Key Issues Linger as 2016 Legislative Session Winds Down

 ========= Old Image Removed =========Array
(
    [_wp_attached_file] => Array
        (
            [0] => 2016/03/Screen-Shot-2016-03-24-at-9.45.01-PM.png
        )

    [_wp_attachment_metadata] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:5:{s:5:"width";i:638;s:6:"height";i:479;s:4:"file";s:48:"2016/03/Screen-Shot-2016-03-24-at-9.45.01-PM.png";s:5:"sizes";a:10:{s:6:"medium";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:48:"Screen-Shot-2016-03-24-at-9.45.01-PM-336x252.png";s:5:"width";i:336;s:6:"height";i:252;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:9:"thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:48:"Screen-Shot-2016-03-24-at-9.45.01-PM-140x140.png";s:5:"width";i:140;s:6:"height";i:140;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:9:"wbhm-icon";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:46:"Screen-Shot-2016-03-24-at-9.45.01-PM-80x80.png";s:5:"width";i:80;s:6:"height";i:80;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:13:"wbhm-featured";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:48:"Screen-Shot-2016-03-24-at-9.45.01-PM-600x338.png";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:338;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:20:"wbhm-featured-square";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:48:"Screen-Shot-2016-03-24-at-9.45.01-PM-600x479.png";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:479;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:18:"wbhm-featured-home";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:48:"Screen-Shot-2016-03-24-at-9.45.01-PM-414x311.png";s:5:"width";i:414;s:6:"height";i:311;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:48:"Screen-Shot-2016-03-24-at-9.45.01-PM-353x265.png";s:5:"width";i:353;s:6:"height";i:265;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:28:"ab-block-post-grid-landscape";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:48:"Screen-Shot-2016-03-24-at-9.45.01-PM-600x400.png";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:400;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:25:"ab-block-post-grid-square";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:48:"Screen-Shot-2016-03-24-at-9.45.01-PM-600x479.png";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:479;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:14:"post-thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:48:"Screen-Shot-2016-03-24-at-9.45.01-PM-125x125.png";s:5:"width";i:125;s:6:"height";i:125;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:12:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";s:11:"orientation";s:1:"0";s:8:"keywords";a:0:{}}}
        )

    [_edit_lock] => Array
        (
            [0] => 1581971785:113
        )

    [_media_credit] => Array
        (
            [0] => Alabama Tourism Department
        )

    [_navis_media_credit_org] => Array
        (
            [0] => Flickr
        )

    [_navis_media_can_distribute] => Array
        (
            [0] => 
        )

    [_edit_last] => Array
        (
            [0] => 113
        )

    [_imagify_optimization_level] => Array
        (
            [0] => 1
        )

    [_imagify_data] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:2:{s:5:"stats";a:3:{s:13:"original_size";i:2284634;s:14:"optimized_size";i:788300;s:7:"percent";d:65.5;}s:5:"sizes";a:8:{s:4:"full";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:76:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/03/Screen-Shot-2016-03-24-at-9.45.01-PM.png";s:13:"original_size";i:803189;s:14:"optimized_size";i:270259;s:7:"percent";d:66.349999999999994;}s:9:"thumbnail";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:84:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/03/Screen-Shot-2016-03-24-at-9.45.01-PM-140x140.png";s:13:"original_size";i:52369;s:14:"optimized_size";i:18642;s:7:"percent";d:64.400000000000006;}s:6:"medium";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:84:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/03/Screen-Shot-2016-03-24-at-9.45.01-PM-336x252.png";s:13:"original_size";i:218105;s:14:"optimized_size";i:75789;s:7:"percent";d:65.25;}s:13:"wbhm-featured";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:84:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/03/Screen-Shot-2016-03-24-at-9.45.01-PM-450x338.png";s:13:"original_size";i:377431;s:14:"optimized_size";i:132980;s:7:"percent";d:64.769999999999996;}s:20:"wbhm-featured-square";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:84:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/03/Screen-Shot-2016-03-24-at-9.45.01-PM-300x300.png";s:13:"original_size";i:228150;s:14:"optimized_size";i:78734;s:7:"percent";d:65.489999999999995;}s:18:"wbhm-featured-home";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:84:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/03/Screen-Shot-2016-03-24-at-9.45.01-PM-414x311.png";s:13:"original_size";i:323785;s:14:"optimized_size";i:113410;s:7:"percent";d:64.969999999999999;}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:84:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/03/Screen-Shot-2016-03-24-at-9.45.01-PM-353x265.png";s:13:"original_size";i:239668;s:14:"optimized_size";i:83318;s:7:"percent";d:65.239999999999995;}s:14:"post-thumbnail";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:84:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/03/Screen-Shot-2016-03-24-at-9.45.01-PM-125x125.png";s:13:"original_size";i:41937;s:14:"optimized_size";i:15168;s:7:"percent";d:63.829999999999998;}}}
        )

    [_imagify_status] => Array
        (
            [0] => success
        )

)
1619386943 
1461314439

Only five days remain in Alabama’s 2016 legislative session, and big issues are still on the table, from a lottery bill to a possible $800 million dollar bond for building new prisons. However, in recent weeks, these important issues have been overshadowed by scandal in the wake of accusations Governor Robert Bentley had an affair with a former top advisor. This week, a lawmaker introduced a resolution that could impeachment proceedings against Bentley forward. For more on this, we talk with Don Dailey, host of Capitol Journal on Alabama public television. To start, Dailey tells WBHM’s Rachel Osier Lindley about Bentley’s recent comments to the media.

 

Birmingham is 3rd worst in the Southeast for ozone pollution, new report says

The American Lung Association's "State of the Air" report shows some metro areas in the Gulf States continue to have poor air quality.

Why haven’t Kansas and Alabama — among other holdouts — expanded access to Medicaid?

Only 10 states have not joined the federal program that expands Medicaid to people who are still in the "coverage gap" for health care

Once praised, settlement to help sickened BP oil spill workers leaves most with nearly nothing

Thousands of ordinary people who helped clean up after the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico say they got sick. A court settlement was supposed to help compensate them, but it hasn’t turned out as expected.

Q&A: How harm reduction can help mitigate the opioid crisis

Maia Szalavitz discusses harm reduction's effectiveness against drug addiction, how punitive policies can hurt people who need pain medication and more.

Gambling bills face uncertain future in the Alabama legislature

This year looked to be different for lottery and gambling legislation, which has fallen short for years in the Alabama legislature. But this week, with only a handful of meeting days left, competing House and Senate proposals were sent to a conference committee to work out differences.

Alabama’s racial, ethnic health disparities are ‘more severe’ than other states, report says

Data from the Commonwealth Fund show that the quality of care people receive and their health outcomes worsened because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

More Capitol Journal Coverage