The Alabama Forestry Association (AFA) recently announced its latest round of endorsements for candidates seeking reelection to the Alabama House of Representatives.

State Rep. Proncey Robertson (R-Mt. Hope)

Robertson is seeking his second term representing House District 7, which includes Winston, Lawrence, Franklin and Morgan Counties. He is a retired law enforcement officer and U.S. Air Force veteran who served in the Persian Gulf War.

The lawmaker has served as chairman of the Lawrence County Republican Party executive committee for four years.

In a statement, Robertson extended his appreciation to AFA over its endorsement of his reelection bid.

“As a pro business and free enterprise candidate, I’m very proud to be endorsed by the Alabama Forestry Association,” stated Robertson. “I appreciate the AFA’s continuing support and knowledge they provide about forestry related issues and the Alabama business community as a whole.”

State Rep. Tracy Estes (R-Winfield)

Estes has represented District 17 since 2018, which includes Winston, Marion and Lamar Counties. He obtained a degree in news editorial journalism in 1989 from the University of Alabama.

Estes previously worked for the Tuscaloosa News and the Montgomery Advertiser Sports Department. He became the editor of Marion County’s Journal Record Newspaper in 1991.

Estes conveyed gratitude for the endorsement and spoke to the role his district plays in the timber industry.

“I am certainly honored to receive an endorsement from the Alabama Forestry Association,” said Estes. “Representing a portion of Alabama so richly blessed with lush and beautiful timberland only makes this endorsement mean more. I have several forestry farmers in my district and I see their pride in their work and in their land, a heritage which has sometimes been handed down for generations. I am grateful to have the opportunity to work with the association to protect the interest of those who work in this industry.”

State Rep. Rex Reynolds (R-Huntsville)

Reynolds in 2018 emerged victorious in a special election for House District 21, which covers a portion of Madison County. He serves as chair of the House Local Legislation Committee and as the vice chair of House Military and Veteran Affairs Committee.

The lawmaker holds a bachelor’s degree from Athens State University and a master’s degree in public safety administration from Auburn University at Montgomery.

Reynolds served as the director of public safety for the Huntsville Department of Public Safety and later served as the city administrator for the City of Huntsville. In 2013, he became the owner of Reynolds Consulting Services, LLC and then served as president and COO of Sharp Communications in Huntsville.

Reynolds expressed appreciation for the endorsement and praised AFA’s contributions to the state.

“I’m so appreciative of the Forestry endorsement,” said Reynolds. “I have always appreciated their support of our volunteer firefighters, protecting our natural resources, and their commitment to a better Alabama”.

State Rep. Ritchie Whorton (R-Owens Cross Roads)

Whorton is seeking his third term serving House District 22, representing a portion of Madison County. The Jacksonville State University graduate is the current vice chair of the House Local Legislation Committee. Whorton has owned All Star Pools, Inc. in Madison County for two decades.

In a statement, Whorton advised that landowners were the “backbone” of the United States.

“I got elected to advocate for limited government,” stated Whorton. “Forestry was with me then and with me now. I am honored to have the Association’s continued support. Landowners are the backbone of this country.”

State Rep. Dexter Grimsley (D-Abbeville)

Grimsley is running for reelection to House District 85, which includes Houston and Henry Counties. First elected in 2010, Grimsley is a member of the House Agriculture and Forestry Committee.

Grimsley, a graduate of Northwestern State University of Louisiana, has served as the chief juvenile probation officer for Henry County since 1995.

Regarding AFA’s endorsement of his reelection bid, Grimsley stated, “My goal in public service is to provide leadership with integrity. I appreciate what AFA brings to the process.”

AFA announced its first, second and third rounds of endorsements in February, followed by its fourth, fifth and sixth in March.

The primary election is scheduled to take place on May 24, 2022.

