In a letter to U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, Sen. Cruz requested her office preserve all its documents from the investigation into the IRS.

“It is important for you and other officials in this Administration to understand that this administration’s decisions to neither continue this investigation nor appoint a special prosecutor do not represent the conclusion of this matter,” Sen. Cruz wrote. “Given this Administration’s refusal to conduct itself appropriately, or take the issue of the potential illegal conduct of IRS employees seriously, any subsequent administration should reserve the right to reopen the matter, conduct its own investigation, or appoint a special prosecutor to conduct an investigation.”

Taking his request a step further, Cruz warned that failure to comply could be met with “justified prosecutions” under his administration.

Cruz’s request hits close to home for several Alabama groups.

The Wetumpka Tea Party was one of those essentially blocked from gaining tax exempt status by the IRS.

In an emotional testimony before the House Ways and Means Committee in 2013, Wetumpka Tea Party Leader and congressional candidate Becky Gerritson described the chilling effect the IRS’s persecution had on groups like hers.

“This was not an accident,” Gerritson said. “This is a willful act of intimidation to discourage a point of view. What the government did to our little group in Wetumpka, Ala. is un-American. It isn’t a matter of firing or arresting individuals. The individuals who sought to intimidate us were acting as they thought they should in a government culture that has little respect for its citizens.”

Before  announcing her candidacy for Congress, Gerritson also served in the Alabama team for Cruz’s campaign.

Cruz has visited the Yellowhammer State perhaps more than any other 2016 presidential candidate thus far. This week Cruz’s wife, Heidi, returned to Alabama to deliver his qualifying documents to the ALGOP.

During an interview with Yellowhammer Radio this week, Mrs. Cruz told host Cliff Sims she and her husband “will be spending a lot of time with y’all.”

Currently, Sen. Cruz sits in 4th place, polling an average of 8.8% support, behind Dr. Ben Carson at 24.8%, Donald Trump at 24.6%, and fellow Senator Marco Rubio at 11%.

Alabama will hold its primary on March 1st, 2016.

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— Elizabeth BeShears (@LizEBeesh) January 21, 2015

Negotiators on Capitol Hill unveiled a giant 1,582 page, $1.1 trillion government funding bill this week, which would fund the government for the remainder of the current fiscal year and put an end to all the government shutdown talk. The House of Representatives passed the bill today by a vote of 359-67.

Both Republicans and Democrats praised the bill, which typically means that the American people will see little — if any — progress in reining in government spending. When cuts happen, one side or the other make noise because one of their favored areas got hit.

However, it is no doubt a positive that Congress is returning to so-called “regular order” and actually passing spending bills. And it’s noteworthy that the package is $164 billion less than President George W. Bush’s last discretionary budget.

So what does it all mean for our state?

As Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, our very own Senator Richard Shelby served as the top Republican negotiator on the Senate side.

Here are 7 things in the Omnibus Spending Bill that might actually impact your life right here in Alabama:

COLAs are back and military folks got a pay raise

The bill repeals the recently enacted cut to cost of living adjustments, or COLAs for disabled military retirees and survivors. This is good news for Alabama’s huge population of military retirees and survivors. U.S. military personnel and civilian federal workers also got a 1 percent pay raise.

Sen. Jeff Sessions said he was glad to see retired vets being better taken care of in this deal, but insisted there’s still more that could be done.

“I was pleased that the House-Senate package includes a provision restoring the pensions for disabled veterans, after we called attention to the fact that wounded warriors would be impacted by the budget deal,” Sessions said. “However, the deal fails to restore pension payments for millions of active duty and retired military personnel and leaves more than 90 percent of the original reductions in place. For a currently-serving officer nearing retirement, this cut could exceed $120,000 in pension payments, reducing the cost-of-living adjustments by more than 60 percent.”

Sessions said he believes there are better ways to save money and suggested closing a tax credit loophole that illegal immigrants take advantage of.

“Unfortunately, Leader Reid and his conference blocked my effort to implement this fix during the budget debate in December,” Sessions said. “I hope the majority will allow us to make this fix and stop shielding these illicit tax payments. In order to end annual deficits all of us will have to tighten our belts, but our military personnel must not disproportionately bear the burden.”

North Alabama folks get bump in NASA funding

NASA has an almost $3 billion impact on Alabama’s economy, but it has been a big target for cuts by the Obama Administration. Both Sen. Richard Shelby and Rep. Mo Brooks, have been big advocates for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS), which is built in Huntsville.

