The newly elected Alabama Legislature begins its organizational session Tuesday, but the leadership will look much like the old Legislature. House members say they expect to re-elect Republican Mike Hubbard for another four-year term as speaker even though he's been indicted on ethics charges. Senate members say they expect to re-elect Republican Del Marsh as president pro tem.
Handgun Legislation
A Tuscaloosa lawmaker says people should be able to keep their loaded handguns in their vehicles without having to get a concealed-carry permit. Republican Sen. Gerald Allen of Tuscaloosa says he will introduce legislation in the upcoming March legislative session to allow loaded handguns in cars. Allen says people should have a right to keep a handgun in their car just as they do in their home.
Drones Task Force
A task force studying the requirements of unmanned aerial vehicles and systems in the state is submitting its report to Governor Robert Bentley this week. Committee Chairman, Alabama's Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries John McMillian says their work is only the beginning. The Federal Aviation Administration has begun granting exemptions to the current ban on commercial drone flights. The first permits are being issued to agriculture and real estate companies to use drones to monitor crops and photograph properties for sale. McMillan says the beneficial uses of UAVs are innumerable.
Soldier Charged
Federal prosecutors say a former Fort Rucker soldier has been sentenced in the death of his 4-year-old daughter. Authorities say that 31-year-old Benjamin Schard of Storm Lake, Iowa was sentenced to six years in prison in his daughter's 2011 death. Prosecutors have said Schard rushed his daughter to an emergency room on Aug. 1, 2011, telling doctors that the girl had collapsed while they were playing. Jurors watched a videotaped interview of Schard recounting the event to Army investigators and saying that he got too rough while wrestling with her. Prosecutors never accused Schard of intentionally killing his daughter.