By Cameron Smith, Alabama Policy Institute Since its passage, plenty of ink has been spilled regarding the Alabama Accountability Act of 2013 (Accountability Act). Unfortunately, precious little has been devoted to examining the peculiar ruling by Montgomery Circuit Judge Charles Price. Judge Price recently issued an order preventing the legislature from transmitting the Accountability Act […]

Yellowhammer: What kind of impact do you think the Accountability Act of 2013 will have on education in Alabama, and why? Senator Scott Beason: The impact of the Accountability Act should not be underestimated. It fundamentally changes the discussion about education in Alabama. The question is no longer whether we will have some sort of […]

Late last week the Department of Agriculture released new statistics that illustrate just how massive the U.S. welfare state has become. 2012 was the biggest year yet for the food stamp program. An average of 46,609,072 people were on the program last year, and in December that number ballooned to a record 47,791,996. Defying all […]

I appreciate everyone who comes to Yellowhammer to get the latest news and conservative political opinion, and I don’t want to abuse the relationship we’ve forged over the last year by posting personal things. Yellowhammer has become more than I ever imagined it would, and I forget sometimes that this started as — and still […]

AEA radio ads attacking Republicans who supported the Alabama Accountability Act have now started airing across the state. The below ad is running in Cullman County in the districts of Rep. Ed Henry, Rep. Mac Buttram and Sen. Paul Bussman. Republicans have responded by releasing a “Fact Check” of the ad: AEA Claim: “Our public […]

Today The Daily Caller and Fox News have taken the GOP vs. AEA Status Quo fight national in two articles posted on their respective websites. Jeff Poor of The Daily Caller in an article titled, “How Alabama is on the verge of breaking one of the nation’s most powerful teachers’ unions,” said Judge Price’s attempt […]

By: Senator Phil Williams At a critical juncture in the Cold War President Ronald Reagan shocked the world with a call to Mikhail Gorbechev to “tear down this wall!” Members of Reagan’s own cabinet cringed and asked him to backpedal from such a strong stand. But his stand did not waiver and the winds of […]

“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. It’s a bit of a slow week outside of the ongoing shenanigans surrounding the Accountability Act of 2013… here are […]

According to campaign disclosures on the Alabama Secretary of State’s website, Judge Charles Price has received campaign contributions from AEA’s PAC, A-Vote, and all of the attorneys who filed the lawsuit on behalf of AEA last night. Price is the Montgomery Presiding Circuit Judge who is now hearing the AEA’s request for a temporary restraining […]

by Michael Ledeen This article originally appeared on PJ Media which you can see HERE. We found a leader, but hardly anybody noticed. Never mind Rubio and Ryan, or people named Bush. Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama is the best we’ve got, and he’s plenty good. In fact, his words on the Senate floor when […]

The Alabama Education Association has filed a lawsuit and petition for a temporary restraining order to prevent Governor Bentley from being able to sign the GOP’s landmark education reform bill as planned on Tuesday. Democrats have been threatening to file suit since the moment the Accountability Act of 2013 made it to the Senate floor, […]

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: […]