“It’s the most wonderful time of the year.” At least, that is what the song claims. Is it, though? I choose to believe that it can be. In this busiest of seasons, people take joy in helping others. There are toy drives and food drives; there are visits to nursing homes and hospitals. We reach […]

For many of us, life can get really busy during the holiday season. There are countless errands to run, meals to prepare, friends and family to visit, and so much more. It is all too easy to become distracted from what really matters during this special time of year. I hope we will all commit […]

I was recently asked what my favorite Christmas tradition is and found that a surprisingly hard question to answer. It seems that nearly every moment is a tradition with my family, and that makes it hard to pick just one. From making gumbo Christmas Eve morning to wrapping presents to gathering on Christmas Day, there […]

On July 31, 2018, the president signed the Strengthening the Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V) into law. This provides the primary source of federal direction to states regarding the implementation of Career and Technical Training programs for secondary and post-secondary students. The new law maintains the general structure and themes of the […]

Good morning again, from Orange Beach! The photograph above is what the sky looked like at the beach this morning. It was about 6:15, the water was beautiful, but it was an odd sunrise. At least I’d never seen one like it. Was that a straight cloud coming out of the bigger one? Yep. What the heck? […]

There was much to celebrate this past week in Washington. That sentence may surprise you if you just go off what you hear from the national news media, but the reality is we continue to get work done here in the People’s House.

The coming mayoral race in Montgomery matters whether you live in city limits, or whether it is simply important to you or your business that Alabama’s capital thrives. The conversation on the ground is that the outcome could be the next historic milestone for the city that launched civil rights. Former U.S. Magistrate Judge Vanzetta McPherson caused […]

Agriculture is the largest revenue-producing industry in the State of Alabama, responsible for more than $70 billion in economic impact annually. Our state is a national leader in food production and a global competitor in the livestock, peanut, cotton, poultry, timber and catfish industries. In Alabama’s Second District, agriculture is the largest employer, responsible for […]

The political and media hubris regarding President Trump’s nomination of Heather Nauert for United Nations ambassador is as predictable as it is tedious. Somewhat surprising however, is that the chattering classes – the courteous prevaricators, the obsequiously well-mannered, yet mendacious diplomats, reporters and academics, did not see Ms. Nauert coming. Back in October, following the […]

The elections of November 6 are over, and now, in Washington and in Montgomery legislators again take up the task of governing. As the leader of Alabama’s 27 Republican state senators, my focus is on working with other lawmakers and Governor Kay Ivey to make state government more efficient and to keep job growth strong. Reforming the state’s […]

Alabamians use municipal infrastructure throughout the state to access jobs, schools, grocery stores, hospitals, parks, entertainment venues and church services – making infrastructure a significant and urgent quality of life issue. The state’s infrastructure needs are at a critical point, especially relative to their impact on our cities.

Our nation came together last week as we mourned the loss of a truly great American. No matter our race, religion, creed or political party, we were drawn toward the light that was President George H.W. Bush. His life spanned nearly 100 years of American history and was dedicated to serving the United States. History […]

The #metoo movement has brought renewed focus on gender equity questions. Economics examines the pay gap between men and women, and a recent analysis from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis links this gap to marriage, creating a puzzle for economics. The gender pay gap is large: among workers with at least a high […]

As Americans, one of our most important, solemn duties is to honor our great heroes and patriots as we lay them to rest. On November 30, 2018, President George Herbert Walker Bush, the 41st President of the United States, passed on from this life surrounded by some of the people he loved most in this […]

Boards representing three of the state’s largest public school systems – Mobile, Baldwin and Montgomery counties – recently passed resolutions calling for a repeal of Alabama’s landmark tax credit scholarships for low-income families. They claim that the small yet popular program created in 2013 by the Alabama Accountability Act has “caused harm to the financial wellbeing” of their cash-strapped […]

Yes, he was 94. Still, I am sad about the passing of President George H.W. Bush. What a great and honorable life he lived. And what a smile — in success and failure, despite the death of a child, and living an increasingly public life even after his presidency — this mostly because of two other children […]

Today, beer lovers across the country are celebrating the 85th anniversary of the ratification of the 21st Amendment, which made alcohol legal again. It’s a historic day for our state and nation, marking the end of the 13-year alcohol drought known as Prohibition. Now, that’s something to toast. It’s tough to imagine Alabama without our thriving beer […]

Some of the greatest sporting events in history have come down to the wire. Those bottom of the ninth, fourth and inches, double-overtime plays are what stand out in our memories as the greatest successes or the worst defeats in sports history. Similarly, we here in Washington are entering our own home stretch of the […]

Economic freedom means the ability of individuals and businesses to contract freely with each other. The Fraser Institute recently released its 2018 Economic Freedom of North America, which rates freedom in the states. Alabama’s economic freedom score remained virtually unchanged from 2017, ranking us 25th among the states. The state freedom rankings have three equally […]

As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, one of my jobs is to work alongside my colleagues to see that the government is funded on time each year. It’s no secret that the process is far from perfect and Congress often falls short of executing this important responsibility in the way our founding fathers […]

Every year during the Christmas season, I like to highlight just a few of the things folks across East Alabama are doing for each other. Below is a small sample of ways our fellow Alabamians have cared for each other over the past year. In Talladega County, The Care House in Sylacauga helps provide food […]

There are no two ways about it: illegal immigration is illegal. The images of a caravan of illegal immigrants trying to push across our southern border are deeply troubling. We have laws in the United States for a reason. Everyone is bound by the rule of law, and we must all abide by the law […]

Settlers in Massachusetts held the first Thanksgiving celebration in the New World in 1621. George Washington issued a proclamation creating the first Thanksgiving Day designated by the national government in 1789. On October 3, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of “Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father” to be celebrated on the […]

Thanksgiving is a uniquely special holiday because it provides us an entire day each year to pause as a country and give thanks to God for the countless ways He has blessed us. The stress and craziness of everyday life often make it easy to lose sight of just how much we have to be […]