State House Committee Approves Bill Making Changes to Birmingham Mayor-Council Act
Wednesday morning a bill that would make changes to the city of Birmingham’s Mayor-Council Act was approved by the Jefferson County Legislative Delegation committee 10-3, with 5 abstentions.
The bill, HB 515, now moves to the full House for a vote.
AL.com reports the bill’s sponsor, Oliver Robinson (D) of Birmingham, said it would balance the power between the mayor and council and have good long-term benefits for the city. Robinson serves as the vice chairman of the Jefferson County Legislative Delegation.
There was some concern about whether or not the delegation would support the legislation after a passionate public hearing held last Monday at the Jefferson County Courthouse. Council President Johnathan Austin had asked for the council to be consulted about any proposed changes to the legislation. This follows a three-hour public meeting held by the City Council about the proposed legislation at City Hall in March.
Proposed changes include prohibiting the City Council from abolishing, changing, or creating new agencies without approval from the mayor. It would give the mayor appointing authority for three major city boards: The Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority; the Birmingham Water Works Board; and the Birmingham Parks and Recreation Board. HB 515 also prohibits councilors from serving as voting members of city boards and calls for the election of new council president and president pro-tempore every two years.
State Representative Rod Scott (D) of Fairfield asked to delay action on the bill to create a committee to undertake a comprehensive study of changes. His motion failed 3-7 with eight abstentions.
Other proposed amendments by State Representative John Rodgers, including one that would have limited the mayor’s term to eight consecutive years, were not successful.
Hundreds of South Koreans are among 475 detained in a Georgia immigration raid
"The business activities of our investors and the rights of our nationals must not be unjustly infringed," a foreign ministry spokesman said after about 300 South Koreans were detained.
Four Democratic senators urge Smithsonian to resist White House attempts to ‘bully the institution’
Sen. Alex Padilla of California and three other Democrats are reminding the Smithsonian's secretary that the institution "is the responsibility of Congress."
Greetings from Guhagar, India, where newly hatched turtles get some help into the sea
Far-Flung Postcards is a weekly series in which NPR's international team shares moments from their lives and work around the world.
Israel is blasting through Gaza City neighborhoods, but people have nowhere to go
Israel's military says it has gained "operational control" of 40% of Gaza City and plans to intensify its attacks in a large-scale ground offensive to fully occupy the city.
Horror, rom-coms and ‘Hamilton’ are all in theaters this weekend
This weekend, Hamilton is in theaters in honor of its anniversary, a new Conjuring horror film opens, and Dylan O'Brien stars in a twisty story about grief.
The U.S. added only 22,000 jobs last month, showing cracks in the labor market
The U.S. job market showed more signs of weakness Friday, as the Labor Department reported just 22,000 jobs added last month. Revised figures show the economy lost jobs in June, and the unemployment rate inched up to 4.3%.
