MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Tuesday evening both the Alabama House and Senate voted to override a gubernatorial veto on HB89, a bill which would allow Calhoun County to collect a 5 percent tax on wine and liquor. Governor Robert Bentley vetoed the local tax increase over fears that it was in conflict with existing state law. […]

I have something that has been weighing heavily on my mind and my heart these last few weeks: the Alabama budget crisis. Now, most of you read that line, laughed and asked yourself “why does an old football coach give a darn about the budget crisis?” The answer is simple – Alabama is my home. […]

CLEMSON, South Carolina — The top Democrat in the South Carolina House has called on Alabama native and current Clemson University head football coach Dabo Swinney to cancel his appearance at a fundraiser for the Palmetto Family Council, because the 501c3 non-profit opposes same-sex marriage and abortion. “I find it highly inappropriate that Coach Swinney […]

COLBERT COUNTY, Ala. — 88 percent of voters in Colbert County, Alabama, rejected a proposed tax increase Tuesday, in an astounding outcome some are calling more evidence of the state’s strong distaste for tax increases. The 3-mill property tax increase was slated to be spent on the Colbert County school system. Historically, taxes for education […]

PHEONIX, Ari. — At a recent meeting of the Republican National Committee, Alabama Free Market Alliance Chairman and Republican National Committeeman Paul Reynolds authored a resolution calling for the replacement of the Administrative Procedures Act to end the Obama Administration’s “central planning” effort. “During his tenure, Barack Obama has overseen unprecedented restrictions on this nation’s […]

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Alabama Legislature on Tuesday gave final passage to a $5.9 billion Education Budget, boosting classroom spending with $49.6 million in additional funds. The Education Budget sailed through the Legislature with widespread support from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, as well as educators. It will now go to the Governor […]

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Alabama House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a bill that would make it illegal for abortion clinics to set up shop within 2,000 feet of a public school, the same distance required of convicted sex offenders. Rep. Ed Henry (R-Hartselle) sponsored the legislation in response to a Huntsville abortion clinic’s decision […]

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Conservative activist Alveda King, a Birmingham native and niece of civil rights icon Martin Luther King, Jr., sent Alabama lawmakers a letter last week asking them to come up with “more creative solutions than what is offered in the one size fits all Common Core curriculum.” The letter, distributed through conservative group […]

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama State Senator Paul Sanford (R-Huntsville) is offering his own solution to the general fund budget crisis, presenting the situation through an allegory, calling on Alabamians to have “a kitchen table conversation about your daily struggles and our state’s funding.” Sanford asks Alabamians to imagine the following scene: It is Sunday afternoon. […]

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard (R-Auburn) announced Monday the formation of the Commission on Earmarking and Budget Reform. “Prior to Republicans taking control of the budget process in 2011, proration had been declared six times in 10 years, but since passage of the Proration Prevention Act, also known as the Rolling Reserve, […]

By now I’m sure that you’ve heard Alabama has a budget problem. As the Chairman for the State Senate Committee for Fiscal Responsibility I firmly believe that the budget woes we face this year can be fixed without raising taxes or relying upon gambling. But to do so we will have to make some repairs […]

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — A three-page bill filed Friday in the Alabama Senate could have huge ramifications for the way the state budgets are constructed in future years. For decades, Alabama has constructed two separate budgets, the larger education budget which funds schools and other “educational” endeavors, and the general fund budget which funds Medicaid, corrections, […]

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — A ban on so-called “double-dipping,” passed by the newly-elected Republican state legislature in 2010, has been upheld by a circuit judge in Montgomery. Senator Jabo Waggoner (R-Vestavia Hills), the chairman of the powerful Rules Committee who originally sponsored the law as part of a broad package of ethics reforms soon after Republicans […]

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Alabama Senate approved a bill Thursday to allow law-abiding citizens to carry loaded handguns in their vehicles without the need to pay for a concealed carry permit, calling it a measure to “strengthen the 2nd Amendment rights of Alabama citizens.” “No one is required to have a permit to keep a […]

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama Senators Richard Shelby and Jeff Sessions on Thursday joined a handful of their Republican colleagues in attempting to stop Congress from ceding additional power over international trade to the Obama Administration. The senators voted to filibuster the Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), which would grant the President the power to “fast-track” trade […]

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard (R-Auburn) announced to legislators on the floor Thursday morning that the state’s email system has been hacked, warning members not to open any emails on their state accounts. “We don’t know if it’s North Korea or not,” Hubbard half-jokingly told members. Cheri Martin, deputy secretary of the […]

WASHINGTON — A new appropriations bill for Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS) passed out of the House Appropriations Committee Wednesday could mean billions in funding coming to Alabama’s aerospace, flight, and science industries. “I am very pleased with passage of this funding bill by the House Appropriations Committee today,” said committee member Robert Aderholt (R-AL4). […]

Alabama Governor Robert Bentley made headlines this week by declaring in a speech promoting his $541 million tax increase proposal that “Reagan raised taxes because he was conservative.” So how do Bentley’s tax increase proposals stack up against the Gipper’s? It may come as a surprise to many, but President Reagan did increase some taxes […]

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Alabama Senate passed Tuesday SB377, a bill to “get the state out of the marriage business,” by a vote of 22-3. SB377 would remove the duty of confirming marriages from county probate judges. It would also allow marriages to be recorded by the state after filing a simple contract between two […]

ATLANTA, Ga. — The 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals on Wednesday upheld the conviction and 78-month federal prison sentence of former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman. In 2005, Siegelman was indicted on corruption charges alleging he had accepted campaign contributions in return for political favors. A year later, a federal jury found Siegelman guilty on […]

As many of you across East Alabama may have seen or heard in the news, the National Defense Authorization Act recently passed the House of Representatives with my strong support. This critical piece of legislation outlines how Congress will support our nation’s military. I was relieved to see that Congress increased the overall authorized funding […]

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Alabama Senate on Tuesday unanimously passed major reforms to the state’s Medicaid program that are estimated to save the state $1.5 billion over the next 10 years. The savings, calculated by a national actuarial consulting company, assume a 3 percent growth every year in the program, and will come from new […]

(Video above: Gov. Robert Bentley responds to House budget cuts) MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Gov. Robert Bentley on Tuesday evening responded to the General Fund budget passed by the Alabama House, calling it “unworkable” and “irresponsible” and promising to veto it if the Senate does not make significant changes. The House budget relies on more than […]

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Alabama House of Representatives passed Tuesday a general fund budget that relies on more than $250 million in cuts, and includes none of the Gov. Bentley’s recommended tax increases. The bill will cut Medicaid, Mental Health, DHR, and Corrections by 5 percent and every other agency funded by the general fund […]