The shockwaves of last month’s three-judge federal court decision rejecting Alabama’s congressional maps drawn by the legislature still have a ripple effect in the Alabama State House.
State Sen. Jim McClendon (R-Springville), the chair of the Joint Reapportionment Committee, said he expected the U.S. Supreme Court to rule on a requested stay by the State of Alabama at any moment.
During an interview with Mobile radio FM Talk 106.5, McClendon explained the three-judge panel’s memo contradicted what previous courts had ruled and its decision could be interpreted as violating the Voting Rights Act.
“[T]he court said, ‘Well, no, that’s not the rule anymore,'” McClendon said. “We’ve changed the rules.’ I wish they had told us this before we drew the maps. But they told us after we drew the maps.”
He continued, “Not only have they changed the rules on a number of minority black districts that there needs to be in Alabama, but they’ve told us we’ve got to use race to draw the new districts. Now the Voting Rights Act makes it very clear you cannot use race when you draw these districts. But the courts have told us you’ve got to use race. The only way to get 50-50 or thereabout black population in the district is by knowing the race.”
“There’s two parts of this, particularly the race issue, which is clearly in violation of the Voting Rights Act — they said is what we’re supposed to do,” McClendon added. “So what we’ve done — the first thing we did is we asked the three-judge panel to stay or just put everything on hold, let us have our election process like we planned on, and they refused to do that. Last Friday, we sent the information to the U.S. Supreme Court. I presume they received it [Monday]. And that’s just to put a hold on this process, so we’ve got time to work it out and keep our elections on the schedule that we intended them to be on.”
McClendon said the high court had expected a response from the plaintiffs on Wednesday, and they were awaiting a decision on their request.
The St. Clair County lawmaker added that 14 states had joined Alabama as a “friend of the court” requesting the stay.
He said he anticipated the Supreme Court’s ruling later this week or next week.
@Jeff_Poor is a graduate of Auburn University and the University of South Alabama, the editor of Breitbart TV, a columnist for Mobile’s Lagniappe Weekly, and host of Mobile’s “The Jeff Poor Show” from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. on FM Talk 106.5.
On Thursday, Gov. Kay Ivey made it official and signed into law the redistricting bills passed by the legislature during a special session earlier last week.
Although reapportionment, which was the stated purpose of the special session, was overshadowed by legislative deliberations over a federal vaccine mandate, the typically controversial process when about as expected, according to State Sen. Jim McClendon (R-Springville), the co-chairman of the Alabama Legislature reapportionment committee.
During an appearance on Mobile radio FM Talk 106.5’s “The Jeff Poor Show,” McClendon explained how there were last-minute “brushfires,” but enacting significant changes could change the entire balance of the newly drawn maps.
“There were little brushfires that popped up here and there once the bills came out of the redistricting committee last week and became public,” he said. “I think some localities put some pressure on legislators to make some last-minute changes. If you’re looking at it from only your district, you really have no idea how this process works and how constrained it turns out we really are. We can’t just draw lines willy-nilly or any place we want to. We’ve got all kinds of court cases, regulations and guidelines.”
“We had several areas, there was one, maybe two down south — maybe a couple in the Senate, where locals wanted some changes made, put the pressure on their representatives, senators — as they should do,” McClendon continued. “We had some of those brushfires come up, but we got them dealt with.”
The St. Clair County Republican explained that it could impact the entire map if one change were made.
“I think of it as ripples in a pond,” he said. “You know, you throw that pebble in on this side. Eventually, there are waves that occur on the other side. And it can ricochet throughout the state when you make what seems to be a simple change.”
McClendon also indicated it was his expectation the final product would ultimately be adjudicated in a federal court.
“We make the assumption we’re going to be sued, and it’s going to go to court,” he added. “And you can make that assumption pretty comfortably based on historically how it has worked. Ten years ago, I did this in the House. We were sued. Now I’ve done it in the Senate. Probably going to get sued.”
