several counties,” and that “may” was used to justify not handing out licenses at all.
Albritton has been filing the same bill every session since the June 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges Supreme Court decision.
“This is an issue that the state has been facing for several years now,” Albritton said. “I have been working diligently since 2015 to get this passed. We finally got this done, but this really levels the playing field for everyone across the state of Alabama. We aren’t going to have counties anymore refusing to issue marriage license because there aren’t going to be any license to issue.”
Under the new law, couples who want to marry will be required to sign affidavits that they meet the legal requirements for marriage – that they are of age (18 or 16 with a parent’s consent), willing, competent and not currently married to someone else.
The new law will take effect later this year.
“You’ll go, you’ll register your marriage there and that’ll be pretty much it,” Albritton said. “I know there has been some concern from some groups about whether or not those marriages will be accepted in other states, but we’ve had it on good authority from a legal team here in Alabama and folks that we’ve talked to that it is an unfounded concern.”
