Friday, April 09, 2010

HB642 not on calendar for Tuesday

Everyone,

I've mentioned in a few places that House Bill 642 The Michael Phillips Compassionate Care Act has been placed on the house calendar for full debate this coming Tuesday, April 13.

However, I just talked to Rep. Todd and she was as surprised as everyone else when that bill miraculously made it through rules committee and was placed on them calendar only one day after coming out of the judiciary committee. That never happens.

What she thinks happened is that they got her affordable housing trust fund bill confused with her medical marijuana bill and it was placed on the calendar by accident.

WE WILL NOT BE MOVING FORWARD WITH THIS BILL THIS YEAR.

There is no need to show up in Montgomery on Tuesday. When the bill comes up in the house Rep. Todd will ask that it be tabled. This is not bad news at all. She told the members of the judiciary committee that we would not try and move the bill the remainder of this session. If we were to turn around and do what we said we weren't gonna do then chances are they would kill our bill next session. And, truth be told, we have a great deal of work to do between now and next session every member of the House. We have concentrated on the committee members and not so much on the other 100 or so members of the House. That is what we will be working on between now and next session.

Rep. Todd also shared with me some really excellent news.

She said that the day after our bill passed out of committee she was on the House floor and many legislators came up to her and told her what an excellent job she did and how we are moving in the right direction and how they support the bill.

I asked her if she was a shocked by the incredible things Rep. John Robinson said in committee and she said that she was. She said Rep. Robinson was also on the house floor the next day promoting this bill to everyone and talking it up.

Folks, 2011 may be out year for finally passing legislation that protects doctors and patients in Alabama.

Loretta

2 comments:

Josh Caster said...

I am a little uncertain as to the process concerning this bill. Will it have to be reintroduced and pass through the Judiciary committee again next session. Certainly seems to be much work to get the bill into a passable state, but with the 2010 elections coming up I would encourage everyone to find out your officials stand on the issue and use that information to make an educated vote in November.

Loretta Nall said...

Hi Josh,

Yes we will start all over again in the judiciary committee next session....and it is a lot of work. However, since we got the bill out of Judiciary this session it should be fairly easy to get it out again next session and much earlier on in the process so that we have time to move it further next session.

I agree that everyone needs to be asking the candidates they support where they stand on this issue and make an attempt to educate them if they are resistant to the idea at first.