@Jeff_Poor is a graduate of Auburn University and the University of South Alabama, the editor of Breitbart TV, a columnist for Mobile’s Lagniappe Weekly, and host of Mobile’s “The Jeff Poor Show” from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. on FM Talk 106.5.
MONTGOMERY — The Alabama Legislature on Monday began debate on new congressional, legislative and state school board district maps redrawn in accordance with 2020 U.S. Census Bureau statistics.
In addition to the legislature initiating the redistricting process, lawmakers are also poised to take up debate on two anti-vaccine mandate bills which passed through committee in the upper chamber. A proposed appropriations measure relating to costs associated with COVID-19 will also make its way through the legislative process.
Redistricting
The Alabama House of Representatives late Monday afternoon passed the state’s new congressional map. As currently drawn, Republicans control the state’s congressional delegation by a six-to-one margin, with the lone Democrat-represented district, Alabama’s seventh congressional district, currently being occupied by U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell’s (R-Birmingham).
Under the newly-drawn proposal, the state will maintain its one minority-majority congressional district.
Some Democrats advocated for the creation of an additional congressional district to contain a substantial amount of minority voters. Republicans contended that as drawn, the state’s current demographic racial makeup is reflected with the new proposal.
Under the Voting Rights Act of 1965, minority voters must have fair representation when new district lines are created. Republicans maintain that as proposed, the redrawn lines sustain compliance with the law.
While lines were altered, no major changes were brought about in the process as each district will maintain current shape.
A similar debate occurred as both chambers considered the legislature’s new district maps. Democrats alleged that the process was done in a way which protected the supermajority that Republicans hold in the legislature. Republicans pushed back against the accusation.
An additional effort undertaken was the effort to make counties and precincts whole to make representation simple to not have localities split between multiple legislators. Accompanying that was the intention of setting no more than a plus or minus deviation of 5% in determining the number of constituents each legislator represents.
Both the House and Senate passed its respective body’s refreshed legislative district maps and will now head to their counterparts in the opposite chamber. As the Senate passed the updated state school board map, the lower chamber is expected to address the matter on Tuesday.
Pandemic Funding
Legislation not related to the redistricting process passed both chambers, which concerned appropriating American Rescue Plan funding toward reimbursing health care providers for pandemic-related costs. If passed and signed into law, the bill would split the $80 million between state hospitals and nursing homes.
Vaccine Mandates
Two bills relating to combatting President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandates were considered by the Senate Finance and Taxation General Fund Committee.
Senate Bill 9, authored by State Sen. Chris Elliott (R-Daphne), prohibits employers from forcing COVID-19 vaccination upon workers who complete a form indicating that they hold objections on the basis of either medical or religious reasons.
While receiving criticism from Democrats, who argued that it allows employees to claim objection without confirmation, the bill received a favorable report from the committee.
In a conversation with Yellowhammer News, Elliott outlined what he saw as the need to protect workers from receiving the vaccine should it conflict with their religious beliefs or physical wellbeing.
“While the federal government has mandated this, they have not really said anything about the exceptions and exemptions that exist,” Elliott noted. “So what we’re trying to do is make sure that that is clear, and that employers know that if their employees or folks that have employment,” relating to subcontractors and related individuals, “that those folks have the right to simply claim a medical or religious exemption.”
The legislation was a substitute from an original bill Elliott drafted which was altered upon consultation with interested parties. The proposed bill is expected to garner pushback from some in the business community.
As a businessman himself, the senator contended that citizens’ liberty should prevail in the issue.
“I am a businessman, I am a longstanding supporter of the business community… but I believe individual rights come first,” Elliott declared.
Senate Bill 15, sponsored by State Sen. Arthur Orr (R-Decatur), was the second piece of legislation that received the committee’s blessing. The bill was designed to solidify language and further strengthen the state’s ban against vaccine passports.
Additionally, the bill would ensure parental consent for minors is required concerning COVID-19 vaccination.
