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Charter school bill passes legislature, ACLU fights state abortion law and Cottage Food Law class

Andrew Beck
ACLU attorney Andrew Beck

The Alabama Legislature has passed a bill to establish charter schools in the state.

The House of Representatives voted 58 to 41 to pass the bill after making a few changes. State senators voted 24 to 11 to adopt those changes. The bill now heads to Governor Bentley, who is expected to sign the measure into law after a legal review.

State Democrats have been especially critical of the bill. Nick Rose is the President of the Tuscaloosa Democratic Party. He outlined the party’s three main complaints with the charter school measure.

“The first being the teachers are not required to have a teaching certificate to work in these buildings, the second being the lack of local control school boards have, and the third piece being the fact that this will take money from every single public school in the state of Alabama.”

The bill will allow for for ten new charter schools to be established each year, and an unlimited number of existing schools to be converted to charter status at local school boards’ discretion.

The American Civil Liberties Union is asking a federal judge to block a state law allowing a fetus to be represented in court when a minor is seeking judicial permission for an abortion.

ACLU lawyer Andrew Beck told a judge yesterday the law forces teens to go through an adversarial court proceeding during already difficult circumstances.

While several states have passed new abortion restrictions in recent years, Beck says the Alabama law is unique.

Rather than receiving permission from their parents to have an abortion, teens can seek that permission from a judge. This law, passed last year, lets district attorneys question the teen during the judicial hearing and allows judges to appoint an attorney to represent the fetus.

State lawyers say it allows the judges to obtain information about the case, and permission for the abortion is usually granted.

A class in Shelby County today zeroes in on regulations that impact people who sell food they prepare at home. The course at the Shelby County Extension office is to educate people about what's called the Cottage Food Law.

Angela Treadaway is the regional extension agent in food safety who will be teaching the class. She says the Cottage Food law went into effect last year and limits what people can and cannot make in their home to sell…

“Non-hazardous, like jams and jellies breads and cakes, anything that does not contain things like dairy that need to be refrigerated. They can’t do any kind of pickles, relishes or sauces because they are an acid type food.”

The course is required every five years by those wishing to sell food items made in their home and will provide those who finish with certification they can display while selling items.

First lady Dianne Bentley is urging state lawmakers to strengthen Alabama's domestic violence laws and improve resources for victims.

The first lady announced a legislative agenda yesterday focused on fighting domestic violence. Bentley said her husband's budget recommendations for next year include $5 million for improving shelters across the state.

Mrs. Bentley is also backing legislation that would provide greater punishment for violating protective orders in domestic violence cases.

The bill will also require officers to file reports on domestic violence incidents, even if an arrest is not made. Law enforcement officers would also have to inform abuse victims how to contact their local shelter and their right to pursue criminal or civil charges against the abuser.

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