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News / State

Family of toddler who drowned in grease trap sues Auburn ice cream shop, city for wrongful death

The family of a 3-year-old who died last year after falling into an unsecured grease trap at an Auburn ice cream shop has filed a lawsuit against Bruster’s Ice Cream, the city of Auburn and several companies that attorneys for the family say were involved in designing the grease trap, installing it or maintaining it. … Continued

Chip Brownlee

May 7, 2018

Sponsor says better House leadership could have saved racial profiling bill

A piece of legislation that would have implemented a method to track racial profiling data in police stops didn’t make it out of this year’s legislative session after House Speaker Mac McCutcheon, R-Monrovia, pronounced the bill dead on a radio show Thursday morning. Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, who sponsored the legislation, said better leadership in … Continued

Chip Brownlee

March 30, 2018

Senate delays vote on economic developer bill after negotiations

A controversial bill that would exempt a class of “economic development professionals” from having to register with the state as lobbyists appears to have made it through a round of intense negotiations and sits in a position to pass. Those negotiations, which took the better part of the weekend and most of Tuesday, produced a … Continued

Chip Brownlee

March 28, 2018

Provisions in House version of Fentanyl bill could inadvertently increase civil liability for businesses

A provision added to the House version of a bill to increase penalties for the trafficking and distribution of Fentanyl could inadvertently increase civil penalties for a wide-ranging sector of Alabama businesses. The bill’s Senate sponsor, Sen. Cam Ward, R-Alabaster, said Monday he would attempt to remove some of the House changes after discovering the provisions … Continued

Chip Brownlee

March 27, 2018

Opinion

Alabama lawmakers continue to embarrass state when it comes to issues of race

There was no irony in the Alabama House of Representatives on Thursday evening. Oh, several members of the House billed it as such, when the Republican-dominated body voted down an anti-racial profiling bill just moments after passing a resolution honoring Rosa Parks. But that wasn’t irony. It also wasn’t hypocrisy. Because for either irony or … Continued

Josh Moon

March 23, 2018

Speaker: Ainsworth bill to arm teachers scrapped this year

A bill that would have allowed teachers to be armed in classrooms across the state is dead for this session. The bill, sponsored by Guntersville Republican Rep. Will Ainsworth, was one of the most prominent of several gun and school safety bills filed this session. Filed three weeks ago, just a month before the Legislature … Continued

Chip Brownlee

March 22, 2018

Lieutenant governor bill likely dead for this session

A bill that would place a referendum on November’s ballot to drastically redefine the role of the lieutenant governor and strip many of the position’s responsibilities is likely dead for this session. The bill, proposed by Republican Sen. Gerald Dial, has been on and off of the Senate floor for the past several weeks as … Continued

Chip Brownlee

March 21, 2018

Opinion

When liberals help the poor they do more harm than good

On my Scott Beason Radio program this past Monday, a regular contributor mentioned that a bill to eliminate payday lending had passed the Alabama Senate, and I was surprised. Having dealt with the issue back when I was in office, I think payday lending gets a bum rap out in the mainstream media. These short … Continued

Scott Beason

March 19, 2018

Opinion

AG, commerce secretary hide real problem with economic development bill

During a hearing on Wednesday to discuss the controversial economic development bill, HB317, not a soul present addressed the critical problem with the bill — the gaping loophole created by allowing individuals to work as part-time economic development professionals. Of course, the bill doesn’t use the words part-time. Instead, it calls this individual a “less … Continued

Bill Britt

March 16, 2018

Senator says Ten Commandments in public schools could potentially prevent school shootings

By Chip Brownlee Alabama Political Reporter The Alabama Senate on Tuesday approved a bill by Sen. Gerald Dial, R-Lineville, that would authorize a state referendum on whether to allow the display of the Ten Commandments on public property and public schools — a proposal he says may prevent some mass shootings. The bill passed the … Continued

Chip Brownlee

February 28, 2018