Katherine Green Robertson

The Obama Administration’s latest overreach: The Clean Power Plan

By Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange and Katherine G. Robertson In the torrent of overreaching directives coming from Washington to the states, Alabamians may not be aware of the ongoing effort by the Environmental Protection Agency to sidestep Congress and stage a takeover of American energy. Not only are these regulations likely unconstitutional, but they … Continued

April 24, 2015

Lessons from Arkansas: Alabama Should Reject Medicaid Expansion

(Opinion from Alabama Policy Institute) By Senator Bryan King and Katherine G. Robertson In 2013, Arkansas’s then-Governor Mike Beebe (D) pushed a non-traditional Medicaid expansion program that gives low-income individuals subsidies to use toward private coverage, rather than enrolling them into Medicaid. This initiative was marketed as a “state-based” plan for reform and one that … Continued

April 16, 2015

What Will Be the Legacy of the New Legislature?

By Katherine Robertson and Caleb Crosby from API Lately, Alabamians have struggled to discern any difference between what they thought they voted against in November and what they might be getting in the coming months. A commitment to oppose tax increases is now being replaced with a “bold” move to increase taxes, without any … Continued

February 27, 2015

Prison Reform Through the Conservative Lens

By Senator Cam Ward, and Representative Mike Jones, Katherine Robertson As Alabama’s legislative session gets closer, the momentum for prison reform is at an all-time high. The current prison overcrowding crisis provides a great opportunity for the Legislature to address a problem that has increased in urgency for years. It is the goal of … Continued

February 24, 2015

Congress Will Consider Pro-Life Legislation This Week, President Plans Veto

By Katherine Green Robertson On Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives will consider H.R. 36, the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. This bill would prohibit late-term abortions after 20 weeks based on scientific research suggesting that an unborn child can feel pain by this age, perhaps even earlier (an exception is included for instances of … Continued

January 22, 2015

Legislature Should Consider Repeal of Personnel Board Structure

By Katherine G. Robertson and Mark L. Gaines It’s been said before that for every bill that’s introduced in the legislature, two laws should be repealed. With hundreds of bills considered every year and with thousands of laws already on the books, it can be a daunting exercise to pinpoint those laws that have outlived their … Continued

January 13, 2015

Don’t Be Fooled By New Nomenclature Of Medicaid Expansion

By Katherine Green Robertson This week, Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam announced his proposal for a “Medicaid expansion alternative” that would expand the program to nearly 200,000 currently ineligible individuals in the state. Also called a “hybrid plan,” Haslam’s version of expansion would provide Medicaid-funded vouchers to be used for premiums and other expenses for employed … Continued

December 18, 2014

Three Implications of the New Senate Majority

By Katherine Green Robertson Last night, the GOP picked up seven seats in the U.S. Senate resulting in their first majority (52-46) since 2006. House Republicans expanded their majority by twelve seats, bringing their total to 246. The election results nationwide indicate the voters’ desire for a new direction. Now they’ll wait to see if … Continued

November 6, 2014

Property Tax Implications of Lynch v. Alabama

By Katherine Green Robertson On Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court denied certiorari in the case of Lynch v. Alabama, which simply means the Court refused to overturn the decision of the federal judge in Birmingham and the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta. Filed in 2011 by plaintiffs representing public schoolchildren in Lawrence and … Continued

October 17, 2014

Budget Basics: the Legislature’s Limits and Need for Reform

By Katherine Green Robertson This is Part 3 and the final one of API’s “Budget Basics” series: exploring Alabama’s budget system, the current fiscal climate and related challenges, and the implications for taxpayers. Alabama’s Constitution requires the diversion of certain categories of revenue to specific purposes, without those funds ever passing through the hands of … Continued

September 22, 2014