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The Alabama House of Representatives passed a plan tonight that would use a $1 billion oil spill settlement from BP to pay off debt and cover most of Medicaid's funding request for next year. ... It remains to be seen how it will do in the Senate, which passed a much different plan three weeks ago. The Senate could take up the issue next week, during the final two days of the legislative session. (Cason, 4/28)

The Alabama House of Representatives Thursday evening approved a split of BP payments between the state and coastal counties while freeing up extra money for Medicaid. The legislation would securitize the payments due to the state, roughly $1 billion over several years, in a single $639 million payment. The money is part of the oil company's settlement with Gulf Coast states over the 2010 Gulf oil spill and the damages it caused along the coast. ... The moves could free up $70 million for the state’s Medicaid program, which says it needs an extra $85 million over its current 2017 budget to survive. (Lyman, 4/28)