Chip Brownlee

By Chip Brownlee Alabama Political Reporter MONTGOMERY — A House committee gave a favorable report to a Senate bill Tuesday that would shorten the time frame for death penalty appeals in an effort to reduce the number of years that can pass while an inmate stays on death row. The bill would require death row inmates to … Continued

By Chip Brownlee Alabama Political Reporter MONTGOMERY — The House Judiciary Committee is expected to take up legislation authorizing the Alabama Prison Transformation Initiative in a meeting Tuesday morning. The committee will consider SB302, passed by the Senate last month, which would authorize the construction of up to three new men’s prisons. The bill was a … Continued

By Chip Brownlee Alabama Political Reporter MONTGOMERY — When Prichard Police Captain Charles Kennedy walked into a religious camp for troubled teens in Mobile County in 2011, he found a naked boy huddled in the center of a tiny, 6-by-8 isolation room. The child was being punished for “having an attitude,” the program manager of … Continued

By Chip Brownlee Alabama Political Reporter MONTGOMERY — Alabama Senate Republicans on Thursday passed a new legislative redistricting plan that will adjust more than 20 Senate districts. The plan passed against the wishes of black lawmakers who argued that it doesn’t fairly divide Jefferson County or fully alleviate racial gerrymandering concerns. The new legislative districts … Continued

By Chip Brownlee Alabama Political Reporter MONTGOMERY — An unlikely issue has become one of the most contentious topics in the State House this session: mandating insurance coverage for an autism spectrum therapy called applied behavioral analysis therapy. The debate over a bill that would provide just that has many senators demanding a vote and some … Continued

By Chip Brownlee Alabama Political Reporter MONTGOMERY — The Alabama Senate has passed a largely level-funded General Fund Budget of more than $1.8 billion, responsible for supplying money for all of Alabama’s non-educational agencies and programs. The Senate passed the budget for the fiscal year of 2018 by a vote of 24-4, fulfilling one if … Continued

By Chip Brownlee Alabama Political Reporter MONTGOMERY — Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Wednesday signed a controversial bill into law that will allow faith-based adoption and foster agencies in the State to refuse services to same-sex couples if it goes against their religious convictions. Ivey approved House Bill 24, sponsored by Rep. Rich Wingo, R-Tuscaloosa, after … Continued

By Chip Brownlee Alabama Political Reporter MONTGOMERY — Democrats promised to hold up progress in the Alabama House of Representatives on Tuesday after a clash with Republicans over legislative redistricting earlier in the day. And they delivered on their promise, slowing down the calendar and holding the House in session late into the night on Tuesday. … Continued

By Chip Brownlee Alabama Political Reporter MONTGOMERY — The Alabama Finance Department is set to terminate its contract with a technology company over the controversial $47-million STAARS software program, according to court documents. The Finance Department purchased the new statewide accounting system software, the State of Alabama Accounting and Resource System, in 2015. In December 2015, The Alabama Political Reporter reported … Continued