Included in this week’s omnibus legislation is $1.9 billion for the Space Launch System. This figure is approximately $200 million above the President’s request in the budget he submitted to Congress. Of the $1.9 billion for SLS, $1.6 billion is for development of rocket systems at Marshall Space Flight Center in North Alabama.

“I am pleased that this legislation includes the funding necessary to continue the great work underway in Huntsville on the Space Launch System,” Sen. Shelby said. “If we are to maintain our leadership role in human space flight, we must continue to make SLS a top priority in NASA’s budget. I will continue to do everything in my power to ensure that it is.”

Mobile’s getting a new federal courthouse

The bill provides $69.5 million to construct a new federal courthouse in Mobile and to renovate the existing courthouse, which was built from 1932-1934. Combined with the $49 million that is remaining from previously appropriated courthouse funding for Mobile, the total project cost will be $118.5 million. The total design and construction work is expected to take 5 1/2 years.

Another step toward widening the Port of Mobile

The report accompanying the omnibus bill directs the Corps of Engineers to study the widening and deepening of Mobile harbor. This is a necessary, preliminary step under the Corps’ regulations before the work can be undertaken.

Sen. Shelby has in the past discussed his 10-12 year plan of making Mobile a world center of trade and commerce by making its port wide enough and deep enough to handle the world’s largest ships.

“Mobile can be one of the top five ports in the country,” Shelby said today. “Its economic potential is limitless. I am pleased that this legislation provides for the next critical step in that direction.”

Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) gets funding

The president requested and received $1.7 billion for the procurement of 4 Littoral Combat Ships, which are built in Mobile.

Alabama Tea Party groups get a small victory

The omnibus specifically instructs the IRS not to use any funds to “target citizens of the United States for exercising any right guaranteed under the First Amendment.”

It’s remarkable that those words even need to be included in a bill, and it’s a far cry from justice being served in the targeting cases that have already taken place. However, it’s a small victory for Alabama groups like the Wetumpka Tea Party who were targeted by the IRS for their political beliefs.

Environmental groups escape unscathed

Attempts by Republicans to drastically cut funding to the Environmental Protection Agency were unsuccessful. The federal agency that implements heavy-handed mandates and regulations on businesses all over the country has long been reviled by conservatives. And recent efforts by Alabama-based environmental groups to speed up the process of shutting down coal plants have really put the EPA front and center in the state. Alabama Governor Robert Bentley and Attorney General Luther Strange back in December challenged the EPA’s power to halt economic development. The fights will continue on the state level, but the EPA’s federal funding remains intact for now.

Follow Cliff on Twitter @Cliff_Sims

It’s the time of the year, ladies and gentlemen, when every publication under the sun is releasing their year-end lists, and Yellowhammer is no exception.

Below are the top moments in Alabama politics in 2013. Did we rank something too high? Too low? Miss something completely? Let us know in the comments section below, or join the discussion on Twitter and Facebook.

Honorable mention: Bachus announces final term (will be big in 2014); Alabama delegation splits (House, Senate) over Ryan-Murray budget deal; 60 Plus Association launches Alabama chapter and begins going after AARP; Court upholds Alabama’s new legislative district lines; Alabama passes “the strongest Second Amendment protections in the country”; Alabama Tea Party leader gives emotional testimony before congress; ALGOP tries to remove College Republicans chairwoman for comments about gay marriage; Alabama plays host to potential 2016 presidential candidates (Walker, Carson, Huckabee, Jindal); Alabama’s unemployment rate hits 5 year low

10. Byrne’s return

Former state senator, two-year college system chancellor and gubernatorial candidate Bradley Byrne launched Reform Alabama, a non-profit public policy organization, shortly after the 2010 election cycle ended. That led many political observers to surmise that Byrne was angling to challenge Gov. Bentley in 2014. But after an attempt to make Bentley’s Amendment 1 a wedge issue failed to gain traction, it looked like Byrne’s time in the public eye was coming to an end.

Byrne led the race from wire to wire. He finished at the top of a 9-candidate GOP primary. He then outlasted conservative bomb thrower Dean Young in the runoff before making quick work of Democrat Burton LeFlore in the general.

Byrne will be sworn into office at the beginning of the second session of the 113th Congress on January 7, 2014.

9. Shelby takes on gun control

Alabama’s senior U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Tuscaloosa, doesn’t go to the mic on the Senate floor very often. So when he does, it tends to be a pretty big deal.

Such was the case on April 17 when Shelby decided to speak out against gun control legislation being pushed by Democrats in the wake of the tragic shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT.

