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CHIP program changes will cost Alabama an estimated $1 billion over the next decade

Recent changes to the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) means that the state of Alabama is going to have to shoulder substantially more of the cost for the program. An estimated 220,000 children receive their health insurance through the CHIP program, which is managed by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama (BCBSAL) and marketed under … Continued
January 31, 2019

Why aren’t Montgomery’s charter schools following the rules?

There is a process in place to approve charter schools in Alabama. When the Alabama Legislature passed the law allowing charters in the state, they spent some time putting together a written plan with steps that must be followed. Things like: any organization wishing to start a charter school must submit an application that includes … Continued
January 30, 2019

Gas tax is first test of our new Legislature

When I was in the Legislature, I opposed tax increases unless we had tried everything else and the money to be raised from the tax was earmarked for very specific purposes. In my personal opinion, we shouldn’t even be talking about raising the gas tax until we pass a lottery and see what kind of … Continued
January 30, 2019

Zeigler releases plan to better fund roads without a fuel tax increase

Monday, Alabama State Auditor and U.S. Senate candidate Jim Zeigler released a plan to fund Alabama’s road and infrastructure needs without raising fuel taxes on Alabama motorists. Zeigler calls his proposal “Plan Z,” which he said stands for “zero tax increases and zero congestion on our roads.” “Plan Z can provide about $900 million in … Continued
January 29, 2019

We have a new “failing” schools list, another example of just how stupid the Accountability Act really is

The 2013 Alabama Accountability Act decreed that we would come up with a list of “failing” schools each year. The Legislature, in its infinite wisdom, said the list would be the bottom 6 percent of all public schools. Supposedly, this was so we could give scholarships to private schools for students in these schools. But, … Continued
January 29, 2019

McCutcheon hopes road bill will be issue No. 1 in session

 Speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives Mac McCutcheon, R-Monrovia, told reporters that he is working on an infrastructure bill. “The work that is being done is between myself, the pro-tem (Del Marsh) and the governor (Kay Ivey). Gov. Kay Ivey promised roads that would be “the envy of the nation” in her inauguration speech. … Continued
January 21, 2019

Vengeance or mercy: Let’s kick ’em while they are down!

A true economic, moral, social and constitutional conservative; DOES NOT RAISE TAXES.  Rumblings are emerging at every intersection that our Alabama Legislature, led by Republicans are discussing raising our gas tax.  You heard it, Republicans are talking about raising taxes.  There are generally three common denominators associated with the discussion of raising taxes.  As a … Continued
January 21, 2019

McCutcheon announces standing committee assignments for 2019–2022 legislative term

The Alabama House of Representatives released committee assignments to the public this week. Speaker of the House Mac McCutcheon, R – Monrovia, made a statement regarding the member assignments for the 25 House standing committees. “Most of the hard, complex, and important work of vetting and amending the measures that come before the House is … Continued
January 17, 2019

Mayor Woodfin: Tear down that statue

Dear Mayor Woodfin, Tear it down. Get a few blow torches and axes, maybe a jackhammer or two, and tear down that Confederate monument in Linn Park. If you’d like, to appease the phony historians out there, save a portion to be put in a museum in town. But tear it down. A Jefferson County … Continued
January 16, 2019