“Rumors and Rumblings” is a weekly feature that runs each Wednesday. It includes short nuggets of information that we glean from conversations throughout the week. Have a tip? Send it here. Each Tuesday evening I send emails out to various folks around Montgomery to see what they’re hearing. Sometimes I pick up something I hadn’t […]

Seniority is a big deal in pretty much any legislative body. Senior members are more likely to get their pick of committee assignments and generally carry more weight when it comes to power and influence. The Alabama legislature is no exception. While some junior members of the House and Senate quickly catch leadership’s eye — […]

Earlier this year Yellowhammer published a short piece on the significance of the Budget Isolation Resolution (BIR) in the legislative process. In short, the BIR is a procedural vote that allows a bill to come to the floor for debate prior to the budgets being passed. Passage of a BIR requires a 3/5 vote but […]

“Best and Worst Week in Montgomery” is a weekly feature on Yellowhammer Politics in which we recognize the people or organizations who had the BEST week or WORST week in town. You can view last week’s addition here. If you would like to nominate someone for this feature in the future, send us an email […]

“Rumors and Rumblings” is a weekly feature that runs each Wednesday. It includes short nuggets of information that we glean from conversations throughout the week. Have a tip? Send it here. 1. With the need to pass the budgets looming, lawmakers are pushing to get deals in place. Budget accords have been on-again off-again over […]

Over the last several weeks, rumors have popped on and off the radar regarding a shakeup at the Alabama Policy Institute. Dr. Gary Palmer, the long-time President and CEO, was rumored by some to be on the way out. However, Yellowhammer learned last night that the shakeup will streamline API’s operations by freeing up Dr. […]

This week the House will take up a pension reform plan aimed at stabilizing the financially-strapped Retirement Systems. Here’s what you need to know: Pension Reform – Senate Bill 388 by Sen. Orr, Rep. Ison & Rep. McCutcheon What must change about Alabama’s Retirement System and Why: Taxpayers’ contributions to fund RSA have tripled since 2001 from $330 million […]

“Hate Mail of the Week” is a weekly feature on Yellowhammer Politics in which some of the hate mail submitted through our contact page is published exactly as it was received. The only edits made are to remove expletives — this is a family show, after all. If you feel like you hate this site, […]

“Best and Worst Week in Montgomery” is a weekly feature on Yellowhammer Politics in which we recognize the people or organizations who had the BEST week or WORST week in town. You can view last week’s debut edition here. If you would like to nominate someone for this feature in the future, send us an […]

MONTGOMERY – Governor Robert Bentley on Thursday signed into law Senate Bill 459, a measure that eliminates red tape for business tax filings in Alabama. The Senate sponsor for this bill, Senator Slade Blackwell (a Yellowhammer contributor), first wrote about this bill here a couple of weeks ago and the Senate passed it last week. […]

MONTGOMERY – The Alabama Senate today passed significant education reform legislation known as the Education Options Act of 2012. The proposal, Senate Bill 513 sponsored by Senator Dick Brewbaker (R-Pike Road), includes three major components aimed at turning around underperforming schools across the state: Allows for innovative flexibility options where school systems may enter into […]

“Rumors and Rumblings” is a weekly feature that runs each Wednesday. It includes short nuggets of information that we glean from conversations throughout the week. Have a tip? Send it here. 1. ALGOP Chairman Bill Armistead has been making the rounds at the State House this week including spending time with former GOP Senator Harri […]

MONTGOMERY – The Alabama Senate today passed the state’s education operating budget, sending the proposal to the House for consideration. Included in the education budget was funding to provide a $300 appropriation to each public school classroom grades K-12 for supplies and a $5,000 salary supplement to teachers that are certified by the National Board […]

“My recent comments regarding changes to Alabama’s immigration legislation were referring to the provisions at issue in the Arizona case that are also a part of the Alabama law. I do not believe that now is the time to make changes to those sections. But there are numerous provisions in Alabama’s law that are not […]

MONTGOMERY – Governor Robert Bentley on Tuesday announced that Walter Energy, Inc., will soon begin development on a new project that will create more than 500 additional jobs in four Alabama counties. The announcement follows the recent approval of incentives that were designed to create new economic opportunities for the people of Alabama. As part […]

Education reform is rivaled only by entitlement reform when it comes to the level of demagoguery that defenders of the status quo are willing to engage in. Any hint of reform is met with fierce opposition. When U.S. House Republicans suggest the federal government live within its means, there’s always a left wing group willing […]

The Birmingham News is reporting today that Congressman Spencer Bachus (AL-06) has been cleared of insider trading allegations. The allegation and ensuing investigation stemmed from the book “Throw Them All Out” in which Bachus was accused of using knowledge learned through his position as Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee to enrich himself. The […]

Today we’re launching a new weekly feature: “Best & Worst Week in Montgomery.” Each week, we’ll recognize either who had the BEST week in Montgomery, or who had the WORST week in Montgomery. To kick things off this week, we’ll do both. If you would like to nominate someone for this feature in the future, […]

MONTGOMERY – The Alabama Senate today concurred with technical amendments added by the House to a bill that will streamline the process for businesses filing tax returns with cities and counties across the state, sending the bill to Governor Robert Bentley to be signed into law. The legislation was a key recommendation from both Senate […]

MONTGOMERY – Today, legislators in the Alabama Senate passed HB 436, a bill that would create a special tax free weekend for disaster preparedness items in July. The bill comes in the wake of the terrible storms that ravaged the state last april. This bill will encourage Alabamians to prepare themselves for the future, according […]

MONTGOMERY – The Alabama House of Representatives today took action to improve access to capital for small companies, passing a bill to create the Alabama Small Business Financing Authority. The Alabama Small Business Financing Act, House Bill 600 sponsored by Rep. Barry Moore (R-Enterprise), would set up an independent entity to assist companies with a […]

On Monday, April 30, 2012, at 10:00 AM at Bob Jones High School, the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, Subcommittee on Research and Science Education, will hold a hearing entitled STEM Education in Action:  Local Schools, Non-Profits, and Businesses Doing Their Part to Secure America’s Future. Rep. Mo Brooks, Chairman of […]

“I was pleased today to attend the U.S. Supreme Court arguments on Arizona’s immigration law. The Court, in this landmark case, will provide guidance on the validity of Arizona’s immigration law which will impact Alabama’s immigration law along with those of several other states. Illegal immigration is a serious issue facing Alabama and other states […]