ethics commission

Republicans playing by different rules when it comes to state ethics laws

The law is simple: Candidates running for public office in Alabama must file a statement of economic interests when they qualify, and then must file an annual SEI by the yearly deadline. That’s not hard, right? File an SEI when you qualify. File again at the next year’s deadline. Simple. But then, following ethics laws … Continued

Josh Moon

August 14, 2018

Secretary of State’s letter addressed out-of-state PACs meddling in Alabama elections

During the runoff in the recent Republican Attorney General’s race, the question of whether an out-of-state Political Action Committee can donate to a candidate without complying with Alabama’s Fair Campaign Practice Act was raised but never fully answered. The Ethics Commission Executive Director seemed to say it was unlawful while the Secretary of State’s Office … Continued

Bill Britt

August 13, 2018

Ethics Commission finds an exception for speaker’s chief of staff

Retiring Republican Rep. Mark Tuggle of District 81 is in line for the position of Chief of Staff to Speaker of the House Mac McCutcheon. An opinion from the Ethics Commission issued last week concluded that Tuggle’s duties as Chief of Staff would not violate the state’s revolving door provision which prohibits elected officials from … Continued

Bill Britt

August 6, 2018

Opinion

Doing right and doing write-ins in November

Because the best politics is good governance and the best governance is based on Republican principles, I vote for Republican nominees so Republicans can control government and enact a Republican agenda to provide the good governance we all expect and deserve. This means politics is like a team sport. I like the principles of Republicanism, … Continued

Thomas Scovill

August 6, 2018

Solving the puzzle of when a candidate must file a Statement of Economic Interest

In trying to understand if a candidate was compliant with state laws as it applies to when he or she must file their Statement of Economic Interests, APR relied on information provided on the state Ethics Commission’s website. However, that proved to be a poor assumption as the information provided on the website is wrong. … Continued

Bill Britt

August 1, 2018

Opinion

Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals fails

The shocking failure of the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals to rule on former Speaker Mike Hubbard’s felony conviction is a travesty of justice. Here, the legal maxim “Justice delayed is justice denied” applies to the people of Alabama. When Hubbard was indicted, convicted and sentenced to prison, these acts were carried out in the … Continued

Bill Britt

July 31, 2018

McCutcheon chief of staff Jim Entrekin moves on; new chief of staff in limbo

House Speaker Mac McCutcheon, R-Monrovia, announced on Monday, that Jim Entrekin, his chief of staff accepted a new position within the state Legislature as general counsel for the Legislative Services Agency. “I congratulate Jimmy on this well-earned new opportunity, and as grateful as I am to have had him as my chief of staff, it … Continued

Charlie Walker

July 17, 2018

Opinion

The fix was in

Montgomery Circuit Judge James Anderson’s ruling to allow out-of-state political action committees to donate to in-state campaigns without disclosing its donors through PAC-to-PAC transfers may be the legal fulcrum Democrats need to target key Republican officeholders in the state. On Wednesday, attorney general candidate Troy King filed a lawsuit in Montgomery County Circuit Court seeking … Continued

Bill Britt

July 13, 2018

Court denies King’s bid to block RAGA money from Marshall

A Montgomery County Circuit Court judge denied on Thursday the Troy King campaign’s request for a restraining order preventing Attorney General Steve Marshall from spending thousands in alleged illegal donations. Judge James Anderson agreed with Marshall defense attorney Ted Hosp that a state court has no standing to block contributions flowing from out-of-state political action … Continued

Charlie Walker

July 13, 2018

Zeigler moves his auditors into Ethics Commission building

Friday, State Auditor Jim Zeigler (R) announced that his state Auditor’s offices, which had been served an eviction notice by the state Legislature, has signed a lease for space in the building housing the Alabama Ethics Commission. On Friday, April 13, Alabama State Auditor Jim Zeigler received legal notice that the state auditors were losing … Continued

Brandon Moseley

July 3, 2018