“Mr. President, I rise to defend the Second Amendment to our Constitution,” Shelby said emphatically to begin his remarks. Those words became one of Yellowhammer’s most “liked” and “shared” Facebook graphics of the year.

Shelby and his Republican colleagues successfully beat back the gun control measures.

8. Roby to Appropriations

Yellowhammer was first to break the news that Rep. Martha Roby, R-Montgomery, was going to land a spot on the powerful House Appropriations Committee on Nov. 25. Nine days later, Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers, R-KY, made it official.

Getting on Appropriations is such a big deal that Roby was willing to give up her seat on the House Armed Services Committee, House Agriculture Committee and the House Education and Workforce Committee in order to get it done.

“Appropriations has oversight on the whole range of government spending,” Roby explained. “This new role provides a unique opportunity to push for the kind of conservative spending priorities that will put us on a sustainable financial path for future generations.”

7. Budget chairmen resign

Budget chairmen are some of the most powerful players in state politics, overseeing how the state’s resources are allocated.

Rep. Jay Love, R-Montgomery, and Rep. Jim Barton, R-Mobile, had been the House’s budget gurus since Republicans took control in 2010.

Love announced his resignation from the House effective Aug. 1, and shortly thereafter took on a role with the Business Council of Alabama’s newly formed Business and Education Alliance. Barton resigned the following week to partner up with longtime Montgomery lobbyists Alison and Phillip Kinney to form Barton & Kinney, LLC.

Their resignations, combined with other lower-profile departures from the legislature, led House Republicans to include a bill in their upcoming 2014 legislative agenda to cut down on legislators leaving office mid-term to become lobbyists.

6. Sessions takes national spotlight during immigration reform debate

National media outlets from the New York Times and CNN to Fox News and Breitbart all hailed (or excoriated) Sessions as the GOP’s leading voice against the Gang of Eight’s comprehensive immigration reform proposal.

The bill ultimately passed the Senate with Obama cronies chanting “YES WE CAN!” in the gallery, but that didn’t stop Sessions from rallying the Republican majority in the House to squash it.

Between his role as the ranking Republican on the Senate Budget Committee and his vehement opposition to amnesty, Sessions really carved out some space for himself on the national scene this year.

If Republicans manage to retake the Senate in 2014, Sessions and his Alabama colleague Sen. Shelby could potentially be chairing two of the body’s most powerful committees — Budget and Appropriations.

5. Alabama Democrats hit rock bottom

2010 may be remembered as the year that more than a century of Democrat rule in Alabama came to an end, but 2013 is the year the Party really bottomed out.

Former Alabama Democrat Party Chairman Mark Kennedy flat out left the Party and started an entirely new group, optimistically (i.e. comically) named “The Alabama Democratic Majority.”

The Party is some $500,000 in debt, a good chunk of which goes all the way back to 1999 when the Party took out loans to help finance then Gov. Don Siegelman’s ill-fated lottery campaign.

The once mighty Party is now largely divided along racial lines, with Kennedy & co. having left Joe Reed, chairman of the Party’s black wing, behind.

4. Tea Party takes on Common Core

The repeal of Common Core standards was the top priority for many grassroots conservatives around the state in 2013. Numerous Tea Party organizations were omnipresent in the halls of the State House during the week before the Common Core repeal bill was to come up in committee. But just as the repeal movement started gaining momentum, a disastrous public hearing stopped it in its tracks. The repeal bill unfortunately died in Senate committee.

State Board of Education member Mary Scott Hunter has been the face of pro-Common Core Republicans in the state. She has stated publicly that the Board of Education made the decision to pass Common Core and doesn’t want the legislature telling them how to do their job.

Alabama’s Republican National Committeeman Paul Reynolds passed a resolution at the RNC’s Spring meeting rejecting Common Core. Sen. Jeff Sessions also signed on to a letter pushing to defund it.

Meanwhile, the leftwing Alabama Education Association (AEA), which doesn’t care much about actual education policy, couldn’t be more thrilled watching Republicans shred each other over the issue.

Grassroots groups continue to push for repeal, but Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh has said Common Core is “off the table” for the 2014 session.

3. Bentley refuses to expand Medicaid

In the face of increasing pressure from liberal opinion columnists, the Alabama Hospitals Association, the head of Alabama’s public retirement systems, and others, Gov. Bentley held the line for conservatives in 2013 and refused to expand Medicaid under ObamaCare.

He’s taken a much tougher tone than we’re used to hearing from the Governor Doctor, even calling out expansion proponents for citing a “bogus” study in their attempts to sway public opinion.

