HB317

News

Bentley appointees trick lawmakers into passing dangerous ethics, economic development bill

By Bill Britt Alabama Political Reporter The passage of HB317 by the Alabama House of Representatives could easily be labeled legislation by deception. Not that lawmakers were lying, but rather they were on the receiving end of a lie. In a press statement on Thursday, appointed Attorney General Steve Marshall inadvertently confirmed how he and … Continued

March 9, 2018

Are Hubbard-Riley emails key to answering the mystery surrounding HB317?

By Bill Britt Alabama Political Reporter Controversy still clings to HB317, also known as The Alabama Jobs Enhancement Act, despite the substitute added Tuesday that, at first blush, appears to fix problems with the original bill. Concerns remain. The mystery of why a substantial change to the Ethics Act is linked to amendments addressing business … Continued

March 8, 2018

Bill to clarify the role of economic developers passes House

By Brandon Moseley Alabama Political Reporter Tuesday, the Alabama House of Representatives passed a controversial bill that specified that economic developers are not lobbyists. The House Bill 317’s sponsor is state Rep. Ken Johnson, R-Moulton. Johnson said that this bill is the Alabama Commerce Department’s. This bill has been widely panned in the media for … Continued

March 7, 2018

The sketchiness of “economic development”

By Josh Moon Alabama Political Reporter Let’s be honest, governing well is hard. So hard, in fact, that sometime in the past, most Alabama politicians quit trying. And so, our people found an easier way to make taxpayers at least believe that they’re doing some good. Economic development. Essentially, the idea is this: We pay … Continued

February 13, 2018

Is HB317 a return to the orgy of greed and corruption?

By Bill Britt Alabama Political Reporter At least it seemed for a moment that the cancer eating away at Alabama’s state government was in remission. The rise of Gov. Kay Ivey and Speaker Mac McCutcheon after the removal of Gov. Robert Bentley and Speaker Mike Hubbard appeared to herald a new day in state politics. … Continued

February 6, 2018