The senators are hopeful that the upper chamber will take up the bills for consideration during Tuesday’s reconvening. As the legislation was not included in Gov. Kay Ivey’s special session call, both bills require a two-thirds majority for passage.
Both chambers will reconvene Tuesday morning as the legislature looks to take up further debate on the decennial process of redistricting, along with pandemic relief funding and anti-vaccine mandate legislation.
Yellowhammer News will continue to monitor developments and provide updates throughout the special session.
Dylan Smith is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL
This week, the Alabama Legislature will gavel in the second special session of the 2021 calendar year for redistricting, a decennial constitutionally mandated responsibility of the legislature, which will not be without some controversies.
The legislature was delayed by late-arriving U.S. Census data due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced Gov. Kay Ivey to call the special session for the task that has traditionally been completed in the regular session.
Maps of the new proposed districts are not expected to be made available to the public until the day before October 28, the special session date set by Ivey.
Although the tight-lipped approach of the effort led by State Sen. Jim McClendon (R-Springville) and State Rep. Chris Pringle (R-Mobile) is not totally out of the ordinary for an emotional process to keep it from playing out publicly, it has led to very few of the details to come out ahead of the committee on reapportionment’s official release of the proposed final product.
As compiled by Yellowhammer News, here are six things to watch for in this week’s special session:
1) Handling the population boom in Baldwin County
What ought to be interesting is how the Alabama Legislature will handle House districts in the state’s fastest-growing county.
Will the “robbing Peter to pay Paul” scenario play out where a district is taken away from another part of the state, or will it look more like “robbing Peter to share with Paul,” where districts could be drawn to extend from Mobile County and across the Mobile Bay?
The Senate part of the Baldwin County equation is much easier to predict. What is presently State Sen. Chris Elliott’s (R-Daphne) Senate District 32 is expected to shrink with what is State Sen. Greg Albritton’s (R-Atmore) Senate District 22 moving south.
2) Montgomery GOP-held House District 74 threatened
Montgomery County House District 74, currently occupied by State Rep. Charlotte Meadows (R-Montgomery), is one of the few GOP-held districts about which Republican legislators will likely have to take a tough vote.
Sources tell Yellowhammer News that the district, which comes within two miles of the Alabama State House, will be redrawn in a way that will include more traditionally Democrat-voting precincts.
That has some of Meadows’ allies crying foul and suggesting the district was being redrawn as a punitive measure for her outspokenness on education, primarily school choice, which has drawn the ire of an Alabama Education Association (AEA) teachers’ union that is on the rise in state politics.
3) St. Clair County vs. Jefferson County?
Being the point person in the Alabama Senate comes with certain benefits, and among those is keeping your home turf intact.
There is buzz suggesting Senate reapportionment committee chair State Sen. Jim McClendon (R-Springville) would like to keep St. Clair County all in one state senate district, which could mean an even more balkanized Jefferson and/or Shelby Counties.
That may set up a heavyweight showdown between McClendon, who is not seeking reelection, and members of the Jefferson County delegation, including long-time legislator State Sen. Jabo Waggoner (R-Vestavia Hills).
4) The Madison County conundrum
Early on, this was thought to be one of the problem areas for lawmakers during this process, and it could have been if not for the successful working relationship of this delegation.
Six state senators are currently a part of the Madison County delegation: State Sens. Tim Melson (R-Florence), Arthur Orr (R-Decatur), Tom Butler (R-Madison), Sam Givhan (R-Huntsville), Clay Scofield (R-Guntersville) and Steve Livingston (R-Scottsboro).
With the population growth of Madison County, will the Republican-led legislature be able to maintain all six districts as Republican-held districts?
The House situation is also complicated. Republicans hold six of the eight seats — State Reps. Andy Whitt (R-Harvest), Mike Ball (R-Madison), Howard Sanderford (R-Huntsville), Rex Reynolds (R-Huntsville), Mac McCutcheon (R-Monrovia) and Ritchie Whorton (R-Owens Cross Roads).