Organizations in favor of expansion continue to ramp up their communications efforts in hopes that Bentley will reconsider his position after he wins reelection next year.

2. Enviros descend on Alabama

Environmental activists made more noise in Alabama in 2013 than any other leftwing group. After receiving roughly $3 million from the San Francisco-based Energy Foundation to advance the Obama Administration’s “War on Coal” in Alabama, little known enviro groups like the Southern Environmental Law Center and Alabama Environmental Council became household names to Alabama conservatives.

The Alabama Public Service Commission, typically anything but a hotbed of political activity, became ground zero for the environmentalists’ assault.

Environmental activists showed up at the district offices of Alabama congressmen to give them “Climate Change Denier Awards.”

Emails obtained through open records requests revealed that government employees working for the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham colluded with enviros in an attempt to halt a major economic development project.

The list of their 2013 exploits could go on and on and on.

Republicans in the Alabama legislature are planning legislation to protect Alabama from certain environmentalist movements in 2014. And Sen. Richard Shelby closed out the year by calling for a U.S. Department of Energy investigation into whether the groups inappropriately used taxpayer money to advance an “anti-coal agenda in Alabama.”

1. Alabama Accountability Act

Shortly before 5 p.m. on Feb. 28, in a committee room on the seventh floor of the Alabama State House, a small group of legislators, citizen activists, lobbyists and members of the press witnessed something truly historic. School choice was finally coming to Alabama.

The defenders of the status quo were stunned.

AEA Head Henry Mabry curses as he walks out of the room. "SH**" Just witnessed history. Major ed reform coming to Alabama today. #alpolitics

— Yellowhammer (@YHPolitics) February 28, 2013

The bill went on to pass in both the House and Senate. And after a couple of weeks of confusion, lawsuits, court rulings that went all the way to the Supreme Court, and general chaos, Governor Bentley signed the Accountability Act into law on March 14.

“For the first time ever, we’re giving all public schools the flexibility they need to better serve their students,” Bentley said. “This also gives flexibility to children and parents by providing new options for students who are stuck in persistently low-performing schools. All children deserve access to a quality education, no matter where they live. This provides a new option to help children receive the best education possible.”

The AEA declared all-out war, unleashing a wave of attack ads focusing on Republican legislators who supported the bill. But in spite of their efforts, Alabamians continued to overwhelmingly support the Accountability Act and, more broadly, the concept of school choice.

The Tax Credit Scholarship Fund setup by the Act has already reached 80 percent capacity, with Alabamians having donated over $19 million to scholarship granting organization charged with distributing scholarships to students in failing schools. That’s a blistering rate, considering that portion of the bill only went into effect in May.

The Accountability Act is far from a panacea that will heal all of Alabama’s education woes. But the fact that Alabama made positive education reform for the first time in over 40 years makes the passage of the Accountability Act the defining moment of Alabama politics in 2013.

Follow Cliff on Twitter @Cliff_Sims

A polling memo issued to Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard’s campaign and shared with Yellowhammer News states that almost 8 in 10 (79%) voters in Hubbard’s Auburn-area House District approve of the job he’s doing as their representative.

The survey of House District 79 was performed by well-known national Republican polling firm McLaughlin & Associates, whose clients list includes House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, the American Conservative Union, Club for Growth, the RNC, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and numerous current and former senators, congressmen and U.S. presidential candidates, among others.

“Hubbard’s numbers are through the roof,” McLaughlin & Associates President Jim McLaughlin told Yellowhammer. “Folks like what he’s doing on the economy and jobs and feel like he’s leading the legislature to fight back against Washington overreaching. The poll shows that voters are really responding to that.”

McLaughlin, who has been polling Alabama routinely over the last decade, said that while the media has successfully demonized grassroots conservatives in many parts of the country, people in Alabama continue to say they identify with what the Tea Party stands for — limited government, lower taxes and strict adherence to the Constitution.

“The Tea Party is still very important in Alabama, and not just in the Republican primary,” McLaughlin noted. The Tea Party remains very popular in a lot of swing Districts across the state as well.”

According to the McLaughlin poll, Hubbard’s job approval rises to 89% among voters in District 79 who identify themselves as “very conservative.” McLaughlin also said that the Republican majority in the legislature has a favorability rating of over 50%, a stark contrast with Congress whose approval rating hovers in the low teens.

While a majority of Republicans nationally say they want the Party to move in a more conservative direction, Alabamians seem to be pleased with their current representation.

