Author

Chip Brownlee

Chip Brownlee is a former political reporter, online content manager and webmaster at the Alabama Political Reporter. He is now a reporter at The Trace, a non-profit newsroom covering guns in America.

News

Senate bill would require more Ethics Commission oversight of lawmaker consulting contracts

By Chip Brownlee Alabama Political Reporter An Alabama State Senate committee approved a bill Thursday that would require more Ethics Commission oversight of lawmakers’ consulting contracts if those contracts are outside the normal scope of the member’s profession or business. The bill as it passed out of committee would require a company or person seeking … Continued

Chip Brownlee

February 16, 2018

After Parkland shooting, Alabama lawmaker wants to arm teachers in the classroom

An Alabama lawmaker wants to arm teachers in classrooms across the state. Guntersville Republican Rep. Will Ainsworth plans to drop a bill that would allow teachers to carry concealed guns at schools if they are trained to a state standard. The introduction of the bill would come after a mass shooting at a school in … Continued

Chip Brownlee

February 16, 2018

Bill to scrap special elections for US Senate makes it out of committee

By Chip Brownlee Alabama Political Reporter A bill that would do away with distinct special elections for U.S. Senate vacancies gained the approval of an Alabama State Senate committee Thursday. The bill sponsored by Rep. Steve Clouse, R-Ozark would direct the governor to set the election to fill a vacated U.S. Senate seat to coincide … Continued

Chip Brownlee

February 16, 2018

Senate to consider bill allowing voters to register up to election day

By Chip Brownlee Alabama Political Reporter A Senate bill passed out of committee Thursday would let voters register up to and including election day. Voters must register two weeks in advance of an election under current state law. Selma Democrat Sen. Hank Sanders’ bill would change Alabama law to allow voters to register within that … Continued

Chip Brownlee

February 16, 2018

Brooks takes another jab at “smoke and mirrors” budget deal

By Chip Brownlee Alabama Political Reporter U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Alabama, is making it well known that he is not happy with the recent bipartisan budget deal — a wide-ranging agreement that upped federal spending levels to the disdain of fiscal conservatives in the House. Congress passed the two-year spending bill last week, ending months … Continued

Chip Brownlee

February 15, 2018

Jasper businessman Matthew Woods sworn in as state community colleges trustee

By Staff Alabama Political Reporter The Alabama Community College System Board of Trustees gained a new member on Wednesday. Gov. Kay Ivey recently appointed Matthew Woods, a Bevill State Community College graduate and Jasper area businessman, to serve as a representative for District 4 in West Alabama. Woods was sworn in on Wednesday after being confirmed … Continued

Chip Brownlee

February 15, 2018

Federal court rules, on grounds of race, that Gardendale can’t secede from county schools

By Chip Brownlee Alabama Political Reporter A federal appeals court led by Judge William Pryor, a former Alabama attorney general, ruled Tuesday that the largely white Birmingham suburb of Gardendale cannot secede from the Jefferson County school system to form its own municipal schools. The U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, a three-member court headed … Continued

Chip Brownlee

February 14, 2018

After toddler death in Auburn, Senate moves to mandate grease trap safety

By Chip Brownlee Alabama Political Reporter After the death of a 3-year-old girl in Auburn last year, the Alabama State Senate approved a bill Tuesday that would require restaurants to ensure their grease traps are safe and properly secured. The bill, proposed by Auburn Republican Sen. Tom Whatley, is named after Sadie Grace Andrews, a … Continued

Chip Brownlee

February 14, 2018

Sen. Slade Blackwell, last minute qualifier for governor, withdraws from race

By Chip Brownlee Alabama Political Reporter State Sen. Slade Blackwell, R-Mountain Brook, who qualified Friday for the Republican gubernatorial primary, has withdrawn from the race. Blackwell, a wealthy Birmingham businessman who has represented Alabama’s Senate District 15, withdrew from the race Monday just days after his last-minute qualification, the Alabama Political Reporter has confirmed. His … Continued

Chip Brownlee

February 13, 2018

A federal judge wants to know why 131 inmates with mental illnesses remain in solitary confinement

By Chip Brownlee Alabama Political Reporter A federal judge has ordered the Alabama Department of Corrections to provide an update on why 131 prisoners with serious mental illnesses remain in solitary confinement even after a court order last year ordered the prison system to move them out of segregation when possible. The request for information … Continued

Chip Brownlee

February 13, 2018