Author

Craig Ford

Craig Ford is the owner of Ford Insurance and the Gadsden Messenger. He represented Etowah County in the Alabama House of Representatives for 18 years.

News

Statement from House Minority Leader Craig Ford Responding to Passage of the Constitutional Amendment

By Craig Ford, House Minority Leader “The people of Alabama have spoken, and I am glad that Medicaid will avoid disaster for at least one more year. But the problem has not gone away, and if we do not act soon, we will be right back here in three years. We cannot pass the buck … Continued

Craig Ford

September 19, 2012

Opinion

Why the Alabama Medicaid Amendment, Amendment 1, does NOT solve Alabama’s Medicaid

Alabamian’s Deserve a Permanent Solution By Minority Leader Rep. Craig Ford Over the past few months, I have been approached by voters from all parts of our great state and have been asked what I think about the proposed constitutional amendment (the Alabama Medicaid Amendment, Amendment 1) that will appear on the September 18 special … Continued

Craig Ford

September 6, 2012

Opinion

An Outline for Supporting Our Schools

By Craig Ford Alabama House Minority Leader In previous columns, I have written about the mistakes I believe Republicans are making in regards to our public education system. I have also written about the need to provide competitive compensation to keep and attract the best and brightest to the education profession. When the legislature returns … Continued

Craig Ford

August 28, 2012

Opinion

Republicans in the State Legislature Have Failed the People of Alabama

By House Minority Leader Craig Ford As Republicans like to point out, for 136 years, Alabama voters continued to re-elect Democrats to represent them in Montgomery. During those 136, Alabama’s taxes were among the lowest in the nation, yet we still balanced the budget every year without gutting our schools, or the state’s Medicaid program. … Continued

Craig Ford

August 22, 2012

Opinion

House Democratic Caucus Names Rep. Joe Hubbard “Member of the Month”

From the Office of Minority Leader Rep. Craig Ford Montgomery, AL – The Minority Leader in the Alabama House of Representatives, Rep. Craig Ford (D-Gadsden), announced this morning that Rep. Joe Hubbard (D- Montgomery) has been named by the leadership of the House Democratic Caucus as the “Member of the Month” for the month of August. … Continued

Craig Ford

August 15, 2012

Opinion

Support Our Kids By Supporting Our Teachers and Support Personnel

By House Minority Leader, Craig Ford There are several factors that can influence a child’s ability to learn: their economic situation, parental involvement, access to resources like modern technology and current textbooks, and classroom sizes. But a key ingredient to child’s academic success is having good teachers and support personnel in our schools. We have … Continued

Craig Ford

August 14, 2012

Opinion

House Minority Leader Craig Ford: Sen. Bryan Taylor Playing Politics With Announcement About Debt Repayment Bill

From the Office of House Minority Leader Rep. Craig Ford Montgomery, AL – House Minority Leader Rep. Craig Ford (D-Gadsden) said state Sen. Bryan Taylor’s announcement earlier this week that he has pre-filed a debt repayment bill is about getting publicity rather than offering a real solution to repay any money borrowed from the Alabama Trust … Continued

Craig Ford

August 11, 2012

Opinion

Why Medicaid Is Critical And Must Be Fully Funded

By Minority Leader Rep. Craig Ford We’ve all heard about the Medicaid program, but what exactly is Medicaid and why is it so important? Medicaid is a health and long-term care program that provides critical health services to low-income families, children, pregnant women, older adults, and people with disabilities. It isn’t just the poor who … Continued

Craig Ford

July 31, 2012

Opinion

Ford: “Rightsizing” Is Not An Answer; It Is A Cop-Out

By Minority Leader Rep. Craig Ford The new leadership in Montgomery has been quick to pat themselves on the back for their performance since they took total control of our state government in 2010. But what has the Republican Supermajority really accomplished? Since the Republicans took over, our state has lost thousands of jobs, many … Continued

Craig Ford

July 24, 2012

Opinion

A Longer Summer Vacation Poses Challenges and Opportunities

By Minority Leader Rep. Craig Ford Mid-July is the very heart of summer, when the temperatures are high and the cool breezes of fall seem a distant dream. Once, fall was associated with school starting back up, though few think like that now. Over the past decade the school start-date has crept earlier and earlier, … Continued

Craig Ford

July 17, 2012