Yellowhammer asked Speaker Hubbard Tuesday afternoon why he and the Republican majority in the legislature are polling so well, especially with the anti-incumbent atmosphere that is so pervasive right now.

But will their popularity wane as we move closer to the 2014 elections?

McLaughlin pointed out that rising to a leadership position, as Hubbard has, typically causes a candidate’s popularity to fall.

“I’ve seen it happen time and time again,” said McLaughlin. “They just need to continue what they’re doing. Voters are used to their representatives going to Montgomery or Washington, D.C. and not keeping their promises. So far the voters feel like they’re delivering. If they keep doing that, I see no reason they shouldn’t continue being popular.”

Republicans nationally are fighting to maintain their majority in the U.S. House and regain the majority in the U.S. Senate. In Alabama, the voters gifted Republicans with a super majority in both houses of the legislature. It will be a challenge to maintain those numbers, but Hubbard told Yellowhammer he believes Republicans may pick up even more seats — that is, if they can fight off what he called “those who would like to see Montgomery go back to the way it was.”

“I’m optimistic about a couple of pick up opportunities we have. A lot of people want us to fail, but we’ve been preparing for them since right after the 2010 elections. We know what the opposition is going to do. They’re going to try to run ‘fake Republicans’ in GOP primaries. We’re going to do everything we can to stop them. Right now the numbers look great.”

Here are the rest of the numbers from the McLaughlin poll:

Follow Cliff on Twitter @Cliff_Sims

Gun Bill in Senate

There’s some hand wringing going on in the Senate over whether or not to concur with the House-passed version of the Omnibus Gun Bill. “In spite of the NRA throwing their full support behind the House bill, we’re already being attacked by some members of the Tea Party because we didin’t just run over the sheriffs and district attorneys,” one Republican Senator emailed Yellowhammer Sunday afternoon.

I reached out to a member of a Birmingham-area Tea Party group who expressed frustration at the prospect of allowing the perfect to become the enemy of the good. “I think this compromise bill could go down the tube if we’re not careful,” he told me via email. The Rainy Day Patriots Tea Party group has sent out multiple emails advocating for the bill’s passage.

The Business Council of Alabama also remains unsupportive of the bill.

“As we consistently have stated, three conditions were presented in order for the BCA to support this bipartisan legislation: absolute immunity from civil liability for businesses; equal application to everyone in Alabama; and an opt-out provision. Two of these three have been accomplished,” said BCA President & CEO Billy Canary.

Intra-party squabbling among Republicans is the only thing that could derail the bill at this point. It will all likely play out on Tuesday.

Medicaid Overhaul Coming Up in House

Senator Greg Reed‘s Medicaid overhaul bill, SB340, will be first up on the House Special Order calendar on Tuesday. If passed, it would provide for the delivery of medical services to Medicaid beneficiaries on a managed care basis through regional care organizations or alternate care providers.

Reed’s bill is the result of intense negotiations with stakeholders in the medical industry. State Health Officer Dr. Don Williamson says he believes the reforms will save the state between $50 and $70 million over a five-year period.

To better understand the Medicaid debate, check out Yellowhammer’s in-depth (but hopefully easy-to-understand) look at the issue by clicking HERE.

On a related note, the Healthcare Compact, sponsored by Rep. Mike Ball and Sen. Greg Reed, may also be coming up this week. According to the House GOP’s “We Dare Defend Our Rights” legislative agenda, the Health Care Compact, with Congressional consent, “would place the authority and responsibility for healthcare regulation to the member states, and would provide the funds to the states to fulfill that responsibility. By becoming the fifth state to join this interstate compact, Alabama would send a strong message to Washington that demonstrates states can do a better job of efficiently running their Medicaid programs if the federal government would stay out of the way.”

Tweaks to the Accountability Act

The House last week passed a bill by Rep. Jim Carnes (HB658) that clarified language in the Accountability Act by explicitly stating that no school is required to enroll any student attempting to transfer from a failing school. Senate Pro Tem Del Marsh has a related bill up in the Senate this week that gets into more detail.

In addition to the above clarification from Carnes’ bill, Marsh’s bill (SB360) would also do the following:

• defines a failing school as one that has rated in the bottom 10 percent on the state standardized assessment in reading and math for three or more times in the last six years
• states that a student seeking to transfer from a failing school must first attempt to enroll in a non-failing public school within the same system
• states that organizations seeking to provide scholarships as laid out in the Accountability Act may only award them to students in failing schools whose family income is no more than three times the federal poverty level
• allows scholarship donors to receive a tax credit equal to 100 percent of their donation (it was originally 50 percent)

Budgets

The House of Representatives passed a $5.7 billion Education Trust Fund budget a few weeks ago. That’s roughly three percent higher than this year’s budget. Included in the House-passed budget are several provisions that the Senate has been mulling over including a two percent pay raise for teachers and a $12.5 million increase in pre-k funding.

