5/1/2006 - May 2006 Newsletter

SOUTHEAST LAW INSTITUTE™ 1200 Corporate Drive, Suite 107 Highway 280 - Meadow Brook Corporate Park Birmingham, Alabama 35242 Telephone: (205) 408-8893 E-mail: AEJ@SoutheastlawInstitute.org Facsimile: (205) 408-8894 www.southeastlawinstitute.org May 2006 Dear Friends and Supporters, The Legislature concluded its business early, since it is an election year. We will provide a summary in the near future of what happened to a number of bills. For this month and next, we want to provide you with important information that may assist you in the upcoming June 6th primary election. This month’s Educational Update is a summary of what political activities are permitted in churches. We hope this is helpful and we urge you to share this information with your pastor and others so we will have full participation in the election process. Next month, the Educational Update will provide information on the proposed constitutional amendment to the Alabama Constitution to prohibit same sex marriage and civil union. That will be one of the most significant votes Alabamians have made in a very long time. Mark your calendars now to vote June 6. If you will be on vacation, plan for an absentee ballot. We also include a bonus Educational Update this month on the “Brody Act,” the Unborn Victims of Violence bill. It becomes law on July 1, 2006. SLI is grateful for having a major role in its passage. The new law is a very significant achievement for the State of Alabama. We are also glad to report the passage of a new law authored by SLI that would exempt church and other nonpublic schools from athletic gate receipt taxes. Public schools have been exempt from this tax, but the law discriminated against nonpublic schools. Particularly, for small church school athletic events for which admission fees help pay the referees, lights, and other expenses, this change in the revenue law will remove a significant financial burden. We will give you a more complete report on the new law in the near future. We are very grateful for the generous support we have received during the first part of this year. Increased contributions by many of you have made the above successes possible. We must also anticipate the upcoming summer months when contributions fall off significantly. Please remember us in your periodic giving. With personal regards and on behalf of the Southeast Law Institute, I am, Yours very truly, A. Eric Johnston

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