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Sam Mattison

Sam Mattison

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House committee takes on racial profiling

By Samuel Mattison Alabama Political Reporter A House committee took on an anti-racial profiling bill on Wednesday in a public hearing that sparked a debate between lawmakers on the realities of stopping the practice. The House Judiciary Committee took up a bill being sponsored by Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, that would allow the Attorney General’s … Continued
March 8, 2018

Federal agency says Kellyanne Conway broke law in campaigning for Roy Moore last year

By Samuel Mattison Alabama Political Reporter The Office of the Special Counsel announced on Tuesday that Trump staffer Kellyanne Conway broke the law when she campaigned for former U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore. In the agency’s statement, they said that Conway violated the Hatch Act, which prevents federal employees from using their official positions as … Continued
March 7, 2018

Doug Jones co-sponsors legislation to train schools in detection of early signs of violence

By Samuel Mattison Alabama Political Reporter Alabama Sen. Doug Jones announced Monday that he would co-sponsor legislation that would train schools to detect early warning signs of potential violence. The bill would allow for government grants to fund programs to train school officials, law enforcement and students in detecting early warning signs of violence in … Continued
March 6, 2018

Moore asks for more donations to support legal battles

By Samuel Mattison Alabama Political Reporter In a Thursday post on Facebook, former U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore asked for more donations as he continues to deal with litigation from his accuser Leigh Corfman. Moore said in the post he would need over $100,000 as he continues to litigate a lawsuit by Corfman. “My resources … Continued
March 5, 2018

Lottery bill narrowly passes committee, sponsor says chances of passage are unlikely

By Samuel Mattison Alabama Political Reporter A bill that would allow Alabama to participate in multi-state lotteries, like the Powerball, passed out of its committee on Wednesday 3-2, but one influential senator voiced his opposition to the measure. The bill’s sponsor Sen. Paul Sanford, R-Huntsville, said that the bill would allow Alabama to take a … Continued
March 1, 2018

Fantasy Sports bill gets unanimous approval in Senate Committee

By Samuel Mattison Alabama Political Reporter The path to legal fantasy sports in Alabama cleared its first hurdle Wednesday after a Senate committee gave a bill to legalize it a unanimous favorable report. Bill sponsor state Sen. Paul Sanford, R-Huntsville, said that while the bill passed the committee, its chances of passing out this year … Continued
March 1, 2018

State Rep. Ken Johnson to not seek re-election

By Samuel Mattison Alabama Political Reporter Joining many others, state Rep. Ken Johnson, R-Moulton, announced over the weekend his retirement from the Legislature. Johnson, in a statement, said the main reason was to focus on taking care of his quadriplegic son and returning to his business ventures. “Serving the citizens of House District 7 has … Continued
February 26, 2018

Fantasy sports bill comes to Legislature for third year in a row after changes last year

By Samuel Mattison Alabama Political Reporter Fantasy sports, a multi-billion-dollar industry, would come to Alabama depending on the passage of one bill in the Legislature. Participants compete in fantasy sports by picking members from professional sports teams to compete on imaginary teams, and winners are determined based upon the real-life performance of players. For online … Continued
February 26, 2018

Senate committee approves supplemental funding bill to give Corrections $30 million

By Samuel Mattison Alabama Political Reporter A Senate committee passed a supplement to the General Fund Wednesday that appropriates an additional $30 million for the Department of Correction in their ongoing dilemma to raise standards of mental health and prisoner health care. The Senate Committee on Taxation General Fund approved the measure yesterday after chairman … Continued
February 22, 2018