1. Even Democrats Realize AEA is Significantly Weakened “Everything Henry just said told you all you need to know about AEA now and what we know is that it’s weak. When you say things like ‘we were railroaded, we were lied to’ by everybody from the governor to the janitor, those are statements of weakness, […]

| A Historic Day in Alabama | House and Senate Republicans threw down the gauntlet Thursday evening and gave Alabamians the education reform they’ve been seeking for decades. Passage of the Accountability Act of 2013 finally gives hope to families with children in chronically failing schools, and signifies a power shift that only happens once […]

The Alabama Department of Commerce has been gearing up for a major economic development announcement in Dothan on March 1. Governor Bentley was set to host a press conference at the Dothan Civic Center along with the Chamber of Commerce, the City of Dothan, and numerous other economic development groups. Unfortunately, Yellowhammer has learned that […]

The Supreme Court yesterday heard arguments for and against section 5 of the Voting Rights Act which was originally designed to stop racial discrimination at the polls. According to the Washington Post, Section 5 “stipulates that areas of the country with a history of racial discrimination must receive pre-clearance from the Justice Department or a […]

The House gallery was packed to the brim Wednesday afternoon with activists, lobbyists, teachers, school superintendents and curious onlookers all interested in seeing what was to come of Common Core Standards. As I mentioned in yesterday’s “Rumors & Rumblings,” the repeal of Common Core Standards has been a hot button issue for grassroots conservatives over […]

“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. All sources remain confidential. 1. Movement on Common Core When the Speaker’s Commission on Alabama Values and States Rights traveled around the state late […]

May it please the Court: I am Luther Strange, the Attorney General of the state of Alabama and Liaison Counsel for the Gulf States in this historic litigation. It is my privilege to stand before you today to represent Alabama and its nearly 5 million citizens. In due course, I will have the opportunity to […]

The Yellowhammer Power & Influence 40 is a list of the 40 most powerful and influential players in Alabama politics. For a more in-depth explanation of the list and how it was compiled, click HERE. To see last year’s list click HERE. Here are links to other sections of the list: Names 31-40 (View HERE) […]

Alabama Congressman Mo Brooks votes for economic freedom 100% of the time according to Americans for Prosperity, one of the country’s top grassroots organizations committed to smaller government and economic freedom. AFP last week released its “scorecard” for the 112th Congress. The scorecard ranks members based on their votes over the past two years. Eighteen […]

The Yellowhammer Power & Influence 40 is a list of the 40 most powerful and influential players in Alabama politics. For a more in-depth explanation of the list and how it was compiled, click HERE. To see last year’s list click HERE. Here’s the schedule of when the names will be released: Monday, Feb. 18: […]

On Tuesday the Religious Liberties Act of 2013 passed the Alabama House of Representatives by a vote of 67-28. Liberal Democrats came out in strong opposition to the bill which allows “religiously motivated employers” to opt out of the ObamaCare mandate that forces them to provide contraceptive coverage and abortion-inducing agents to their employees. As […]

Attorney General Luther Strange yesterday expressed his support for legislation to streamline law enforcement in Alabama, consolidating a multitude of agencies for more effective operations and more efficient use of limited resources. Senate Bill 108, sponsored by Senator Del Marsh, passed the Senate unanimously last week, and yesterday passed the Public Safety and Homeland Security […]

The Yellowhammer Power & Influence 40 is a list of the 40 most powerful and influential players in Alabama politics. For a more in-depth explanation of the list and how it was compiled, click HERE. To see last year’s list click HERE. Here’s the schedule of when the names will be released: Monday, Feb. 18: […]

“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. All sources remain confidential. Regular readers will know that we usually put together a more extensive list of what people are buzzing about, but […]

The Yellowhammer Power & Influence 40 is a list of the 40 most powerful and influential players in Alabama politics. For a more in-depth explanation of the list and how it was compiled, click HERE. To see last year’s list click HERE. Here’s the schedule of when the names will be released: Monday, Feb. 18: […]

As America celebrated President’s Day, Billy Graham released a picture gallery illustrating his relationships with decades of U.S. Presidents. Graham has met with — or ministered to — every President since Harry Truman in 1950. Although the policies of the Obama administration have grown increasingly hostile toward Christians, President Obama even made the trek to […]

The Yellowhammer Power & Influence 40 is a list of the 40 most powerful and influential players in Alabama politics. For a more in-depth explanation of the list and how it was compiled, click HERE. To see last year’s list click HERE. Here’s the schedule of when the names will be released: Monday, Feb. 18: […]

Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh announced Friday that Senator Paul Bussman (R-Cullman) will serve as his designee on the Senate’s influential Rules Committee, which sets the daily agenda for the Senate and determines what legislation will go before the full chamber. According to the Senate’s governing rules, the President Pro Tem is a member […]

The Yellowhammer Power & Influence 40 is a list of the 40 most powerful and influential players in Alabama politics. For a more in-depth explanation of the list and how it was compiled, click here. To see last year’s list click HERE. Here’s the schedule of when the names will be released: Monday, Feb. 18: […]

Representative Martha Roby has been tapped to give the Weekly Republican Address, in which she will discuss the looming “sequester” military cuts and call on President Obama and the Senate to join House efforts to replace the sequester with more reasonable spending reductions. Rep. Roby’s comments will broadcast nationally over the weekend. The Weekly Republican […]

Representative Chad Fincher Rep. Fincher, a Mobile-area Republican, was the eye of the School Flex storm this week. “Leadership relied on him to stay steady throughout the process,” one House insider told Yellowhammer Friday morning. “He really delivered.” “I’m very excited about it,” Fincher told the Montgomery Advertiser. “I really feel like we broke the […]

According to Dale Peterson, in October of last year he was wrongly accused of steeling two cases of beer and as a result was arrested by the Hoover Police Department. Peterson became internet famous in 2009 when he ran for Alabama Agriculture Commissioner and one of his campaign videos went viral. In the video Peterson […]

“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. All sources remain confidential. 1. Shedd v. Alldredge runoff: The special election in House District 11 is heading to a runoff between Randall Shedd […]

MONTGOMERY – Two bills that streamline the state’s IT functions passed the Alabama Senate today. The proposals are part of the Legislature’s 2013 agenda aimed at reducing the size and cost of state government and could potentially save $30 to $60 million a year. Senate Bills 116 and 117, sponsored by Senator Phil Williams (R-Gadsden), […]