Changing demographics suggest Madison County could be a place Democrats could increase their numbers, where there are currently only two Democrats, State Reps. Anthony Daniels (D-Huntsville) and Laura Hall (D-Huntsville).
Insiders tell Yellowhammer News that “greater Huntsville” may see an additional House seat.
Insiders also tell Yellowhammer the legislature would like to see the Senate district seats that primarily encompass the neighboring counties to take on more of Madison.
5) Shake-up in the Shoals
The explosive growth in Madison County had a ripple effect that has been felt as far away as the Shoals, where there had been some concern about the layout of the proposed map headed into the special session.
House District 3, the seat currently occupied by State Rep. Andrew Sorrell (R-Muscle Shoals), now a candidate for State Auditor, could lose Lawrence County, which would likely mean a district gaining a larger portion of Lauderdale County than previously.
Sources told Yellowhammer News discussions took place to possibly add an additional legislator to Colbert County.
Where the shake-up would be most profound is in congressional representation. Alabama’s fifth congressional district could lose the Shoals region entirely.
As Huntsville has grown, the fifth congressional district, a seat held by U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville), a candidate for the U.S. Senate, will be forced to shrink.
Some speculate the Shoals’ Lauderdale County would be split in half geographically, with the populous western half going to U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt’s (R-Haleyville) fourth congressional district and the remainder staying in the fifth congressional district.
That has not prevented concerns about a dilution of Republican strength in the fifth congressional district, which has supported Brooks by big margins in the last two GOP primaries.
6) Expect the expected everywhere else
Anecdotally, the rest of the state is expected to remain roughly as is. Black Belt districts, including U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell’s (D-Birmingham) seventh congressional, will have to expand to counter population losses since the 2010 Census.
That expansion could end U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers’ (R-Saks) run representing an eastern portion of Montgomery County.
Other areas where there could be noticeable tweaks include Tuscaloosa and Lee Counties, home of the University of Alabama and Auburn University, respectively, as college enrollment has dramatically increased over the past decade.
One place where there are not expected to be many changes is the Wiregrass region. The population has remained steady in the Wiregrass compared to other areas of the state, which appears to be keeping controversies at a minimum.
@Jeff_Poor is a graduate of Auburn University and the University of South Alabama, the editor of Breitbart TV, a columnist for Mobile’s Lagniappe Weekly, and host of Mobile’s “The Jeff Poor Show” from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. on FM Talk 106.5.
Dylan Smith is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL
7. Democrats’ issues with spending lust continue
- The trillions of dollars of new spending the left-wing Democrat base desires is still running into roadblocks. There appears to be little movement among the more moderate members U.S. Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ).
- Surprisingly, an editorial by a socialist in a West Virginia newspaper is not bringing Manchin back into the Democrat fold. U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) used the Charleston Gazette-Mail to target Manchin in his home state but Manchin wasn’t having any of it. He stated, “Millions of jobs are open, supply chains are strained and unavoidable inflation taxes are draining workers’ hard-earned wages as the price of gasoline and groceries continues to climb. Senator Sanders’ answer is to throw more money on an already overheated economy while 52 other Senators have grave concerns about this approach.”
6. Supply chain issues are actually due to Biden doing a good job
- The United States has been dealing with continued issues of supply chain disruptions, and many have blamed President Joe Biden and his vaccine mandate that requires a majority of the country to get the coronavirus vaccine or lose their jobs. However, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg believes the supply chain issues are due to Biden’s plan actually working.
- Buttigieg appeared on CNN with Jake Tapper where he discussed the supply chain problem that’s impacting the country, and said that the issues will continue “because the president has successfully guided this economy out of the teeth of a terrifying recession.” This has continued the narrative that Biden is not responsible for missteps in his administration.
