Keeping up with state legislators and helping educate believers about various social issues are among the current top agenda items for Alabama Citizens Action Program (ALCAP) leaders.
Joe Godfrey, who recently completed eight years as ALCAP executive director, said ALCAP’s work is divided into three areas — legislative, consultative and character building.
Character building is the focus of ALCAP’s sister agency, American Character Builders (ACB).
While ALCAP deals with political issues and serves as a lobbying organization for people of faith, ACB provides resource kits to educate young people about moral issues such as alcohol, drug use and bullying. These kits can be used in churches and schools.
In his report to the ALCAP board of directors meeting April 7 in Montgomery, Godfrey said ACB has received enough financial gifts to begin producing videos to accompany the kits.
Godfrey also shared with the board a few of the bills moving through the state Legislature he is monitoring.
House Bill (HB) 382, sponsored by Rep. Craig Ford, D-Gadsden, and HB 421, sponsored by Rep. Chris Pringle, R-Mobile, both would counter the federal government’s approval of powdered alcohol.
Godfrey is encouraging passage of the legislation.
Danger to others
“We believe the product is dangerous because small packets can be taken to school and mixed or put in someone’s drink at a social event and could create a danger to innocent people,” he said.
ALCAP is lobbying against the passage of Senate Bill 115, however.
This bill would privatize liquor sales in Alabama.
“The stated purpose of this bill is to save money but in other states this hasn’t proven true,” Godfrey said. “The states lose money and the consumption of hard liquor increases when state ownership is surrendered. We believe the present system is a better way.”
Godfrey also voiced support for HB 28 — the church vandalism bill — that has passed judiciary committees in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
“This bill mandates that convicted vandals must make restitution to the churches they vandalize even before court fees are paid,” Godfrey said. “Most of this vandalism occurs in the rural areas of the state and the judiciaries seem to let the paying of restitution drop after their fees are taken care of.”
In ALCAP’s consultative area, Godfrey said the group joined with several others to sponsor an information meeting at Samford University in Birmingham in March. Some 230 church leaders came to hear about the issue of same-sex “marriages” in Alabama.
In other business, the board approved a 2015 budget of $470,069, presented the 2015 Dan Ireland “Salt and Light Award” to legal counsel Eric Johnston, of Birmingham, and recognized ALCAP administrative assistants Sharon Cook for 20 years of service and Cheryl Corley for 15 years of service.
Mike McLemore, executive director of Birmingham Baptist Association, is chairman of the ALCAP board of directors.
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