(Video Above: Palmer Discusses Animas River Spill with EPA Officials) WASHINGTON — Congressman Gary Palmer (R-AL6) slammed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its double standard on fulfilling its own mandate of protecting the environment Wednesday during a Science, Space, and Technology Committee hearing on the Colorado Animas River spill. In August the EPA released […]

Dear Alabama Republican legislators, I, like many conservatives around the state, watched in exasperation Wednesday as a committee dominated by Republican lawmakers approved tax hike after tax hike over the objections of Democrats. After pushing through $130 million in tax increases, House General Fund Budget Chairman Steve Clouse was clearly pleased. He has one of […]

(Video above: Cliff Sims explains why Trump’s message resonates and Jeb’s doesn’t) On Wednesday’s edition of Yellowhammer Radio, host Cliff Sims delivered one of the best explanations yet of why Donald Trump’s message is resonating with voters, while Jeb Bush has struggled to gain traction. On Tuesday night, Bush was Stephen Colbert’s first political guest […]

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Artur Davis was a Democratic member of Congress, serving Alabama’s 7th District for 8 years. In 2010 he lost his bid for Governor, and moved to Virginia where he switched to the Republican Party, even giving a well-received speech at the GOP convention in 2012. Last year he returned to his hometown […]

Republicans on the Alabama House General Fund Budget Committee on Wednesday approved a package of tax increases, over the objections of four of the five Democrats on the panel. In total, House Republicans, led by General Fund Budget Chairman Steve Clouse (R-Ozark), approved $129 million in tax increases targeting a variety of groups and individuals. […]

ALABASTER, Ala. — Alabama Senator Cam Ward appeared before a judge Wednesday in Alabaster Municipal Court to pled guilty to driving under the influence. Ward was arrested in July for driving while intoxicated on Thompson Road in Shelby County. WSFA reports Ward has been ordered to do the following: Pay a $2,400 fine Have an interlock device […]

The biggest threat to public safety looms over our great state of Alabama like a storm cloud. Our prison system is grossly over capacity, doesn’t rehabilitate those who need it the most, and places a burden on our parole officers and other officials who can’t handle the unnecessarily high-intake volume. The good news is that […]

(Video Above: Congressman Bradley Byrne blasts the Iran deal in a heated committee meeting) WASHINGTON — Congressman Bradley Byrne (R-AL1) Tuesday delivered heated remarks during a rare evening meeting of the House Rules Committee, outlining his opposition to President Obama’s deal with Iran. “The truth of the matter is that this will provide money to […]

At the end of this month there will be an anniversary of a very important date in world history. It’s a date that is seldom noted and certainly not celebrated. In fact, it’s a date most would rather forget. On September 30, 1938 British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain signed a deal with Adolph Hitler and […]

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Alabama Supreme Court Friday shot down as unconstitutionally vague a state law banning the open carrying of a firearm on someone else’s property due to it lacking a punishment clause. The ruling centered around the case of Jason Dean Tulley, a 38-year-old Jacksonville, Alabama resident who open carried his pistol in […]

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Hillary Clinton is now shifting her focus to Alabama and other Southern states in an attempt to potentially offset setbacks in the Iowa Caucuses and New Hampshire primary, where Socialist Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) is slated to do very well, according the New York Times. Clinton’s advisers are assuring supporters that strong […]

The Dickens’ classic Oliver Twist transcends time and was a catalyst for social change in its day. As we enter the second special session of the Alabama Legislature to focus on the anemic and malnourished General Fund budget, I am reminded of a specific, iconic scene from Dickens’ novel. Young Oliver, underfed and with circles […]

The Alabama Republican Party may be days away from destroying its brand. The party consolidated power at an unprecedented rate following the 2010 election cycle, holding every statewide office and supermajorities in both houses of the legislature. Those gains have trickled down to the local level, where Republicans continue to chip away the final vestiges […]

This Labor Day weekend, we need to have a serious conversation about job opportunities. Work is essential to what economist Arthur Brooks calls “earned success.” In America, we don’t celebrate when more and more people rely on food stamps to get by. Temporary government assistance may be necessary if a person or family is going […]

Among the most pressing issues facing Congress as we reconvene is a resolution to reject President Obama’s proposed agreement over Iran’s nuclear capabilities. I’ve discussed my thoughts about the deal as I’ve travelled throughout Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District the last few weeks and I’ve listened to the concerns expressed by those I represent. Many remain […]

(Video Above: Congressman Dave Brat is interviewed by Yellowhammer Radio) BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Virginia Congressman Dave Brat made international headlines in 2014 when he defeated House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in the Republican primary. On Friday, Brat came to the Yellowhammer State to highlight his teamwork with some of Alabama’s most conservative members of Congress. […]

ABC 33/40 – Birmingham News, Weather, Sports (Video Above: Rep. David Faulkner explains his bill to require public notice of city pay increase proposals via ABC 33/40) BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Alabama Representative David Faulkner (R-Mountain Brook) announced Thursday he will file a bill in the legislature requiring city councils to publicly post pay increase proposals […]

This op-ed was originally published in the Trussville Tribune. Here is what I have consistently heard as I have been around my district of Trussville, Clay, Pinson, Gardendale, Blount County, etc, “Government should live within its means,” and “Don’t raise my taxes.” When I am in Montgomery I hear, “We have a crisis” and “State […]

Congress’s “1033” program, which has been around for a couple of decades, allows for the transfer of military equipment to local law enforcement agencies. According to the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency, “over 8,000 federal and state law enforcement agencies from all 50 states and the U.S. territories participate in the program.” The program has come […]

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — When the checkered flag waves at the end of next year’s Presidential race, NASCAR fans are hoping it’s Donald Trump who crosses the finish line first. A poll of 1,572 NASCAR fans shared with Yellowhammer News found the billionaire businessman garnering the support of 44 percent of survey respondents, more than 30 […]

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Bentley Administration says the governor’s latest proposals will increase Alabamians’ taxes by $260 million annually. Gov. Bentley on Thursday released details of his proposals for next week’s special session of the Alabama Legislature. In addition to several reform measures meant to address structural budgeting issues, the governor proposed three specific tax […]

DOTHAN, Ala. — A Houston County woman was found guilty Wednesday of 24 counts of voter fraud for promoting illegal absentee voting, according to the Dothan Eagle. Olivia Reynolds, 66, was convicted after the jury deliberated for a mere hour. Reynolds was arrested in May 2014 after an investigation into a 2013 county election she worked revealed […]

WASHINGTON — Congresswoman Terri Sewell (D-AL7) met this week with members of the Alabama National Guard’s 20th Special Forces unit while receiving briefings on the current U.S. Department of Defense training mission with Syrian fighters and the Iraqi Army during a four-day trip to Iraq. “Our brave men and women in uniform play an integral […]

MONTGOMERY, Ala. —  Alabama Governor Robert Bentley (R) released details Thursday of his call for a second Special Session of the State Legislature to address the General Fund budget, including several proposals which have previously proven unpopular with lawmakers. “This call is designed for the Legislature to solve the budget crisis that exists in the General Fund […]