Executive Branch

News / National / State

House of Representatives passes measure to reverse federal employee salary freeze

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill on Wednesday giving federal workers a 2.6 percent pay increase, nullifying President Donald Trump’s administration’s December 2018 decision to freeze federal employee salary rates. This pay increase will put executive branch employees at an equal level with military members in terms of pay raises. The measure reverses … Continued

January 31, 2019

Ivey claims she’s strengthened ethics laws. She’s done the opposite.

There’s a trick that’s often used in Alabama politics — one that Kay Ivey seems to know well. This trick comes in many different forms, and is disguised under many different names, but it is always essentially the same. It’s pretending to do something while in reality doing nothing. While that basically sums up Ivey’s … Continued

July 26, 2018

Inside the Statehouse: Races to watch

Our antiquated 1901 Constitution was designed to give inordinate power to the Legislature. During the Wallace years, the King of Alabama politics, George Wallace, usurped this power and controlled the Legislature from the Executive Branch of Government. Over the last couple of decades the Legislature has wrestled this power back and pretty much excluded the Governor from … Continued

April 18, 2018

Kay Ivey: One year in, serving Alabama

April 10, 2018, marks one year since I unexpectedly became governor. With only three hours’ notice I was called on to lead. The tasks at hand were plentiful. We had to restore integrity to state government. Relationships with legislators and community leaders across the state had to be repaired. Priorities needed to be reexamined and … Continued

April 11, 2018

Bentley pushes for control over tech service laden with cash and immense trove of data

By Bill Britt Alabama Political Reporter The Office of Governor Robert Bentley wants one more chance to create a powerful agency with big money, loose contracts, and a prying eye into the vast state data network. Once again, Bentley’s administration is proposing legislation that will create the Office of Information Technology (OIT) as a stand-alone … Continued

February 21, 2017

Hubbard Trial Day Five: Sumner Fries Hubbard

By Bill Britt Alabama Political Reporter OPELIKA—Former Alabama Ethics Commission Director, Jim Sumner, testified authoritatively and effectively with devastating consequences for the defense on Day Five of the criminal trial of Speaker Mike Hubbard. In spite of Hubbard’s attorney, Bill Baxley, attempting to marginalize Sumner’s testimony, Judge Jacob Walker, III sided with the State and … Continued

June 1, 2016

Who is the Enemy Now?

By Bill Britt Alabama Political Reporter “We have met the enemy and he is us,” is a famous quote from the comic strip, Pogo, by Walt Kelly. After the 2014 elections, this should be the unofficial motto of the Alabama Republican Party, especially the embattled, Legislative and Executive Branches. Gov. Robert Bentley is battling the … Continued

March 21, 2016

Chief Justice Calls for Fairness and Shared Sacrifice

By Bill Britt Alabama Political Reporter MONTGOMERY—Backed by a group representing every facet of the Unified Judicial System, Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy S. Moore made a case for fairness and shared sacrifice within all branches of State government. Justice Moore is calling on the legislature to release $12 million in conditional funding to keep … Continued

December 2, 2015