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Sam Mattison

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Bill to license some day cares passes Senate committee unanimously, goes to floor

By Samuel Mattison Alabama Political Reporter The day care bill, which would license certain day cares in the state, gained a favorable report Wednesday from the Senate Judiciary Committee after overwhelming approval on the House floor a couple weeks ago. In a release after its approval, the bill’s sponsor state Rep. Pebblin Warren, D-Tuskegee, said … Continued

Sam Mattison

February 22, 2018

Elections: More than two dozen legislators will vacate their seats later this year

Editor’s Note: This article was published before state Rep. Ken Johnson announced his retirement from the House of Representatives on Feb. 24, 2018. This means a total number of representatives not seeking election is 20 and the total number is now 30. By Samuel Mattison Alabama Political Reporter Now that party qualifications are over, 29 … Continued

Sam Mattison

February 21, 2018

What to expect Wednesday in the Legislature

By Samuel Mattison Alabama Political Reporter Here’s what to expect during Wednesday’s committee meetings at the Alabama Legislature: Licensed Day Care bill debuts in the Senate The long-awaited day care bill will appear in a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting on Wednesday where it will be acted on by committee members. Currently, day cares in Alabama … Continued

Sam Mattison

February 21, 2018

Pew Report: Alabama tax revenue close to pre-Great Recession levels, growing slowly

By Samuel Mattison Alabama Political Reporter A new report from the Pew Research Center found that Alabama’s tax revenue has slowly grown over the past two years, but has seen significant improvement since the late 2000s crash that almost derailed the global economy. The report, which accounts for inflation, showed that while Alabama has grown … Continued

Sam Mattison

February 19, 2018

Debate over formation of city school boards dominates Senate committee meeting

By Samuel Mattison Alabama Political Reporter One committee meeting in the statehouse on Wednesday was met with debates over the qualifications to start a school board by city governments. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Linda Coleman-Madison, D-Birmingham, would raise the requirements for the formation of school boards by increasing the population requirement from 5,000 to … Continued

Sam Mattison

February 16, 2018

Senate committee approves General Fund along with pay raise for state employees

By Samuel Mattison Alabama Political Reporter The General Fund, one of Alabama’s two budgets, passed out of committee Wednesday. The Senate Finance and Taxation General Fund Committee approved the bill sponsored by Chairman of the committee Sen. Tripp Pittman, R-Montrose, after going line-by-line through the changes in the substituted version of the budget. Pittman said … Continued

Sam Mattison

February 15, 2018

Bill to remove anti-LGBT language from sex ed law passes out of committee

By Samuel Mattison Alabama Political Reporter A bill that would remove anti-LGBTQ portions of Alabama’s sexual education program passed out of its committee on Wednesday with little resistance from committee members. The bill’s sponsor state Sen. Tom Whatley, R-Auburn, pushed for the legislation at the committee meeting and answered some questions about the language included … Continued

Sam Mattison

February 15, 2018

State Sen. Hank Sanders, the longest serving senator, will not seek re-election

By Samuel Mattison Alabama Political Reporter State Sen. Hank Sanders, D-Selma, is leaving the Alabama Senate after serving 9 terms in the upper chamber. Sanders, who had qualified to run, made the decision last-minute through a press release saying “Some times it is time.” “I had thought that I would run to serve one more … Continued

Sam Mattison

February 13, 2018

Lawmakers request ALSDE give back $1.4 million to MPS after clerical error

By Samuel Mattison Alabama Political Reporter State Reps. John Knight, D-Montgomery, and Thad McClammy, D-Montgomery, called on the Alabama State Department of Education to return $1.4 million that was mistakenly sent to another school district in a letter and press conference on Thursday. Their complaint stems from a clerical error by the Alabama State Department … Continued

Sam Mattison

February 9, 2018

Two qualify for House of Representative seats

By Samuel Mattison Alabama Political Reporter Two candidates qualified for state House seats as the deadline for party primary qualifications end on Friday. U.S. Army Veteran Todd Rauch qualified for House District 38. Raunch qualified Thursday for the seat currently held by incumbent William Whorton. The veteran, who was wounded while serving in Iraq, said … Continued

Sam Mattison

February 9, 2018