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September 26, 2012

Senator touts benefits of legislative website

By Adam Smith adam@athensnews-courier.com

— When the Alabama Legislature is in session, so many bills are introduced that it’s difficult to track who introduced them, what they’ll do and their status.

Alabamians, however, do have a means of tracking legislation through ALISON — the Alabama Legislative Information System Online. The system has been around for several years, but few people may be aware of it.

State Sen. Bill Holtzclaw, R-Madison, has been hosting webinars to show residents in his district how the system works so they stay abreast of what’s happening in Montgomery. He hosted the most recent session on Monday night.

“I’ve been in the Legislature for two years, and people often call and ask about certain things. I tell them, ‘Let’s go to ALISON and pull the bill up,” he said. “All the information I use for decision making is right there online, but many (people) don’t know the system exists.”

The website, found at http://alisondb.legislature.state.al.us/acas/ACASLoginie.asp, consists of several links on the left side of the page, including bills, resolutions, committee meetings, calendar, reports and even legislative audio and video. Bills introduced during the regular session can be found, as can pre-filed bills.

“You have drop-down menus that take you step-by-step through the process, including the history, amendments and how it was voted on,” Holtzclaw said. “It shows them when a bill leaves the Senate, goes to the Secretary of State’s office and when it becomes a law.”

He said he hosted a previous ALISON session in Madison, and has been asked by the Huntsville PTA to host a similar session. He added he’s a proponent of government transparency, and ALISON is a key to that end.

“It’s a tool to track legislation, and all the facts are there. People hold me accountable for how I vote, and I want them to see the whole picture,” he said. “We can agree to disagree (on issues), but let’s disagree on the facts.  … It’s another way to get people engaged in the process.”

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