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Chip Brownlee

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Democratic Senate Majority PAC pumped $6 million into US Senate race, backed pro-Jones Highway 31 PAC

By Chip Brownlee Alabama Political Reporter A leading Democratic super PAC pumped out millions of dollars to finance TV, radio and digital advertising and get-out-the-vote operations as part of an effort to swing the U.S. Senate race for Democrat Doug Jones. The Democratic Senate Majority PAC, a group working to elect a Democratic majority in … Continued
December 28, 2017

Prosecutors say former Republican House Majority Leader Micky Hammon should turn over $50,000

By Chip Brownlee Alabama Political Reporter Federal prosecutors are asking a federal judge to order former Alabama Republican House Majority Leader Micky Hammon to turn over more than $50,000 as part of a guilty plea to a charge of mail fraud stemming from improper campaign finance practices. In a motion filed Tuesday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office … Continued
December 28, 2017

State Rep. Corley Ellis to join education budget-writing committee

By Chip Brownlee Alabama Political Reporter House Speaker Mac McCutcheon, R-Monrovia, has appointed State Rep. Corley Ellis, R-Columbiana, to the influential committee responsible for writing the Education Trust Fund budget, which appropriates more than $6 billion in funding for Alabama’s public schools and colleges. Ellis will serve as the House Ways and Means Education Committee’s … Continued
December 28, 2017

Alabama ranked No. 6 state for construction job growth

By Chip Brownlee Alabama Political Reporter Joining a wave of construction job growth across the country, Alabama had the sixth-best construction job growth over the last year. Forty states saw an increase in construction jobs between November 2016 and November 2017, according to an analysis of Labor Department data by the Associated General Contractors of … Continued
December 26, 2017

First 7,000 Alabama children will lose health coverage beginning New Year’s Day

By Chip Brownlee Alabama Political Reporter Thousands of children could lose their health insurance beginning New Year’s Day, and tens of thousands more are set to lose their coverage Feb. 1 if Congress doesn’t approve funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program. Up to 7,000 children enrolled in ALL Kids — one part of Alabama’s … Continued
December 21, 2017

Ivey praises $1.5 trillion tax bill but won’t speak out on CHIP funding

By Chip Brownlee Alabama Political Reporter Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Wednesday praised the passage of the Republican-sponsored $1.5 trillion tax bill but has largely avoided speaking publicly on Congress’ failure to fund the Children’s Health Insurance Program, an initiative that provides health coverage to more than 150,000 children in the state. In a statement … Continued
December 21, 2017

Minority groups call on Sen.-elect Doug Jones to hire diverse staff

By Chip Brownlee Alabama Political Reporter A coalition of 16 minority groups has penned an open letter calling on Sen.-elect Doug Jones to hire a diverse staff as he begins his transition into office as Alabama’s next senator. The letter, co-signed by the NAACP and the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Education … Continued
December 20, 2017

State lawmakers consider options as health coverage for 84,000 kids remains in limbo

By Chip Brownlee Alabama Political Reporter The families of more than 84,000 children covered by Alabama’s “ALL Kids” program will face serious uncertainty about the future of their health care right after Christmas if Congress doesn’t act soon on funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program. With deadlines for funding looming, Alabama lawmakers are considering … Continued
December 19, 2017

Panel working to attract spaceport to Alabama will hold first meeting Tuesday

By Chip Brownlee Alabama Political Reporter A panel of officials and university representatives will gather in Huntsville Tuesday for the first meeting of the Alabama Space Authority, a group created by the Legislature earlier this year to attract a federally licensed spaceport to Alabama along with other space-related industry. The group will meet at the … Continued
December 19, 2017

President Trump “likes” Doug Jones, thinks Moore concession probably “should have already happened”

By Chip Brownlee Alabama Political Reporter While Republican U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore continues to prolong his senatorial bid past its apparent expiration date, President Donald Trump is already moving on, forging a path for a potential relationship with Alabama’s new senator. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Thursday, when asked if Trump … Continued
December 15, 2017