Sam Mattison

News / State

Bill to arm educators passes out of Committee

Educators in Alabama are one step closer to being able to carry firearms into their classrooms after a House committee narrowly approved a bill to arm school officials. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Will Ainsworth, R-Guntersville, would allow for educators to carry firearms into a school’s campus if they received a minimum of 40 hours … Continued

March 16, 2018

Bill to take responsibilities from lieutenant governor delayed in Senate

After some pushback from senators, a bill that would drastically change the responsibilities of the lieutenant governor is now off the floor with no indication when it will come back. The bill was proposed by Sen. Gerald Dial, R-Lineville, who said the position is just a stepping stone to the governor and the lieutenant governors … Continued

March 16, 2018

House committee debated school safety bills, will vote on proposals today

Representatives tackled two school safety bills at a committee meeting on Wednesday that would allow for schools to have armed personnel on their campuses. The two bills were different in some aspects, but were ultimately alike in their end goal of arming educators and other personnel within a school. Both bills are a response to … Continued

March 15, 2018

Bill to collect racial profiling data passes House committee

By Samuel Mattison Alabama Political Reporter A bill that would allow the state Attorney General’s office to collect information on racial profiling passed its committee today. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Rodger Smitherman, would require officers to record the race of any person they pulled over in any traffic stop. Smitherman, who says he has … Continued

March 15, 2018

Day Care bill delayed for second time on Senate floor, may be back Thursday

By Samuel Mattison Alabama Political Reporter The day care bill, which would license certain day care centers in Alabama, was once again delayed on the state Senate floor after one lawmaker requested more information. Its brief appearance Tuesday ended with state Sen. Gerald Dial, R-Lineville, saying a compromise had not yet been worked out with … Continued

March 14, 2018

Fantasy sports bill fails on Senate floor

By Samuel Mattison Alabama Political Reporter Would-be Fantasy Sports players in Alabama will have to wait to legally play in the state following a Senate vote on Tuesday. The Alabama Senate decisively killed a bill to exempt fantasy sports from the state’s prohibition on gambling. Not even entertaining a debate on the Senate floor, the … Continued

March 14, 2018

Senate committee passes education budget, will be on floor Thursday

By Samuel Mattison Alabama Political Reporter After 2 hours of debate, a Senate committee passed their version of the Education Trust Fund budget that makes small cuts to the pre-k program and the reading initiative appropriations when compared to the version the House passed last month. Chairman Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, said their version of the … Continued

March 14, 2018

Here’s a list of gun bills proposed in Legislature

By Samuel Mattison Alabama Political Reporter While the Legislature is expected to adjourn within the next few weeks, several gun bills are still in making their way through the body. Leadership in the House met last week to sort out the conflicting bills, but here are the proposals as currently filed. Raising the age to … Continued

March 12, 2018

Battle accepts debate in governor’s race

By Samuel Mattison Alabama Political Reporter Gubernatorial candidate Tommy Battle said he was interested in debating sitting Gov. Kay Ivey for the upcoming election. Ivey’s campaign told the Associated Press last week that she would take part in a debate against her opponents. Battle, who is Huntsville’s Mayor, accepted the request this week, and stipulated … Continued

March 9, 2018

House Democratic Caucus call for action on guns before Legislative Session ends

By Samuel Mattison Alabama Political Reporter Democrats in the Alabama House of Representatives are calling for bills dealing with guns to be dealt with before the end of this year’s Legislative Session. At a press conference on Wednesday, the Democratic House Caucus called for the Legislature to deal with gun control bills. Specifically, they pushed … Continued

March 8, 2018