It’s a lot easier to stay home when you have internet; that’s how you survive. Without internet access, you can’t do your homework, can’t work and you can’t order from the grocery store online. Access to fast and reliable internet is something all Alabamians should enjoy, said state Sen. Clay Scofield of Marshall County. “As […]

On Tuesday, the Alabama Policy Institute announced it was launching a so-called “legislative scorecard” for the 2021 legislative session that would grade members of the legislature in three areas, which include votes, attendance and public profile. Topics for “key votes” for the 2021 session’s scorecard involve what API says efforts to restore the “balance of […]

Alabama Senate Majority Leader Clay Scofield (R-Guntersville) on Tuesday announced that he has hired Caroline Franklin to serve as his communications director. Franklin, a Montgomery native, most recently served as communications director to then-U.S. Rep. Martha Roby (AL-02) in her Washington, D.C. office. Prior to her work with Roby, Franklin served on the Capitol Hill […]

U.S. Senators Richard Shelby (R-AL) and Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) on Tuesday voted against two more cabinet nominations made by President Joe Biden. Alabama’s senators on the day opposed the confirmations of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Buttigieg — the former presidential candidate and mayor of South Bend, Indiana — was […]

Outgoing Alabama Republican Party Chairman Terry Lathan on Tuesday evening released a statement reacting to Governor Kay Ivey’s 2021 State of the State Address. “Governor Kay Ivey set forth an agenda with big goals and a bold vision,” said Lathan. “I have no doubt she will work with the Legislature to have deep discussions to […]

MONTGOMERY — The Alabama Legislature on Tuesday began its 2021 regular session. Both chambers gaveled in at noon to begin the third year of the current quadrennium, ahead of Governor Kay Ivey’s State of the State Address being delivered virtually at 6:30 p.m. instead of the usual fanfare inside the State Capitol. Across the street […]

Governor Kay Ivey on Tuesday evening delivered her 2021 State of the State Address. The address was delivered virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. You can read Ivey’s remarks as prepared as follows:

MONTGOMERY — Alabama Senate President Pro Tem Greg Reed (R-Jasper) on Tuesday submitted to the body updated Standing Committee assignments made by the Senate’s Committee on Assignments. The changes follow the departure of former Senator Cam Ward (R-Alabaster) from the chamber, as well as the leadership changes atop the Senate that also affected a committee […]

MONTGOMERY — Senator Clay Scofield (R-Guntersville) on Tuesday officially became the majority leader of the Alabama State Senate. The ascension was formalized minutes after the start of the legislature’s 2021 regular session when newly elected Pro Tem Greg Reed (R-Jasper) resigned his former post as majority leader and delivered to the Senate a letter notifying […]

MONTGOMERY — Governor Kay E. Ivey (R-AL) will deliver her 2021 State of the State Address at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, February 2. Normally, the address is delivered to members of the legislators and other dignitaries assembled in the Old House Chamber inside the State Capitol. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ivey will deliver […]

MONTGOMERY — The Alabama House of Representatives held its first meeting of the 2021 legislative session on Tuesday, kicking off what is expected to be a frenzied two weeks in the Capitol. House Speaker Mac McCutcheon (R-Monrovia) welcomed the members and thanked them, many of whom are older, for taking the health risk of continuing […]

MONTGOMERY — State Senator Greg Reed (R-Jasper) on Tuesday was elected by his colleagues to serve as president pro tempore of the Alabama Legislature’s upper chamber. The pro tem is the highest ranking senator in the body; while the lieutenant governor presides over the chamber, the pro tem is widely viewed as the most powerful […]

The charitable campaign No Kid Hungry announced on Monday that 12 school districts in Alabama will be receiving financial support to aid their school meal programs. No Kid Hungry, a project of the charity Share Our Strength, is dedicated to ending child hunger in America. The organization shared that one in four American children may […]

United Launch Alliance (ULA) has completed another step toward the inaugural launch of the Vulcan Centaur rocket later this year. ULA has modified its launch pad and facilities in Cape Canaveral, Florida, to accommodate the next-generation rocket built at the company’s world-class facility in Decatur. Completing this phase of preparation moves Vulcan Centaur even closer […]

Despite a continuous troop presence in the nation’s capital city and a heightened level of rhetoric that has not decreased since the 2020 election or President Joe Biden’s inauguration, U.S. Rep. Jerry Carl (R-Mobile) indicated he was optimistic a level of calm could come in time. Carl, who is one month into his first term […]

Among the executive orders issued by Gov. Kay Ivey toward the end of 2020 included waiving state tax liabilities related to benefits received under the federal CARES Act. The order came under the assumption the Alabama Legislature would follow suit promptly after gaveling in for its 2021 regular session. One of the efforts to codify […]

Last week, Montgomery Public Schools superintendent Ann Roy Moore announced students and faculty in her system would go to remote working and learning. According to Moore, the system would resume normal operations when those working within the school system could receive the COVID-19 vaccine. The decision was met with mixed reaction, but it called into […]

The Alabama Education Association (AEA) board of directors on Monday announced the unanimous selection of Amy Hubbard Marlowe to serve as executive director of the state’s de facto teachers union. Marlowe has been serving as AEA interim executive director since January 2019. She reacted to being appointed on a permanent basis in a written statement. […]

MONTGOMERY — State Rep. Ginny Shaver (R-Leesburg) on Monday prefiled a “born-alive” bill that would be known as “Gianna’s Law.” The legislation, HB 237, is named after a survivor of an attempted abortion who now travels the world telling her story. Shaver has met the woman (Gianna Jessen) and called her an inspiration. Shaver originally introduced a […]

Coca-Cola Bottling Company UNITED is now seeking applicants for the 2021 edition of the company’s “Pay It Forward” program, which aims to provide African-American students with enhanced opportunities to celebrate their achievements and further their success. Normally, this program is a week-long, in person experience; however, students will participate virtually this year due to the […]

The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) announced on Monday a website that citizens of the state can use to check if they are eligible for the coronavirus vaccines, and if so, schedule an appointment to receive one. The site, similar to the preexisting vaccine scheduling hotline, only enables members of the public to schedule […]

State Rep. Pebblin Warren (D-Tuskegee) has again introduced a bill that would make kindergarten mandatory in the state of Alabama. Currently, state law only requires that children begin attending school at age six for first grade. All children who are six-years-old on or before December 31 of a given year are entitled and required to […]

In a highly anticipated move, Governor Kay Ivey signed on Monday two 30-year lease agreements that will see to the construction of two new large men’s prisons in Alabama, an enormous financial outlay, and the latest step in dealing with a longstanding issue for the state. Ivey has faced criticism from members of both political […]

A bill is being sponsored by State Rep. Chip Brown (R-Hollinger’s Island) that would withdraw state tax abatements and other economic incentives from websites and social media companies that censor the speech of their users. The legislation was prefiled last Thursday ahead of the Alabama Legislature’s 2021 regular session, which begins on Tuesday, February 2. […]