5. People only react poorly to Fauci because they don’t like the truth
- According to Dr. Anthony Fauci, people don’t actually have a legitimate reason to oppose his advice and statements, and instead, people are spreading “conspiracy theories” while he only reinforces “science, data and hard facts.” Fauci has repeatedly been criticized for flip-flopping on issues, making inaccurate or exaggerated statements, and pushing a narrative that appears politically motivated. Despite this, Fauci said that he tries “very hard…to be guided by the truth. And sometimes the truth becomes inconvenient for some people, so they react against me.”
- Fauci spent the weekend doing TV hits where he warned of a fifth coronavirus surge that he is already blaming on the unvaccinated, said that you can still spend time with your family this holiday season if you are vaccinated, and being mocked for his predictions about a college football-related surge.
4. Redistricting maps will likely be released on October 27
- State Senator Jim McClendon (R-Springville) has discussed the upcoming special session for redistricting, and as the co-chairman of the reapportionment committee, he’s said that the redistricting maps will likely be released publicly on October 27.
- He discussed the voting process and how they’ll decide between four different maps. According to McClendon, the maps that will be released “will be in the public record and available to anyone who wants to take a look at it. And what they will see is the maps that will be introduced in the House and Senate, and those are the maps that will start the process.”
3. Brooks going after Shelby and Britt on funding
- U.S. Representative Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) has continued to say that the Alabama Farmers Federation (ALFA) and “Big Ag” are in favor of illegal immigration and open borders.
- While attending the Madison County Republican Men’s Club meeting, Brooks said that “Big Ag” benefits the most “from cheap foreign labor.” He went on to say that people should “look and see where these special interest groups go, and you get a pretty good idea where a candidate stands on these particular public policy issues.” Recently, ALFA endorsed U.S. Senate candidate Katie Britt over Brooks, and the allegation that Britt or ALFA are in favor of cheap foreign labor has been disputed by many, including Lieutenant Governor Will Ainsworth.
2. Cases have fallen dramatically
- The surge of coronavirus cases from the Delta variant has ended in Alabama as cases have started to fall to the lower levels seen before the variant, with only 3,946 cases in the last week, ending Sunday.
- Cases have followed a similar trend seen with every surge before and fallen after reaching a peak of nearly 3,000 hospitalizations, but with the Delta variant, there were 942 hospitalizations last Sunday and only 690 as of yesterday. This positive trend signals the end of the Delta variant surge in the state, while other states are still dealing with a surge.
1. Dr. Scott Harris won’t be quick to support a vaccine mandate ban
- State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris recently appeared on Alabama Public Television’s “Capitol Journal” where he discussed the push for the Alabama Legislature to pass a ban on vaccine mandates, and he’s hesitant to support something of that nature. His reasoning is rather weak, as is his positioning here.
- Harris appeared to be trying to remain neutral but said, “We don’t want to see anything put in place that makes it more difficult for people to get vaccinated,” and went on to say, “[W]e also don’t want to send a message that we need to protect Alabamians from being vaccinated.” No mainstream Alabamians have advocated either of these viewpoints.
Alabamians will get their first official glimpse at new proposed redistricting maps later this month, according to State Sen. Jim McClendon (R-Springville), the co-chairman of the Alabama Legislature reapportionment committee.
During an interview with FM Talk 106.5’s “The Jeff Poor Show,” McClendon explained once the maps were approved by the committee, they would be posted online, which would come on the eve of the reported special session called by Gov. Kay Ivey.
“We don’t have anything final to show anybody, except legislators to help them to draw their districts until it comes out of the redistricting committee,” he said. “That committee will meet two days prior to the special session. The committee will meet and make a decision on the four different maps, and it’ll be a vote of the 22 members of that committee. They’ll pick four different maps, and those are the maps that will be dropped in the hopper and start the process for the legislature.”
“On [October] 27, those maps will be posted,” McClendon continued. “They’ll be online and easily accessible for anyone that wants to see them. And they’ll be able to zoom in with them. It’s a mighty effort to get all that done quickly, but that’s what the plan is. What comes out of the redistricting committee — once it comes out of that committee, it will be in bill form, and it will be in the public record and available to anyone who wants to take a look at it. And what they will see is the maps that will be introduced in the House and the Senate, and those are the maps that will start the process.”