Senate ETF Chairman Trip Pittman has been pushing hard to reduce the teacher pay raise to one percent, with a possible one percent bonus. When the ETF budget hits the Senate floor for debate on Tuesday, that will likely be one of the main topics of discussion.

Meanwhile, the General Fund Budget is heading to conference committee where three representatives and three senators will try to reconcile to differences between their two budget proposals. Relatively minor differences between the two budgets include funding levels for prisons, the judicial system, and the Department of Environmental Management.

What else is going on?
1. NRA urges Alabama Senate to concur with House-passed gun
2. Birmingham Attorney Elected NRA President
3. Alabama Enviro Groups Gear Up for Fight
4. FDA makes morning-after pill available over the counter to 15-year-olds
5. Sessions Signs Letter Seeking to Defund Common Core

Alabama politics had very few clear winners and losers in 2012. With few exceptions, most of the key players and organizations ended the year with mixed results.

Republicans continued to dominate the political landscape in the lingering wake of their 2010 electoral tidal wave. However, they also experienced some of the growing pains that come along with being the majority Party.

Meanwhile, the last statewide elected Democrat went the way of the Dodo bird. But the Dem’s ever-shrinking legislative minority managed to stop some of the GOP’s priorities in the legislature thanks to some help from their special-interest pals.

With this 2012 “Year in Review” post, we’ve set out to offer a short recap of this year in Alabama politics. Keep in mind, pointing out where a person or group succeeded or failed does not mean we agreed or disagreed with what they did. This post is simply our best attempt to give you a snapshot of what happened in Alabama politics during the past 12 months.

Here’s what we came up with:

Winners

1. Governor Robert Bentley:

Governor Bentley’s approval numbers have steadily risen throughout the year. All the polling we’ve seen shows that the overwhelming majority of Alabamians think the Governor is doing a great job.

He put his popularity to use by publicly advocating for two major ballot initiatives in 2012: Amendment 1 on Sept. 18 and Amendment 2 on Nov. 6. He was successful both times. His choice for the Republican Presidential nomination, Rick Santorum, also won the Alabama primary.

The Governor hasn’t yet shown a consistent ability to advance his legislative agenda and that is one area where he clearly sees an opportunity for growth. By bringing Rep. Blaine Galliher into his cabinet as legislative director, Governor Bentley seems to be addressing the challenge head on.

Bottom line: He started the year with some possible 2014 primary contenders lurking in the shadows. He ends 2012 with no clear challenger in his bid for a second term. Governor Bentley is 2012’s biggest winner.

2. Rainy Day Patriots & other conservative grassroots organizations

Despite not having the financial resources of other advocacy groups, Alabama’s grassroots organizations proved once again in 2012 that they are force to be reckoned with.

They played a big role in Rick Santorum winning Alabama’s Presidential primary. They also helped Roy Moore beat a sitting Chief Justice & another Republican primary contender with high name ID without a runoff.

House Speaker Mike Hubbard specifically tailored his Values & Rights Commission to reach out to grassroots conservatives for feedback on the 2013 legislative agenda.

More recently, their behind-the-scenes push against the Obamacare-mandated state Healthcare Exchange undoubtedly influenced key Republican leaders. Governor Bentley ultimately refused to setup the state-based exchange and decided against expanding Medicaid.

The Tea Party consistently polls at over 50% approval statewide. The conservative grassroots movement is alive and well in Alabama.

3. The Nursing Homes Association

The Nursing Homes Association through their high-powered lobbyists managed to engineer a budget impasse that led to the entire Sept. 18 Amendment 1 situation. The Nursing Homes’ needs were met and the state’s general fund budget was adjusted accordingly. Big win for the Nursing Homes. Big loss for Alabama’s fiscal solvency.

4. Twinkle Cavanaugh
Newly elected PSC President Twinkle Cavanaugh holds the distinction of being the Republican who took out the last remaining statewide elected Democrat.

Losers

1. The Alabama Democrat Party
Democrats now hold zero statewide offices. They have almost no ability to raise money, and frankly, they have no hope for a resurgence any time in the foreseeable future. It’s a tough time to be a Democrat in the state of Alabama and it won’t be getting better any time soon.

