Craig Ford

News

Why the Alabama Medicaid Amendment, Amendment 1, does NOT solve Alabama’s Medicaid

Alabamian’s Deserve a Permanent Solution By Minority Leader Rep. Craig Ford Over the past few months, I have been approached by voters from all parts of our great state and have been asked what I think about the proposed constitutional amendment (the Alabama Medicaid Amendment, Amendment 1) that will appear on the September 18 special … Continued

Craig Ford

September 6, 2012

Opinion

An Outline for Supporting Our Schools

By Craig Ford Alabama House Minority Leader In previous columns, I have written about the mistakes I believe Republicans are making in regards to our public education system. I have also written about the need to provide competitive compensation to keep and attract the best and brightest to the education profession. When the legislature returns … Continued

Craig Ford

August 28, 2012

Opinion

Republicans in the State Legislature Have Failed the People of Alabama

By House Minority Leader Craig Ford As Republicans like to point out, for 136 years, Alabama voters continued to re-elect Democrats to represent them in Montgomery. During those 136, Alabama’s taxes were among the lowest in the nation, yet we still balanced the budget every year without gutting our schools, or the state’s Medicaid program. … Continued

Craig Ford

August 22, 2012

Opinion

House Democratic Caucus Names Rep. Joe Hubbard “Member of the Month”

From the Office of Minority Leader Rep. Craig Ford Montgomery, AL – The Minority Leader in the Alabama House of Representatives, Rep. Craig Ford (D-Gadsden), announced this morning that Rep. Joe Hubbard (D- Montgomery) has been named by the leadership of the House Democratic Caucus as the “Member of the Month” for the month of August. … Continued

Craig Ford

August 15, 2012

Opinion

Support Our Kids By Supporting Our Teachers and Support Personnel

By House Minority Leader, Craig Ford There are several factors that can influence a child’s ability to learn: their economic situation, parental involvement, access to resources like modern technology and current textbooks, and classroom sizes. But a key ingredient to child’s academic success is having good teachers and support personnel in our schools. We have … Continued

Craig Ford

August 14, 2012

Opinion

House Minority Leader Craig Ford: Sen. Bryan Taylor Playing Politics With Announcement About Debt Repayment Bill

From the Office of House Minority Leader Rep. Craig Ford Montgomery, AL – House Minority Leader Rep. Craig Ford (D-Gadsden) said state Sen. Bryan Taylor’s announcement earlier this week that he has pre-filed a debt repayment bill is about getting publicity rather than offering a real solution to repay any money borrowed from the Alabama Trust … Continued

Craig Ford

August 11, 2012

Opinion

Why Medicaid Is Critical And Must Be Fully Funded

By Minority Leader Rep. Craig Ford We’ve all heard about the Medicaid program, but what exactly is Medicaid and why is it so important? Medicaid is a health and long-term care program that provides critical health services to low-income families, children, pregnant women, older adults, and people with disabilities. It isn’t just the poor who … Continued

Craig Ford

July 31, 2012

Opinion

Ford: “Rightsizing” Is Not An Answer; It Is A Cop-Out

By Minority Leader Rep. Craig Ford The new leadership in Montgomery has been quick to pat themselves on the back for their performance since they took total control of our state government in 2010. But what has the Republican Supermajority really accomplished? Since the Republicans took over, our state has lost thousands of jobs, many … Continued

Craig Ford

July 24, 2012

House and Senate Minority Leaders Call on Governor to Postpone Special Legislative Session

Staff Report Montgomery – Today, the state Senate and House Minority Leaders, Sen. Roger Bedford (D-Russellville) and Rep. Craig Ford (D-Gadsden), urged Gov. Robert Bentley to postpone calling a special session of the legislature after rumors spread through Montgomery that the Governor may call a special session for the end of August. The purported goal … Continued

July 20, 2012

Statement from Rep. Craig Ford Responding to Gov. Bentley’s Announcement That Republicans Plan to Cut $1 Billion From State Budgets

Staff Report “You can’t cut a billion dollars from the budget without it hurting Alabama’s working families. Our schools, law enforcement, and firefighters can’t afford any more cuts in their budgets. How are we going to keep and recruit quality teachers, firefighters, or law enforcement officers if we keep cutting their pay and benefits? The … Continued

July 20, 2012