The St. Clair County Republican lawmaker said there was still work underway but expected to have a final product the body would be “happy with.”
“Right now, we’re solving problems and resolving conflicts,” McClendon added. “We’ll come forward with four maps that we feel like we’ve got the agreement on that legislators are happy with. It doesn’t do any good to come forward with maps legislators are unhappy with because they won’t get the vote if the maps won’t come out. We’re working in that direction. We’re beginning to work feverishly to get there to resolve the problems, but that’s what our job is.”
@Jeff_Poor is a graduate of Auburn University and the University of South Alabama, the editor of Breitbart TV, a columnist for Mobile’s Lagniappe Weekly, and host of Mobile’s “The Jeff Poor Show” from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. on FM Talk 106.5.
7. Biden upsetting his base by accurately describing communism
- President Joe Biden has said that one of the options he’s considering to assist the people in Cuba is creating an internet source for them to access since the communist regime has shut down access due to protests.
- Biden advised that they’re “considering whether we have the technological ability to reinstate that access.” He went on to call communism a “failed system, a universally failed system, and I don’t see socialism as a very useful substitute.” He added, “Cuba is, unfortunately, a failed state and represses their citizens.”
6. Gambling machines seized in Anniston (more…)
Statistics have not painted a pretty picture for Alabama’s COVID-19 vaccination efforts, and it’s time to start asking Alabama health officials questions why according to State Sen. Jim McClendon (R-Springville).
McClendon, chair of the Senate Health Committee, commented on a panel of policymakers tasked to review the state’s response to the pandemic, noting that the stated intention was not to “throw rocks.”
However, during an appearance on Mobile radio’s FM Talk 106.5, McClendon said it was time to take a critical approach on reviewing the state’s COVID response.
If you mention “regulatory capture” to most people, you might receive a lot of puzzled looks, even at the upper echelons of Alabama state government.
State Sen. Jim McClendon (R-Springville) hopes to change that because he sees it as a threat to good government.
During an appearance on Wednesday broadcast of “The Jeff Poor Show” on Mobile radio’s FM Talk 106.5, McClendon explained what the term meant, which he argued has led to “bias” within those bodies.
7. Ivey signed the yoga bill; Literacy Act delay still out there
- It’s now legal for schools to allow yoga after Governor Kay Ivey has signed the bill that ends the ban that was adopted by the State Board of Education in 1993. Schools can start offering yoga in the 2021-2022 school year.
- Interestingly, Governor Ivey has not signed the Literacy Act delay yet. State Representative Terri Collins (R-Decatur) is still calling for her to veto the bill.
6. Jim McClendon isn’t running for reelection (more…)
State Senator Jim McClendon (R-Springville) on Thursday announced that he will not be seeking reelection in the 2022 election cycle.
After serving three terms in the Alabama House of Representatives, McClendon was first elected to the Senate in 2014 before being reelected in 2018.
He currently serves as chairman of the Senate Healthcare Committee and leads reapportionment efforts for the upper chamber.
“It has been an honor and a privilege to serve the people of District 11 in the Senate. I am proud of the work that I have been able to do for my community, our state and the people who elected me to serve over the years,” McClendon said in a statement. “After nearly two decades in the state legislature, I have now decided that it is time to pass the torch and give the opportunity to serve my district in the Senate to someone else.” (more…)
The news that Alabama would keep all seven U.S. House seats was great news for the state, unless you are in the media covering Alabama politics or in the Alabama Democratic Party.
The Montgomery Advertiser’s Brian Lyman, the guy with the most accurate last name in journalism, is trying his best to make an argument that he and every person he speaks to in his story knows is silly.
The headline is innocuous enough:
Alabama Democrats could seek second majority-minority congressional seat
Sure they do. I also seek more money from Yellowhammer News and more radio stations to broadcast my shows, but at least those things are possible.
