Talladega – Four State senators and Representatives whose districts include Talladega County, gathered at the Ritz Theater in Talladega this past week for a Town Hall focused on the recently completed legislative session. Representative Barbara Boyd was invited, but did not respond.
The event was co-sponsored by the three Chambers of Commerce in Talladega County. Each was allowed a brief period to discuss their “take on the legislative session. We will post a series of stories focusing on each individually.
State Senator Lance Bell:
Bell focused on the fact that he filed 11 bills, with 10 of them gaining approval by both chambers. He detailed several, starting with a bill to create rules prohibiting non-English speakers from over-the-road trucking licenses, along with an enforcement database to save lives, “We simply cannot have such big rig drivers on our roads, unable to read and understand traffic laws and signs. It is dangerous.”
Another of Bell’s bills promotes interstate cooperation in the region. He passed a bill to update and improve the system for background checks for educators and other public positions, to keep them constantly up to date, accessible, and not abused. His “Attempting to Elude” bill includes enhancements that automatically make that a felony, with even tougher sentencing enhancements for repeat offenders.
He addressed difficulties in enforcing protection orders, with requirements for communication and cooperation between jurisdiction as an important protection for whom such orders are supposed to keep safe. Another high profile bill requires data centers to pay their own way, with enforcement in the hands of an expanded and revamped Public Service Commission.
During the “Question & Answer” portion of the event, Bell said that the legislature is st attempting to “figure out” regulation of data centers, adding that a lot of that will go through the Public Service Commission, “First, this issue is developing as we speak today, and we only meet once a year to deal with budgets as a priority, and whatever else we a accomplish by reaching a concensus. That is never an easy thing to find, concensus.”
On the subject of Flock cameras, he sees a need to restrict data availability to law enforcement with safeguards that discourage abuse and enforce that which is discovered, “It is a balancing act involving a lot of issues, including public privacy.”
On the issue of rural hospitals and other medical facilities, Bell said that the reimbursement process for Medicaid and Medicare patient services is too restrictive, and puts them in a danger zone with funding.
Up next will be Senator Keith Kelly.
bustedalabama.com 