“I am proud to participate in such a historic milestone.” – April Weaver
On Wednesday, April 6th, State Representative April Weaver of Brierfield, praised colleagues for quickly passing each of the Republican Handshake with Alabama public policy agenda items during the first ten days of the 2011 regular legislative session and said she was proud to participate in such an historic milestone event.
The Handshake is an omnibus platform of specific, issue-oriented bills that GOP House candidates across the state campaigned upon during the 2010 election cycle and promised to pass in the early days of the session. Democrat Party leaders have credited the Handshake with helping Republicans win supermajorities in both houses of the Legislature for the first time in 136 years.
“I joined with my fellow Republican candidates across the state in pledging to pass the Republican Handshake and begin fundamentally changing how Montgomery operates,” Weaver said. “It is important for the citizens of Alabama to judge us not only by what we say, but also by what we do, and we have kept the promise we made to them. I believe history will look back at this session and say this is the point Alabama turned a corner and began to live up to its full potential.”
While several items became law during a December special session on ethics, the Republican lawmaker noted that passing such an aggressive agenda in the first third of a regular session is largely unprecedented and simply demonstrates the deep commitment of the GOP Caucus, its leadership and Speaker of the House Mike Hubbard, who conceived and drafted the Handshake.
The Republican Handshake agenda items receiving House approval are:
* The Responsible Budgeting and Spending Act, sponsored by Rep. Greg Canfield (R – Vestavia), which would require state revenue estimates in the Education Trust Fund to be based upon a rolling 15-year average rather than undependable “finger in the wind” income projections. Passage of this legislation will help rein in spending, lessen the possibility of proration and allow the budget to more easily absorb changes in a cyclical economy.
* A comprehensive, Arizona-style immigration bill sponsored by House Majority Leader Micky Hammon (R – Decatur) that, among other things, allows local law enforcement the authority to verify the citizenship status of those they detain, requires business owners to confirm new hires with the e-verify system and creates new penalties for illegal immigrants who attempt to vote or register to vote.
* A bill sponsored by Rep. Kurt Wallace (R – Maplesville) that will ensure Alabama remains a right-to-work state and that employment costs remain low by protecting the right to a secret ballot in union elections. With passage of this bill, no worker will be intimidated or harassed by voting his or her heart and conscience in the workplace. It is being offered as a counter to Obama-backed “card check” legislation being considered in Congress.
* A capital creation bill sponsored by Rep. April Weaver (R – Six Mile) expands the small business health insurance tax credit from 150% to 200% of the amount that both employers and employees pay for coverage premiums. This bill will provide business owners with more capital to create jobs and ensure access to quality, private health coverage for employer and employee alike.
* A constitutional amendment sponsored by Rep. Blaine Galliher (R – Gadsden) which would “prohibit any person, employer or health care provider from being compelled to participate in any health care system.” This amendment is similar to measures introduced or passed in at least 30 other state legislatures across the country, and, if passed by the Legislature and ratified by voters, could be used in court cases opposing implementation of Obamacare.
* Handshake legislation offered by Rep. Mike Jones (R – Andalusia) that will provide the Alabama Ethics Commission with a statutorily defined level of appropriation that can be cut only by a two-thirds vote of both houses. That way, no legislator can retaliate against the agency and its important watchdog work by cutting its annual budget.
* Ethics legislation being sponsored by Rep. Mike Ball (R – Madison) requiring public officials and their spouses to disclose any contracts they hold with government entities.
In addition, two bills not included in the Republican Handshake with Alabama were added to the Caucus’ official priority list and also received notable attention.
Rep. Kerry Rich (R – Albertville) sponsored a landmark photo voter ID bill. Currently, citizens may show non-photo bearing items ranging from utility bills to bank statements to paychecks in order to gain access to the voting booth. Recognizing that this system continues to invite fraud, Rich’s bill would require citizens to present a valid, government-issued photo ID before being allowed to vote in elections.
State Rep. Barry Mask (R – Wetumpka) introduced a measure that repeals that state’s Deferred Retirement Option Plan but grandfathers those already enrolled. Since its passage a decade ago, many have considered DROP, which allows some public employees to bank pension benefits in a side account while continuing to work beyond retirement age, to be a costly and controversial program in desperate need of repeal.
The Senate version of Mask’s bill passed both legislative chambers early in the 2011 legislative session and was signed into law by Gov. Robert Bentley.
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