The leadership of the Alabama Legislature have announced plans to convene in Regular Session May 4, 2020. The presiding officers of each house will be present in their respective chambers on April 28 to declare the absence of a quorum due to a state of emergency and move to reconvene May 4. The priority will be on the General Fund budget, the Education Trust Fund budget, and local legislation. Other budget related bills such as a bond issue for education institutions may also be on the table. There will be pressure to consider additional legislation. There is a lot of discussion around Covid-19 legal liability and the need to protect employers from lawsuits so that the fear of liability does not impede economic progress.

The Regular Session must conclude by May 18. There is a good probability that Governor Ivey will call one or more special sessions throughout the year.

In addition, the state’s shelter in place order is set to expire April 30. Governor Ivey has a task force working on recommendations for lifting those restrictions and getting the state back to work. Those recommendations are expected next week and we should know soon if there will be a relaxing of restrictions on May 1.