MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WIAT) — State lawmakers will convene in a special session next week to redraw Alabama's congressional lines, but it's unclear whether lawmakers will also fix a bill that was incorrectly signed by the governor last month.
Under HB82, a person can be charged with manslaughter if they deal certain drugs that result in a user's death. The amended version limited the scope to just fentanyl or fentanyl-laced drugs.
But because of a clerical error, the governor signed the earlier version of the bill, which is now set to become law Sept. 1.
House Rules Chairman Joe Lovvorn says lawmakers are still figuring out when to fix the mistake.
"We've had discussions on that, but no decision's been made if that'll be the time we address it, now, or another special, or wait 'til February," Rep. Lovvorn (R- Auburn) said.
House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels says lawmakers should fix it next week. He says letting the wrong bill take effect could invite legal challenges and set a bad precedent.
"We might as well not even have the amendment process if we're going to circumvent that by allowing the original version of the bill to pass through," Daniels said.
Gov. Kay Ivey did not include that bill in her call for the special session. Political Analyst Steve Flowers says that makes it a little bit harder to fix.
"When you bring up something that's not in the call, that has to have a 2/3, 3/5 vote and has to be brought up out of order, too, so it may not come up," Flowers said.
Gov. Ivey presided over the State Board of Education meeting Tuesday but left immediately after and did not speak with reporters. Her communications director says the governor wants the focus to be on redistricting next week, and her expectation is that the bill will be refiled for the next regular session in February.
If that happens, the wrong bill would be law for at least five months, since the next regular session begins in February.
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