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Chip Brownlee

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Judiciary Committee waiting for OK from Strange to continue Bentley impeachment

By Chip Brownlee Alabama Political Reporter MONTGOMERY—One person is holding up the impeachment investigation into Gov. Robert Bentley. On Wednesday, House Judiciary Chairman Mike Jones told reporters that his committee would not continue an impeachment probe into the Governor until Attorney General Luther Strange gives them the all clear. “Whenever the Attorney General has reached … Continued
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January 26, 2017

General Fund uncertainty may hinder more criminal justice appropriations

By Chip Brownlee Alabama Political Reporter MONTGOMERY—The Alabama Medicaid Agency isn’t the only part of the State government with funding issues, and uncertainty over the future of Medicaid is spilling over into other agencies’ funding as well. The Alabama Legislature will begin its regular legislative session in just a few weeks. As lawmakers prepare, the session … Continued
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January 26, 2017

Legislators hope State can get ahead and benefit from self-driving cars

By Chip Brownlee Alabama Political Reporter AUBURN— Several Alabama legislators are hoping the State can get ahead of the tide of self-driving cars by preparing flexible regulations and using the State’s universities to become a leader in research and development of self-driving cars. The Joint Legislative Committee on Self-Driving Vehicles held its first meeting Thursday morning … Continued
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January 20, 2017

Alabama receives failing grade on forfeiture transparency

By Chip Brownlee Alabama Political Reporter MONTGOMERY—Property forfeiture accountability and transparency laws in Alabama are in bad shape, according to a new report from the Institute for Justice. Forfeiture is the legal process by which law enforcement agencies often seize property across the country from people who are suspected of involvement with crime or other … Continued
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January 18, 2017

State Auditor questions Governor’s 2018 Special Election

By Chip Brownlee Alabama Political Reporter MONTGOMERY—State Auditor Jim Ziegler is questioning Gov. Robert Bentley’s decision to hold a special election in November 2018 for US Sen. Jeff Sessions’ Senate replacement. On Wednesday, Ziegler sent Bentley a letter highlighting his concerns. In his letter, Ziegler asked Bentley to reconsider the 2018 Special Election date, which … Continued
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January 12, 2017

Governor renews immunity claims in former ALEA secretary’s lawsuit

By Chip Brownlee Alabama Political Reporter MONTGOMERY—Gov. Robert Bentley last week reiterated claims that he, as a constitutional officer of the State of Alabama, has immunity from civil action, especially from the lawsuit filed last year by former Alabama Law Enforcement Secretary Spencer Collier. Collier filed a defamation and wrongful termination lawsuit last year after … Continued
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January 10, 2017

Mosses Mayor pleads guilty to ethics charges

By Chip Brownlee Alabama Political Reporter MONTGOMERY—A former Lowndes County mayor agreed last week to plead guilty to charges that he used his office for personal gain, marking another court victory for the Attorney General’s Special Prosecutions Division. Mosses Mayor Walter S. Hill pled guilty to using his office to direct town money, in the … Continued
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January 10, 2017

Governor, Mason, dark-money group file to dismiss former security officer’s lawsuit

By Chip Brownlee Alabama Political Reporter MONTGOMERY—Lawyers for Gov. Robert Bentley, his former top political aide Rebekah Mason and a pro-Bentley 501(c)(4) dark-money group called the Alabama Council for Excellent Government filed three separate motions on Wednesday to dismiss a lawsuit against them. Wendall Ray Lewis, the former Head of the Governor’s Security Detail and Chief … Continued
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December 29, 2016

Alabama ranked 47th in the nation for health, report finds

By Chip Brownlee Alabama Political Reporter The Yellowhammer State has the second-highest rates of cardiovascular death and infant mortality, a new report ranking the 50 states on a number of health issues found. Alabama has the third-highest rates of premature death and diabetes. It also comes in within the bottom-five for frequent physical distress, obesity … Continued
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December 27, 2016