‘Move Over Bill’ passes Alabama House

Published 10:22 pm Thursday, March 5, 2009

Rep. Jimmy Martin is calling this year’s Regular Session of the Alabama Legislature “very workable” and “productive” thus far.

Martin’s “Move Over Law,” a measure requiring motorists to move over for emergency vehicles parked on the side of the highway when possible, passed the House this week and is on its way to the Senate.

This is the third consecutive year Martin has introduced the bill, which also requires drivers to slow down when unable to change lanes on a multilane highway. He seemed confident of its passage.

“I’m pretty sure it’s going to pass. The Department of Public Safety is pushing it also,” Martin said.

Another bill, HB-440, has to do with the trapping of fur bearing animals. The legislation would eliminate the requirement for fur trappers to purchase new tags for their traps every year.

While trappers would still have to renew their licenses annually, they would not have to change their tags.

“It will save trappers quite a bit,” Martin said.

The bill is slated to come up for a vote Thursday.

Martin is also sponsoring legislation to establish an electronic voting program for members of the military overseas. The current absentee system is time consuming, often to the point that voters overseas cannot participate in runoff elections.

“They’ve already been doing this down in Florida,” Martin said. “If we can get this passed, Alabama will be one of the first states to implement electronic voting for military.”

The measure is supported by the Probate Judges Association, Electronic Voting Committee, and the Secretary of State.

Despite Martin’s optimism, he knows legislative sessions are rarely predictable.

“You never know what’s going to happen tomorrow,” he said.

For a complete listing of bills Martin is sponsoring, visit http://alisondb.legislature.state.al.us/acas/acaslogin.asp, click on “bills,” then click on “by sponsor” and select Martin’s name.