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Education Trust Fund

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Lottery, budgets dominate as session winds toward a close

The Memorial Day holiday is approaching, and state legislators are saying privately that they are ready for this session to be over, but much work remains to be done. Only 21 of a possible 30 legislative days have been used, so this session could technically last through mid-June, but this session was sidetracked by a … Continued
May 20, 2019

Lottery bill to be considered in committee this week

The lottery bill is expected to be voted on in committee this week. AL.com has reported the vote would take place in committee Tuesday, but later reporting by the Alabama Daily News stated that the vote would be Wednesday afternoon in the House Tourism and Economic Development Committee. As of press time, the legislature is … Continued
May 14, 2019

Senate passes largest education budget in state history

Thursday, May 2 the Alabama Senate passed the education trust fund (ETF) budget, Senate Bill 199 on a 28 to 2 vote. SB199 was sponsored by Senator Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, who chairs the Senate Finance and Taxation Education Committee. Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh, R-Anniston, released a statement regarding Senate passage of the Education … Continued
May 3, 2019

Education budget advances out of committee

The Senate Finance and Taxation Education Committee gave a favorable report to the fiscal year 2020 Education Trust Fund budget, which has been languishing in the Committee for the last three weeks. Senate Bill 199, the Education Trust Fund budget, is sponsored by state Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur. The state of Alabama has a bizarre … Continued
May 1, 2019

House passes general fund budget, 2 percent state employee pay increase

The Alabama House of Representatives passed the state general fund budget, HB152, on Tuesday. HB152 is sponsored by House Ways and Means Chairman Steve Clouse, R-Ozark. HB152 passed 103 to 0. The House also passed HB166, sponsored by the late Rep. Dimitri Polizos, R-Montgomery, to give state employees a 2 percent cost of living allowance. … Continued
April 10, 2019

Ivey submits $7.1 billion education budget, $2.1 billion state general fund budget

Wednesday, state Finance Director Kelly Butler briefed the Alabama Capital Press Corps on the state budgets. The economy has been doing really well and this means that Gov. Kay Ivey is anticipating substantially larger state revenues in the coming fiscal year. The legislature passes two budgets each year. One is for schools, the Education Trust … Continued
March 21, 2019

Lawmakers say tax bill will likely be 12 cents a gallon

Monday night, state Sen. Jim McClendon, R-Springville, and state Rep. Craig Lipscomb, R-Gadsden, addressed the St. Clair Farmer’s Federation in Ashville on their annual legislative day. McClendon said that one of the biggest issue facing the legislature will be a proposed gas tax. “I am not involved in it,” McClendon said. “Everything that I know … Continued
February 12, 2019

Remembering Feb. 28, 2013, and the politics of contempt

Feb. 28, 2013 was just another late winter’s day in Montgomery.  The temperature was in the 50’s, the Legislature was in session and the State Board of Education was having a work session. State Superintendent Tommy Bice was at the work session with no clue that Hell was about to break loose two blocks away … Continued
February 11, 2019

Alabama Policy Institute strikes out again

Editor’s note: This piece is in response to a guest column published Wednesday. The Alabama Policy Institute has their propaganda machine working overtime trying to convince us that the Alabama Accountability Act will not only cure ingrown toenails, make tomatoes grown and stop your husband from snoring, but is just the magic elixir to save public … Continued
January 24, 2019

More fake news from Alabama Policy Institute

The Montgomery County board of education passed a resolution in October calling for the repeal of the Alabama Accountability Act. I was on the board that did this, I wrote much of the resolution and I voted for it. So, I was more than a little surprised when I read a recent article by Rachel … Continued
December 13, 2018