Sen. Chris Elliott, R-Josephine, attends an event at the Alabama State Capitol on March 21, 2024 in Montgomery, Alabama. Elliott has introduced a bill that would allow private schools to enter contracts with local law enforcement agencies to employ school resource officers. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector)
A south Alabama senator Thursday blocked all contracts scheduled for review by a joint legislative committee, saying wanted to compel a state agency to implement a law on restaurants serving alcohol.
Sen. Chris Elliott, R-Josephine, announced his decision to hold all the contracts prior to the start of the meeting of the Contract Review Committee. Elliott said he wanted other agencies to pressure the Alabama Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) Board to implement a 2023 law mandating that the Board allow employees between 18 and 20 years old working at restaurants and hotels to take an online exam allowing them to serve alcohol.
“It is very frustrating, and you heard my colleagues on the committee say this too, for the Legislature, an entire branch of government, to be ignored by the bureaucracy,” Elliott told reporters after the meeting. “We passed this piece of legislation. We have communicated with the ABC Board what the legislative intent was, communicated by phone call, in person and in writing, what the intent was. And 18 months later, we still have no rules promulgated by the bureaucracy that is charged with doing that.”