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House Democrats say new rules will subvert democracy, transparency

House Democrats say new rules passed during an organization session earlier this week will subvert Democracy and limit the small Democratic minority’s ability to have any say or influence on legislation. “The New Procedural Rule Changes by House Republicans will silence the voices of citizens and minimize legislators ability to fully vet key legislation,” Minority … Continued
January 11, 2019

House Republican Caucus unanimously approves resolution urging AHSAA to reinstate Maori Davenport

The 77-member Alabama House Republican Caucus this week unanimously approved a resolution urging the Alabama High School Athletic Association to immediately reinstate the eligibility of Charles Henderson High School standout basketball player Maori Davenport of Troy. The AHSAA rescinded Davenport’s eligibility due to a clerical error involving her play with the Team USA basketball program. … Continued
January 11, 2019

Senate committee assignments released leave Democrats spread thin across multiple committees

New committee assignments in the Alabama Senate have been decided as the Legislature heads home from its organizational session and prepares for the upcoming regular session, which will begin in March. Members assigned to standing committees will serve on those committees until 2022, the end of this legislative term. The Alabama Senate Committee on Assignments determined … Continued
January 10, 2019

House passes controversial new rules

The Alabama House of Representatives voted for a series of rule changes in the inner workings of the house. Passing the rules for the next four years is one of the duties of the legislature during the organizational session; but since Republicans have an overwhelming 77 to 28 supermajority the Republicans essentially got to write … Continued
January 10, 2019

Rep. Mac McCutcheon re-elected speaker of the House

Tuesday, the 2019 Alabama legislature met for the organization session for the new quadrennium. The new legislature was formally sworn in and elected its leadership for the next four years. State Rep. Mac McCutcheon, R – Monrovia, was elected as Speaker of the House for another four years without any opponent. McCutcheon was nominated by … Continued
January 9, 2019

Sen. Del Marsh re-elected President pro tempore of Alabama Senate

The Alabama Senate has unanimously elected Sen. Del Marsh, R-Anniston, as President pro tempore. In a vote of 32-0, Marsh captured support from both Republican and Democratic senators. Democrats did not nominate their own candidate for the position, largely because the Republican caucus holds a supermajority in the Legislature’s upper chamber. Marsh, the only Republican … Continued
January 9, 2019

Rep. Victor Gaston elected House speaker pro tem

The Alabama House of Representatives was in session for the first time in 2019 for its organizational session Tuesday, and State Rep. Victor Gaston, R-Mobile, was elected as the Speaker Pro Tem, a position he has held for the last eight years. State Representative Steve Clouse (R-Ozark) nominated Victor Gaston for another term as Speaker … Continued
January 9, 2019

ALGOP House rule changes eliminate democracy

Elections have consequences. In Alabama, the consequence is the death of democracy. Or, at least, it will be if the Republicans who increased their supermajority stronghold in the state Legislature in November have their way. On Monday, APR received a copy of Republicans’ proposed rules changes for the upcoming 2019 legislative session. The changes are … Continued
January 8, 2019

Nine stories to keep an eye on in 2019

9. Who will challenge Sen. Doug Jones in 2020? It may have been only a year ago that Doug Jones won in a historic victory that sent a Democrat from Alabama to the U.S. Senate for the first time in a quarter century, but he’s up for re-election in 2020. With that election just around the corner, … Continued
December 31, 2018

Alabama’s top 5 political new stories of 2018

As usual, 2018 was a busy year for state political news in Alabama. From indictments and scandals to big election wins and controversial legislation, here are the top five political stories of the past year. 5. Superfund convictions  After months of embarrassing stories for Alabama politicians, a federal grand jury finally brought some closure to … Continued
December 28, 2018