The premise here is so ridiculously laughable that only someone who has no clue how politics works could have written it, and only a few would pay to read it and then believe it had any chance of happening. (more…)
With just a handful of days remaining in the Alabama Legislature’s 2021 regular session, getting a gaming proposal through the Alabama House of Representatives that the Alabama Senate passed this week could prove to be a difficult challenge.
However, State Sen. Jim McClendon (R-Springville) argues his House colleagues could have an added incentive to push ahead on the vote before adjournment sine die.
McClendon was a “no” vote for the 2019 Rebuild Alabama Act, which includes a provision that makes annual gas tax hikes a possibility for the foreseeable future. He said on Thursday’s broadcast of Mobile radio FM Talk 106.5’s “The Jeff Poor Show” that if voters are denied a referendum on a constitutional amendment for gambling, it could come back to haunt incumbents in the 2022 campaign cycle.
MONTGOMERY — The Alabama Senate on Tuesday passed a historic package of legislation that would legalize, regulate and implement a lottery, casino gaming in select locations and sports betting in the Yellowhammer State.
The effort has been spearheaded by Sen. Del Marsh (R-Anniston), whose SB 214 fell two votes short in the upper chamber earlier this year. However, Marsh kept working after that initial hiccup, ultimately working with Sen. Jim McClendon (R-Springville) to advance new legislation that ended up largely being modeled off of SB 214.
The package passed Tuesday was anchored by a constitutional amendment, SB 319, that was originally introduced by McClendon as a lottery-only proposal. However, SB 319 was substituted and then amended three times on the floor; that process led to the constitutional amendment also including casino gaming and sports wagering. (more…)
Another week is here, and that means we are into another week of gambling conversation.
Many discussions have already been had about what type of gambling we will have in the state of Alabama and who will benefit.
Will it just be a lottery and nothing more? Will it be casino gaming? Will there be sports betting? Will I be able to bet on WrestleMania? Will the Poarch Band of Creek Indians be happy? Will illegal casino owners across the state be happy? Will out-of-state investors want to come to the state and build casinos? Will the money go to the General Fund? Will the money go to education? Will the money go to ISIS?
Most people of the state of Alabama don’t really care about the particulars here. They don’t know that the Alabama Senate is about to substitute a “simple” lottery bill by Senator Jim McClendon (R-Springville) while Senator Del Marsh (R-Anniston) has a more complicated and comprehensive bill that would open up gambling in the state of Alabama. (more…)
7. Bill to limit election law changes too close to elections passes
- New legislation which bans any changes to election laws and procedures up to six months before a general election has passed the Alabama House of Representatives. State Representative Jim Carns (R-Vestavia Hills) sponsors the bill that would be a constitutional amendment.
- The purpose of the bill is to protect future elections and prevent doubt in elections moving forward, such as in places like Pennsylvania in the 2020 general election. The bill passed 75-24 with strong Democrat opposition.
6. You can now be exempt from ‘so help me God’ (more…)
7. Bessemer Amazon employee gets a national stage
- The U.S. Senate Budget Committee held a hearing over the Bessemer Amazon employees wanting to unionize, and an employee from the fulfillment center testified at the hearing, saying that unionizing would help employees be “more comfortable.”
- The hearing also related to overall topics of wages and large corporations, but U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) did say that he wants to ask Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, “Why are you doing everything in your power to stop your workers in Bessemer, Ala., from joining a union so they can negotiate for better wages, better benefits and better working conditions?”
6. Biden taking shots at Putin (more…)
MONTGOMERY — The Alabama Senate Tourism Committee on Wednesday afternoon gave a favorable report to SB 319 as substituted. This bill, sponsored by Sen. Jim McClendon (R-Springville), would propose a constitutional amendment to legalize a lottery in the state of Alabama.
The committee action came via a voice vote, with no dissension noted.
McClendon referred to the contents of the substitute version of SB 319 approved by the committee as “a plain and simple lottery.”