Dylan Smith is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL

7. Hillary Clinton continues her life as a fictitious storyteller

• Former multi-time failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has “written” a book. Instead of a book of more lies about her life, this time, she has put her name on a mystery novel called “State of Terror,” which could be based on her honeymoon. When announcing this, Clinton hilariously told another lie and called this book her “first foray into fiction.”
• This book is yet another opportunity for Hillary Clinton that she wouldn’t have if she hadn’t allowed her husband to be a terrible person and treat her like garbage.

6. A new issue has emerged for Democrats’ spending battle: abortion

• Democrats are in disarray as President Joe Biden traveled to Michigan to pitch his “Build Back Better” plan and get U.S. Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) on board. Manchin’s insistence that the Hyde Amendment, which bans federal spending on abortion, be part of the bill is upsetting Biden’s progressive supporters.
• Manchin said the spending bill is “dead on arrival” if it is not included, but U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and other progressives have pledged to continue fighting the amendment. Biden, who has historically supported the Hyde Amendment, has flip-flopped on this after being criticized from his left, which is odd seeing how he has been in politics at the federal level for almost 50 years.

5. Iran and China are doing things U.S. Senators want to do

• While the Kabuki theater of the latest Facebook “whistleblower” hearing continued on Capitol Hill, a continuing theme of how much our democracy is in danger because your grandmother is sharing misinformation on Facebook, many members of Congress and the “whistleblower” want legislators to regulate the speech of people they disagree with on Facebook.
• Strangely, the plight of Iranian and Chinese dissidents has come up under the premise that the authoritarian governments in those countries are using Facebook to spy on those movements. After the meeting, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) spoke gleefully of getting this “whistleblower” in front of other committees, including the partisan committee looking at the U.S. Capitol riot.

4. Hawley and Cotton question the decision to go after parents

• Since it’s been released that the Department of Justice plans to target parents who are vocally opposed to members of their school board due to coronavirus mitigation mandates, some are raising concerns over the memo due to the vague use of “intimidation” and “problematic.”
• U.S. Senators Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Tom Cotton (R-AR) both questioned Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco on the issue, with Hawley asking “where the line is with parents expressing their concerns.” Monaco said that “spirited debate” is allowed. After the National School Boards Association asked President Joe Biden to possibly use the PATRIOT Act to respond to “threats or actual acts of violence against our school districts,” Cotton asked if it’s “domestic extremism for a parent to advocate for their child’s best interests?”

3. Some deadlines in vaccine mandate have been released

• While there has been minimal public guidance on when people have to be vaccinated against the coronavirus since President Joe Biden’s mandate, the Pentagon will require all civilian employees to be fully vaccinated no later than November 22.
• To be considered fully vaccinated, an individual has to receive their final dose of the vaccine two weeks previous to November 22. More than 93% of active duty military have received at least one dose of the vaccine. Employees have also been told to expect to provide proof of their vaccination status. Biden’s executive order on civilians has not been issued yet; it may never come at all.

2. More people have died from the coronavirus in 2021 than 2020 in the state of Alabama

• According to the Alabama Department of Public Health, there have been more deaths from the coronavirus in the state in 2021 than there were in 2020. So far this year, 7,283 people have reportedly died from the virus, while 7,188 people died from the virus in 2020.
• The state has dealt with multiple surges of the coronavirus through the Delta variant, and many of the cases and deaths at the beginning of the year came after the holiday surge of cases. Coronavirus cases have been falling in the state, but Dr. Karen Landers of the ADPH has said, “When an individual dies due to COVID-19, it takes a median of 25 days for the death to be reported to ADPH. As deaths are reported, each death is investigated to determine if it was a COVID-19 death.”

1. Bill pre-filed to fight Biden vaccine mandate, but the regular session will be far too late

• In an effort to protect small businesses and individuals, State Representative Ritchie Whorton (R-Owens Crossroads) has pre-filed a bill to block President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate. If legislators wait until the 2022 regular session, this will mean nothing at all.
• The “Alabama Health Freedom Act” would also work to protect employees from any vaccine mandate put in place by their employer. The bill would make it illegal to discriminate against a person due to their vaccine status. When speaking about the vaccine mandate, Whorton said, “[I] t’s going to kill small businesses if we enforce this.”