2. Trial Lawyers
The group that at one point sent Alabama to “tort hell” was extremely unsuccessful in advancing their agenda in 2012. They lost on a significant liability bill in the legislature and all the Republican appellate court judges went virtually unchallenged.

3. Alabama’s coal industry
Obama’s re-election and the subsequent ambush of the PSC by radical environmentalists has made Alabama’s coal industry a prime target for liberal attacks in Alabama. 5,000 Alabama families count on coal jobs to put food on their table. Every Alabamian with an energy bill is rooting for the coal industry which has found itself under siege this year.

2012’s Biggest Disappointment

The Alabama Education Association is still a force. They used lies and deception to kill school choice legislation and to preserve racist language in the Alabama Constitution. They also killed a major component of the GOP’s jobs package during the 2012 legislative session. With Democrats continuing to lose strength, the AEA still found some success in 2012 by dividing Republicans any way they could. That will continue to be their strategy moving forward.

2012 Insider Awards

Top association – Business Council of Alabama

No category shows the mixed results of 2012 better than Top Association.

BCA won on “card check” and heavily supported the successful Amendment 1 and Amendment 2 campaigns. They won a tough floor fight when a guns-to-work bill they strongly opposed died on the Senate floor. The BCA-endorsed slate of judicial candidates also went undefeated in 2012.

But 2012 also handed BCA some major loses. Their most notable defeats came on school choice and HB 159/160 which offered incentives to companies locating in Alabama or expanding their Alabama operations.

Some Montgomery insiders would say that the AEA had the best year. But this category is for associations, not unions.

The Business Council didn’t have a grand slam year in 2012, but you’ll still be hard-pressed the name an association who carries more weight in Montgomery.

Top Lobbying Firm – Fine Geddie & Associates

The Fine Geddie crew once again did yeoman’s work at the Alabama State House. They notched their usual legislative victories, including killing an extremely contentious coastal insurance bill for one of their clients.

Their client list still so far outclasses the competition that the contract lobbying crown will remain theirs for the foreseeable future. And in a real rarity in Alabama politics, they pull it all off while remaining well-liked and respected by friends and foes alike.

Top Mover & Shaker – Angi Smith

In a matter of a couple of years, Angi Smith has gone from a Republican grassroots organizer to arguably the most trusted political voice in the governor’s inner circle.

She stuck with Bentley through his failed state senate bid, his time in the House of Representatives and the tough 2010 gubernatorial elections. After paying a lot of dues, she now has his ear like few others.

Smith may rub some folks the wrong way with her hard-nosed approach, but no one can deny her position in the governor’s sphere of influence.

We are encouraged by Governor Bentley as he speaks of staying the course with the other governors of the 34 states who are proposing to refuse to set up state healthcare exchanges. We expect him, as our last line of defense against the Tyranny of the Federal Government, to protect the citizens of Alabama. He will be saving Alabama taxpayers billions of dollars by defying the federal government.

ObamaCare gives the federal government the authority to step in and operate an exchange itself in Alabama, but those who would be eligible will be paid in full by the federal government, not Alabama. ObamaCare also requires a state run exchange before subsidies can be given, without one, this would not be funded. Congress has not appropriated any funds for this contingency. In effect, these governors can neutralize the devastating financial effects of ObamaCare. This should be an easy call for any fiscally responsible governor.

The Supreme Court’s ruling against the Obama administration’s attempt to blackmail states by withholding the Medicaid payments if the exchanges were not set up, has paved the way for governors and state legislators to become the real heroes of the fight against ObamaCare. We respectfully ask you, Governor Bentley, to be one of these courageous governors. We will support you and all the other governors who have taken on this fight to protect our country from the over-reaching Federal Government.
Governor Bentley we beseech you to protect Alabamians.

Zan Green, President
and All Members of the Rainy Day Patriots Tea Party

Governor Robert Bentley believes that the Affordable Health Care Act is the single worst piece of legislation to be passed in our lifetimes. He believes it is neither affordable nor about health care and he is exploring all possible avenues through which he can stop this law from ever being implemented in Alabama. This includes all legal and political options and he is reaching out to all conservative governors to get as many as possible to join him in his fight against this unjustified and unwise federal intrusion.

As a part of this effort, Governor Bentley has appointed a tribunal of lawyers with expertise in constitutional law and this health care bill to advise him on the options our state has as it relates to this legislation.

