Under current Alabama law, the Legislature has a 105-day grace period each spring to begin normal operations.

But state Rep. Jim Hill (R) is trying to change that structure, and has previously introduced a bill that would split the Legislature into two terms.

Congress has 105 days from the start of the session to fulfill its responsibilities, but it can only meet for 30 of those days. This has typically been achieved through parliamentary meetings from Tuesday to Thursday, with occasional changes.

Hill's bill would shorten the spring session to 75 days starting in February and allow Congress to meet up to 20 times. Lawmakers will then reconvene in Montgomery in September, with a 30-day grace period to complete the final 10 days of the session.

“The legislative branch of government makes up one-third of our system,” Hill said. “Our chapter meets 105 days a year, or about three and a half months. Other organizations meet 12 months a year and are active all year round. I think a lot of things happen during the month, and it would be great to be able to deal with them without having to wait months for the next session.”

The only items Congress is constitutionally required to pass are the state's two budgets, which are technically supposed to be passed before any other legislation. But the burden of this requirement has led to a workaround called a “budget secession resolution,” which allows other bills to pass but requires a 60 percent vote.

Hill's bill would not change that process, but it would require the budget to be passed during the first part of the session. If Congress does not pass a budget during his first 20 days, a special session will automatically be convened just to pass the budget.

And come September, Congress will focus purely on legislation outside of the budget process. In addition to addressing current issues, a second term would also allow Congress to address vetoed bills.

Hill said that despite the long recess, the bill would hold off on progress until the end of the session, and if the bill passes the House in the first session, it could be considered in the Senate in the second session, and the process would be Said it wouldn't reset. break.

“We will have the opportunity to continue holding committee meetings during the holidays,” Hill said. “We don't lose anything, but we gain the ability to continue the dialogue.”

In an interview with APR, Hill envisioned a gaming bill passing the Senate and being introduced to the House in the final week of the session. In that scenario, he said, it would be impossible for the House to conduct proper consideration before time runs out. But if such a onerous bill passes one chamber before adjournment, the other chamber may be given time to scrutinize it and actually pass something when Congress reconvenes. there is.

“There are a lot of positives, but I don't see any negatives,” Hill said.

If passed in its current form, the changes would not take effect until 2027.