BIRMINGHAM — Republican legislators in Alabama spent the final day of the 2011 legislative session yesterday delivering upon the promises they made during the election last year.  Earlier this year, the House passed bills fulfilling the Republican Handshake with Alabama, and as of Thursday the Senate had passed all of the companion bills out of their chamber, sending them to Gov. Robert Bentley for his signature.

In the special session last December, numerous ethics reform laws were passed by the new Republican majority and signed into law by former Gov. Bob Riley.

These new ethics reform laws ban PAC to PAC transfers and strengthens the power of the state Ethics Commission. At the beginning of the 2011 session, Representative  Greg Canfield's (R-Vestavia), Responsible Budgeting and Spending Act was passed by both houses and was the first bill signed into law by Governor Bentley.  This common-sense measure mandates state revenue estimates be based upon a 15-year rolling average, enabling lawmakers to pass “proration-proof” budgets for the Education Fund. Freshman Representative April Weaver's (R-Shelby and Bibb Counties) Health Care Tax Incentives for Small Businesses Act soon followed, signed by Gov. Bentley in mid-April. This bill allows small business employers and employees to deduct 200 percent of the amounts they pay in health insurance premiums from their state income tax.

On Thursday, Gov. Bentley signed into law the Alabama Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act, an immigration reform bill sponsored by Senator Scott Beason (R-Gardendale) and Representative Mickey Hammon (R-Morgan), that will help protect Alabama taxpayers, small-business owners and job seekers from the negative effects of illegal immigration.

The rest of the Handshake bills were completed Thursday and include: Rep. Kurt Wallace's (R-Chilton) HB 64, which ensures an individual's right to vote by secret ballot; Rep. Mike Ball's (R-Madison) HB 58, which requires elected officials and their spouses to disclose their employment with the state or federal government; Rep. Kerry Rich (R-Albertville) and Sen. Gerald Allen's (R-Tuscaloosa) Voter ID bill, which requires for voters to show a photo ID before voting; and Rep. Blaine Galliher's (R-Gadsden) constitutional amendment which will allow Alabamians to opt-out of the individual mandate contained in Obama's federal healthcare bill.

Also passed on Thursday were the Education and General Fund budgets, along with companion bills necessary to make the budgets balance. A pro-life bill sponsored by Rep. Kerry Rich, which would ban abortions after the 20th week of gestation, was also sent to Gov. Bentley. Extensive tort reform law was also signed by the governor. These laws will limit product liability, lower post judgment liability, and update the standard for admissibility for expert witness testimony.

"I've been involved in Alabama politics for decades now, and I can authoritatively say that this was the most productive legislative session in modern Alabama history," stated Bill Armistead, former Republican leader in the Alabama Senate and now the Chairman of the Alabama Republican Party. "This session was a victory for voters in our state and for the conservative principles we all believe in.

"For years the Democrats promised that they would clean up Montgomery, but their "Covenant for the Future" never made it out of the starting gate," continued Armistead. "The last three months have shown that there is a clear difference between Alabama Republicans and Alabama Democrats. We have kept our promises. All of them. 

"Montgomery is a different town and Alabama is a different state because of the new Republican majority. It is no longer controlled by special interests or ambitious, greedy politicians. Governance in Alabama has been returned to where it belongs: in the hands of the people. We promised bills that would give us more transparent and more efficient government and we have delivered.