Furthermore, Governor Bentley participated in a conference call with 20+ other governors from across the nation on this very issue on Friday morning and will attend a meeting with those governors next week.

Just this aftertoon, Governor Bentley and Governor Rick Perry of Texas had a long phone conversation where Governor Perry agreed with Governor Bentley regarding his thoughts on fighting this legislation and opposing its implementation in conservative states. Governor Bentley feels that the best course of action would be for as many conservative governors as possible to work together to determine the best course of action as it relates to this issue.

Again, Governor Bentley is leaving no stone unturned in his efforts to build a coalition of conservative governors to devise a legal strategy that would give our state, and all conservative states, the best defense.

“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.

1. Laid off state political reporters are starting to land on their feet. Ex-Birmingham News DC reporter Mary Orndorff has landed at Gannett, Inc. and is covering Montgomery and Greenville, SC for the USA Today/Montgomery Advertiser parent company. Ex-Birmingham News political reporter Dave White has joined Governor Bentley’s policy shop and is focusing on Medicaid funding issues. Ex-Birminghan News local government reporter Tom Spencer is now a Senior Research Associate with the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama. It’s good to see folks starting to come out on the other side of a tough time post-AMG layoffs.

2. A recent statewide poll showed that over 50% of Alabamians agree with the views of the Tea Party. This only further emphasizes that Republican primaries will likely be the only show in town for the foreseeable future. How does this reality effect the longterm political landscape in Alabama? What would it take for the Democrat party to regain relevance?

3. Democrat Chief Justice candidate Robert Vance’s television ad continues to run with a big ad buy across the state. These levels, which are normally only reached during Gubernatorial campaigns, are economically feasible due to the current lack of competition for political ad space. Additionally, According to television stations in the Birmingham and Huntsville media markets, Republican PSC candidate Twinkle Cavanaugh is up with an ad very similar to the one she ran in the primary. Meanwhile, the Baxley campaign is dark for the moment.

4. Congressman Mike Rogers is planning a fundraiser for November 1 in Birmingham at which they plan to raise approximately $100,000.

5. The special elections in House Districts 30 and 34 are coming up Tuesday. Mack Butler appears to be clearly in control in House District 30. The one to watch will be the HD 34 race as David Standridge attempts to overcome 5 opponents and avoid a runoff. Recent polling showed him hovering just below 50%.

6. Yellowhammer first mentioned way back in June that frustration on the 7th floor was mounting as Senator Ben Brooks put off vacating his Senate seat. Brooks won the Republican nomination for Mobile County circuit judge in March and faces no general election opponent. With only 3 weeks left until the election, it’s clear now that he will ride out his Senate term until he’s sworn in. As a result, constituents of Senate District 35 will be deprived of representation for a good chuck of the 2013 legislative session while the special election process plays out.

“Tea Party groups in deep-red and deep-blue states where the election results are almost a foregone conclusion are organizing get-out-the-vote efforts in key swing states,” according to a recent story in Investor’s Business Daily.

Among those Tea Party groups are the Rainy Day Patriots from right here in Alabama. We featured Rainy Day Patriots founder Zan Green in this year’s “Local Leader 20” and her leadership is on display with the RDP’s “Paint Florida Red” campaign.

Here’s what Investor’s Business Daily had to say about the effort, which they dubbed “Panhandle Gold Mining:”

“Suzanne ‘Zan’ Green began an effort called ‘Paint Florida Red’ a few months ago. The Alabama resident is organizing via the Alabama-based Rainy Day Patriots. Rainy Day members have worked closely with the conservative [group] Americans for Prosperity to collect data on voters in Florida’s panhandle.

“We’re taking that data and targeting the folks that are sympathetic to our message when we precinct walk in Florida,” said Green.

Of course, labor unions will be out in force helping turn out the vote for Obama. It’s unclear if Tea Party members can match their effort. Yet some observers suggest that they could be a big help to Republicans.”

The Rainy Day Patriots and other grassroots conservative groups around Alabama continue to play a major role in shaping the political landscape. Tea Party leaders recently pushed for Governor Bentley to “protect the citizens of Alabama against the massive tax increases inherent in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act by announcing that he will NOT implement this legislation in Alabama.”

House Speaker Mike Hubbard recently launched his “Speaker’s Commission on the Protection of Alabama Values and States’ Rights” with the stated purpose of ensuring that “conservative social issues and 10th Amendment safeguards are given prominent attention during the upcoming 2013 legislative session.” The Commission is actively engaging with Tea Party groups across the state to get their input into next session’s legislative agenda.