The bill would see a lottery administered by a newly created Alabama Lottery Corporation, which would be overseen and regulated by a newly created Alabama Lottery Commission. (more…)
The failure of State Sen. Del Marsh’s (R-Anniston) comprehensive gaming legislation last week has led to some lawmakers scrambling for a simplified back-up plan that could lay the groundwork for at least a lottery in Alabama.
Among those are State Sen. Garlan Gudger (R-Cullman), who along with Sen. Jim McClendon (R-Springville), has proposed a so-called “simple lottery” bill.
During an appearance on Mobile radio’s FM Talk 106.5, Gudger explained his efforts on the lottery issue stemmed from what he had heard from his constituents and added that he was working with Marsh and McClendon on his proposal.
Immediately upon the failure of Sen. Del Marsh’s (R-Anniston) comprehensive gambling legislation earlier this week, Marsh’s colleague, Sen. Jim McClendon (R-Springville), dropped a bill with a stated objective of creating a “simple lottery.”
The legislation, SB320, which is co-sponsored by Marsh and Sen. Garlan Gudger (R-Cullman), also includes a provision for five locations with so-called “video lottery terminals.”
On Wednesday, McClendon discussed the effort during an interview that aired on Mobile radio’s FM Talk 106.5. McClendon insisted that his bill’s simplicity could allow it to succeed in the Alabama Legislature, where Marsh’s more complex comprehensive bill did not.
When this legislative session started in Montgomery, insiders told you there was a real chance for a comprehensive gambling bill to clear both chambers and get to a vote of the people.
State Senator Del Marsh (R-Anniston) announced he was giving up leadership of the State Senate and would carry the bill to accomplish this task through the legislative bodies.
It appeared to start out with a lot of support. He met with current players in the industry — both those that are questionably legal (electronic bingo operators) and those who have fought and beat the federal government to get their status (the Poarch Band of Creek Indians). (more…)
Last week, four state senators criticized the Alabama Department of Public Health’s (ADPH) efforts to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine, calling it a “kink” in the pipeline.
In a release provided to the media, State Sens. Jim McClendon (R-Springville), Greg Albritton (R-Atmore), Tom Whatley (R-Auburn) and Randy Price (R-Opelika) warned shortcomings in vaccine distribution was coming at the cost of lives.
During an appearance on this week’s broadcast of Alabama Public Television’s “Capitol Journal,” State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris said while he welcomed hearing from the lawmakers, he would have preferred to have heard from them directly and not through the media. He also insisted the answer to their questions was available on the ADPH’s dashboard website.
The rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine in Alabama has had a fair number of critics, given primarily for the last-place ranking in the country from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and for a hotline set up by the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) for vaccine appointments, which has been overwhelmed at times.
State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris has disputed the CDC’s findings, arguing it had not considered updated data from the state that would have made Alabama mid-tier. He told APTV’s “Capitol Journal” the solution to all the woes ailing the state would be for more of the vaccine to be readily available.
A handful of Alabama state senators have taken notice of the shortcomings and are urging ADPH officials to get a handle on the data and report to the CDC, which will help the state avoid allotment issues in the future. In a joint letter, State Sens. Jim McClendon (R-Springville), Greg Albritton (R-Atmore), Tom Whatley (R-Auburn) and Randy Price (R-Opelika) warned Alabama citizens were paying a “deadly price” because of the state of Alabama’s struggles.
According to a report from The Gadsden Times’ Donna Thornton, over 1 million people have called a hotline designated by the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) to schedule appointments to receive the COVID-19 vaccine beginning Jan. 18.
State Sen. Jim McClendon (R-Springville) argues that effort by the ADPH leaves much to be desired.
During an appearance on Mobile radio FM Talk 106.5’s “The Jeff Poor Show” on Monday, McClendon relayed his struggles with the hotline and called on state government to bolster its efforts and shore up the ability to respond to calls on the hotline.