State Rep. Ritchie Whorton (R-Owens Cross Roads) has pre-filed a bill, titled the “Alabama Health Freedom Act,” which aims to protect workers against employer-mandated vaccines as well as shield businesses from President Joe Biden’s vaccine decree.

Whorton’s House Bill 31 has recently earned the endorsement of Health Freedom Alabama, a statewide grassroots organization whose stated mission is to protect “parental and human rights regarding health care decisions in Alabama.”

The bill takes direct aim at the president’s vaccine edict requiring employers with 100 or more workers to force vaccination upon their workforce or subject them to weekly virus testing. House Bill 31 states that all federal vaccine mandates “shall not be recognized by this state, are specifically rejected by this state, and shall be considered void and of no effect in this state.”

Additionally, Whorton’s bill would make it illegal for employers, places of public accommodation and occupational licensing boards to discriminate against individuals regardless of vaccination status. If entities are found to be in violation of the act should it become law, private attorneys or the Alabama Attorney General may take legal action on behalf of the aggrieved party.

Kaycee Cavender, co-director of Health Freedom Alabama, believes the state could potentially face an “economic disaster” should employees be terminated if they choose not to become inoculated against COVID-19.

“The Alabama Health Freedom Act is not only an avenue to secure individual freedom and liberty but will also protect Alabama businesses and the economic development in our state,” said Cavender. “If more than half of our population refuses to take the mandated vaccines and lose their jobs as a result, we will find ourselves in a completely avoidable economic disaster.”

Cavender believes the bill should be considered during a special session of the state legislature so as to resolve the issue before potential harm is caused.

“The livelihood of Alabama citizens and our state economy cannot afford to wait for a regular session in January,” she added. “Alabamians vote with their feet and how they vote next year will be determined by how the Governor and legislature handles this issue now.”

Whorton, a small business owner, tells Yellowhammer News that he believes should the state fail to derail Biden’s vaccine edict, Alabama will suffer economically as a consequence.

“As a business owner, I’m not going to force my employees to get a vaccination if they don’t want it, and I think it’s going to hurt our workforce,” said Whorton. “I may have employees that don’t want to take it and if I fire them that’s going to hurt me and I think it’ll hurt other businesses also.”

The two-term North Alabama legislator noted that his office is fielding concerns from workers and small businesses alike who are fiercely opposed to the mandate.

“You know, I left a company here in my district… they have over 100 employees and they’re not for that,” he advised. “They don’t want to force their employees to get vaxxed and I don’t blame them. It’s an individual choice – I’m not against vaccinations. If you want to get vaxxed, it’s your priority… but I’m not for a mandate either.”

Whorton added, “You’ve got a lot of people that’s not going to do it and they’re going to be searching for another job,” further stating that “it’s going to kill small businesses if we enforce this.”

Dylan Smith is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL

As more of the COVID-19 vaccinations become available, there is a fear the vaccine could be compulsory as government works toward eradicating the virus’ threat.

State Rep. Ritchie Whorton (R-Owens Cross Roads) seeks to limit local and state government authority mandated vaccinations through his legislation HB278, co-sponsored by State Rep. Tommy Hanes (R-Bryant).

During an interview with Mobile radio’s FM Talk 106.5, Whorton said he saw that as a decision made by an individual and not by the government.

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State Rep. Arnold Mooney’s (R-Indian Springs) campaign for the U.S. Senate has received an endorsement from 10 of his colleagues in the state legislature with less than two weeks to go before the primary election.

The endorsers include many of the most conservative members in the Alabama statehouse, like State Rep. Mike Holmes from the Montgomery area and State Rep. Tommy Hanes from Northeast Alabama.

The state-level endorsements fall in line with the prominent national conservatives who have endorsed Mooney previously. Conservative Senators Mike Lee (R-UT) and Rand Paul (R-KY), along with conservative television host Mark Levin, and Alabama’s own Rep. Mo Brooks (AL-05) are among those who have thrown their support behind Mooney.
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