A letter was sent yesterday morning to AEA President Dot Strickland by the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. The letter says the committee is “examining the use of union dues and fees to fund political causes contrary to the will of many union workers.” The committee sent letters to the United Autoworkers […]

On Tuesday in the House Ways and Means Education Committee, Rep. Phil Williams presented a substitute bill amending House Bill 541, the Education Options Act. It contains several adjustments to the original bill, some substantive and some merely technical. I’ve listed the substantive changes below. If you’d like to see the exact differences between the introduced and […]

“Rumors and Rumblings” is a new weekly feature that we will run each Wednesday. It will include short nuggets of information that we glean from conversations throughout the week. Enjoy. 1. The seeds of discontent with the GOP state party Chairman have been sown among the GOP congressional delegation. Some in the delegation feel the […]

Unlikely partnerships rarely occur in the realm of politics these days. Increasing polarization has left the battle lines pretty clearly drawn and the ideological gulf between opposing sides too far to cross in most cases. So when I read a couple of weeks ago on the Montgomery Advertiser website the headline “Unlikely allies come together […]

“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, […]

This is the first video in a new series we’re starting called “One Thing to Watch.” Each week, we’ll point out one important issue to look out for in the coming week in the Alabama legislature. We’ll also take one reader question in each video. You can submit a question HERE. If your question is […]

charter opponents begin fake robocalls – pretty desperate move, but high marks for creativity bit.ly/GVYIwR #alpolitics — Philip Bryan (@j_philipbryan) March 27, 2012 .@j_philipbryan Almost as good as the the ALGOP are working with the gays to bring charter school to AL ads on facebook #alpolitics — Dale Jackson (@TheDaleJackson) March 27, 2012 New low […]

MONTGOMERY – Governor Robert Bentley on Thursday announced that, during his first year in office, new and expanding industry announcement totals rose to the highest capital investment levels in the past four years. According to new data released by the Alabama Department of Commerce (formerly Alabama Development Office), during the year 2011, there was a […]

Today, the United States Supreme Court heard the final oral-argument hearings on one of the most aggressive, burdensome federal- overreach actions taken by a President in American history. The Affordable Care Act — also referred to as ObamaCare — would ultimately force all Americans to purchase health care insurance regardless of need or desire. This […]

PRATTVILLE — State Sen. Bryan Taylor, R-Prattville, today condemned a “political telemarketing scam” apparently aimed at sabotaging a bill to lift the state’s ban on public charter schools and called for swift passage of another bill that will finally prohibit false political advertising over the phone. Opponents of school choice and Alabama’s education reform efforts […]

“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, […]

MONTGOMERY – Governor Robert Bentley on Monday announced that State Health Officer Dr. Donald Williamson has agreed to lead a task force to ensure a smooth transition in leadership at the Alabama Medicaid Agency. Independent outside experts will also be brought in to comprehensively review the agency’s operations and finances in order to further strengthen […]

In 1984, Alabama voters approved Amendment 448 known as the Budget Isolation Amendment. The amendment states that in order for either chamber of the legislature to take up a bill on the floor prior to the budgets having been passed, they have to pass a resolution preceding the bill called a Budget Isolation Resolution. The […]

Republican House member Barry Mask has been named Legislative Leader of the Year by the Economic Development Association of Alabama. He becomes the first Republican legislator to win the award. Rep. Mask is Chairman of the House Economic Development and Tourism Committee. In that role, he has provided a path through which numerous jobs bills […]

What is the sociall-acceptable way for an adult male to go watch the Hunger Games movie? Not one? mkay. — toddcstacy (@toddcstacy) March 22, 2012 “Be at the War on Something Rally on Thursday. We will have 28 speakers & a crowd of 9” -@ALSenateDems #futureALSenateDemsTweets #alpolitics — Dale Jackson (@TheDaleJackson) March 22, 2012 It […]

MONTGOMERY – The Alabama Senate today passed a constitutional amendment without opposition that, if approved by Alabama voters, will revise the makeup of Auburn University’s board of trustees. Senate Bill 366, sponsored by Senator Tom Whatley (R-Auburn), updates district lines that are currently based on nine Congressional Districts drawn nearly 50 years ago to seven […]

Many bills passed or moving forward at session’s halfway point MONTGOMERY – As lawmakers reached the halfway point of the 2012 Regular Session Thursday having passed or made significant progress on most priority legislation, House Speaker Mike Hubbard said he was pleased with the productivity of the session so far. The House has passed a significant […]

The Newspaper Association of America keeps a helpful tally of annual ad revenues earned by its 2,000 member news organizations, which has recently been graphed by one Professor Mark Perry from the University of Michigan-Flint. What his data, adjusted for inflation to 2011 dollars, shows is just how precipitously advertiser interest has dropped in print media. Hitting […]

MONTGOMERY – Governor Robert Bentley on Thursday released new details on his efforts to improve the safety of Alabama’s roads and bridges. The Alabama Transportation Rehabilitation and Improvement Program – or “ATRIP” – is the name that has been given to the Governor’s plan to use low-interest-rate bonds to upgrade the state’s infrastructure. This week, […]

MONTGOMERY — Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange today filed a motion to intervene in a federal lawsuit challenging the contraception coverage mandate imposed by the Obama Administration under the healthcare law signed by the President two years ago Friday. Today’s action—regarding a mandate particularly for contraception coverage—comes as the U.S. Supreme Court is set to […]

The AEA and their creepy email header image are back and they have the “Education Options Act” squarely in their sights. In this week’s “Goat Hill Weekly,” we published the facts about the Education Options Act. The AEA, however, is fighting this bill tooth and nail. Here are a few of things to consider: 1. The […]

The Education Options Act – House Bill 541 by Rep. Phil Williams Background Information: Right now only about 60% of Alabama students graduate from high school. The problem is concentrated, as only 13% of schools produce 60% of the dropouts. Dropouts aren’t just an education problem, they’re an economic threat. Here are some things to keep […]

Today the Senate passed the “Heroes for Hire” act, HB152, a bill that provides additional tax credits to employers who hire returning veterans. The bill will provide a $1,000 additional tax credit to employers for hiring recently deployed, and now discharged, unemployed veterans. The bill will also provide a $2,000 income tax credit to recently […]

Alabama’s finance department just closed its seventh debt deal of the last 12 months with total savings just under $100 million and it’s time that they get a some recognition for the job they’re doing during these dire economic times. Over the weekend, The Wall Street Journal published an article praising Alabama’s handling of Tobacco […]