Law enforcement personnel from various city, county and military agencies are participating in a three-day forum on campus safety. Alabama State University is sponsoring the conference dubbed "Managing Critical Indictments for Higher Education." ASU Police Chief Jim Grayboys said the seminars are training courses for managing emergency situations. The training is being conducted by the National Emergency Response and Rescue Training Center at Texas A& M.
Open Meetings Law
Alabama lawmakers have voted to allow members of some governmental boards and commissions to phone in their votes at public meetings. The House of Representatives on Tuesday gave final passage to the change to the Open Meetings Law. The bill would allow members of governmental bodies to participate by speaker phone or video conference. A majority of the panel's quorum would have to be physically present in the meeting room. The bill now goes to Gov. Robert Bentley for his signature.
Massive Raises
Birmingham's City Council president is defending a recent vote to raise the group's salary from $15,000 to $55,000, with some members saying the council does full-time work on party-time pay. Local media have reported that the nine-member council voted 8-1 to approved the raise last week and faced questions Tuesday night on the way the issue was handled. The issue was added to a meeting agenda as an addendum and was passed with virtually no time for public comment.
Gun Laws
A group of Alabama sheriffs say current gun laws limit their discretion in granting concealed carry permits and proposed legislation could complicate their ability to confiscate guns from those who are potentially dangerous. Russell County Sheriff Heath Taylor said Tuesday that Louisiana movie theater shooter John Russell Houser was denied a permit in that county in 2006. However, Taylor said Houser likely would have been given one under legislation passed in 2013 that says sheriffs "shall issue" concealed carry permits instead of sheriffs "may issue" them. A proposal by Sen. Gerald Allen would allow people without permits to keep loaded guns in their vehicles. Taylor says that proposal creates public safety concerns.