Alabama Politics

State Senate Unanimously Approves a $6.6 Billion Education Budget

Budget Includes Pay Raise for School Teachers
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The Alabama Senate approved a $6.6 billion Education Trust Fund for Fiscal Year 2019, which starts October 1, and a 2.5% pay raise for Alabama’s teachers and education support personnel on Thursday afternoon. It is the largest education budget for Alabama’s schools since the great recession of 2008. “Nothing is more important than ensuring a quality education for every student in Alabama, and…

Senate OKs Rusty Glover’s Resolution to Keep Alabama on Daylight Saving Time

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The Alabama Senate considered a resolution by Senator Rusty Glover (R-Semmes) to put the state on permanent Daylight Saving Time earlier today. Twenty-seven Republican and Democratic Senators joined Senator Glover in sponsoring the motion, which was adopted. Glover’s resolution, which asks President Donald Trump and the federal Department of Transportation to enact the change, was also sent to other state…

Child Care Safety Act Passes In Senate

Rep. Pebblin Warren: “Today is a great day for the children of Alabama.”
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The ‘Child Care Safety Act,’ sponsored by Rep. Pebblin Warren, passed out of the Senate this morning with a vote of 22-4. This legislation would provide the most basic level of safety for children attending religious affiliated daycares throughout the state including requiring criminal background checks on the people whose care children are being placed into and yearly inspections of…

Controversial Bill to Arm Teachers Moves Forward in Alabama

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A divided House of Representatives committee has approved a proposal that would allow some teachers to carry or access firearms in schools. The House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee voted 5-4 for the bill Thursday. The bill would allow school systems to designate employees that could carry or access handguns and rifles. Republican Rep. Will Ainsworth, the bill sponsor,…

AG Steve Marshall Achieves Reconsideration of Federal Rules that Excessively Restrict Property Owners’ Use of Land

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 Attorney General Steve Marshall announced today that, in light of a lawsuit filed by Alabama and joined by 19 States, the federal government has agreed to reconsider rules adopted during the Obama administration that restrict property owners’ use of land. In 2016, federal agencies adopted two new rules that allowed the federal government to designate land as “critical habitat” for…

Alabama Senate Passes “30 Days to Pay” Reforms

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The Alabama Senate today passed Senate Bill 138 with bipartisan support on a vote of 20-4. The legislation gives borrowers 30 days to pay any payday loan, which helps borrowers better manage their finances by allowing them to pay off debts alongside other monthly bills.  Under current law, payday lenders can set the terms of their loans from 10 to 31 days,…

Alabama House Committee Approves Nitrogen Execution

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Alabama moved closer to allowing death row inmates to be executed with nitrogen gas, a method that has never been used to execute someone. The House Judiciary Committee approved the bill Wednesday. It now moves to the full House of Representatives for a possible floor vote. The bill by Sen. Trip Pittman would allow execution by nitrogen hypoxia if lethal…

Up-skirting Victims Push To Fill loophole in Alabama law

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Taking a picture or video of a person’s intimate body parts without consent could soon be a crime in Alabama. A bill to criminalize so-called up-skirting passed the Senate and moves to the House for a final vote. All U.S. states prohibit photography of individuals in a place like a dressing room where they can expect privacy. More than half…

More Shake-ups in the Kay Ivey Administration

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There are more cabinet and staff shake-ups in the administration of Alabama Governor Kay Ivey.  Today, Ivey’s office announced the appointment of  Lynn Beshear as Commissioner of the Department of Mental Health.  Plus, State EMA Director Art Faulkner announced his retirement.  Another person exiting is Press Secretary Eileen Jones.  She’s being replaced by Daniel Sparkman who previously served as  Director of Appointments and…

Ron Sparks Calls Out Gov. Kay Ivey Over His Firing

Former Director of the Alabama Rural Development Office says his firing was purely political.
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The former Director of Alabama Rural Development Office, Ron Sparks is speaking out over his firing by new Alabama Governor Kay Ivey.   Sparks says his dismissal was purely political.  Sparks spoke one on one with Alabama News Network’s Jeff Sanders.  Sparks says he found out about the abolishment of his office through the press and not by Ivey’s office. Sparks says…