increase

Governor signs bill reforming Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed legislation Thursday that will reform the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles. House Bill 380 is designed to increase the efficiency of the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles. This bill creates a Director of Pardons and Paroles, appointed by the governor, and provides strict rules and guidelines to … Continued

June 7, 2019

Finally, something that might work

Expanding workforce development and rural broadband could very well be the most significant accomplishments of the 2019 Legislative Session. Both actions have the potential to change Alabama’s future by fostering middle-skill jobs and connecting rural communities to the global economy. The education budget passed in the Senate includes a $6 million increase for workforce development … Continued

May 29, 2019

Education and state retirees also deserve a pay raise

Sometimes I feel like a broken record, but here we are once again. Another year, another budget, and another failure to provide our retirees with a cost-of-living pay raise. It’s becoming a disturbing tradition that every year I have to write about our State Legislature’s failure to treat our retirees with the respect they deserve. … Continued

May 17, 2019

Ivey’s infrastructure bill would raise gas tax by 10 cents, place fees on electric and hybrid vehicles

Gov. Kay Ivey’s infrastructure plan would increase the state motor fuels tax by 10 cents over the next three years and implement registration fees on electric and hybrid vehicles. The plan to increase revenues in order to invest in infrastructure — dubbed the Rebuild Alabama Act — is being sponsored in the Alabama House of … Continued

March 4, 2019

Online sales tax collection: What does this really mean for Alabama’s municipalities?

The steady increase in online sales over the past decade has triggered an alarming shift in consumer purchasing habits from shopping at local brick and mortar establishments (which support community-owned businesses) to buying via remote sellers. The significant decrease in local sales and use tax collections make it more difficult for Alabama’s municipalities to provide basic … Continued

January 23, 2019

As lawmakers consider new gas tax, Alabama remains last in per capita state, local tax collection

As state lawmakers prepare to consider a gas tax increase during the next legislative session, a new report from the Public Affairs Research Council shows Alabama’s state and local governments collect less in taxes per capita than any other state in the country. Alabama has been behind in tax collection since the early 1990s, according … Continued

December 12, 2018

The 2019 gas tax, gambling fight is under way

The fight over a gas tax increase has begun. Just out of public view, lawmakers and lobbyists and business interests are working together and against each other to draw up bills that will increase Alabama’s gas tax as much as 18 cents initially, depending on the type of fuel being purchased. But there is broad … Continued

December 5, 2018

Court allows Birmingham minimum wage lawsuit to move forward

The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals made a decision yesterday to allow plaintiffs to proceed in their endeavor to bring a lawsuit that challenges Alabama’s actions to nullify a City of Birmingham minimum wage ordinance that claims intentional racial discrimination. The Southern Poverty Law Center and the Partnership for Working Families weighed in on the … Continued

July 26, 2018

Sessions allocates four new prosecutors to Alabama’s Northern District

The Northern District of Alabama will receive four new federal prosecutors as part of a nationwide increase of resources from the Trump administration and Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Sessions and U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town, who oversees the U.S Attorney’s Office for the District of Northern Alabama, announced the increase in resources as part of an … Continued

June 5, 2018

Lawmakers eye 2.5–3 percent raise for state educators, employees

By Chip Brownlee Alabama Political Reporter With high revenues and confidence in the budgets this year, state lawmakers are hoping for what could be as high as a 2.5–3 percent pay raise for K-12 educators and state employees. Gov. Kay Ivey proposed the pay increase in her first State of the State Address last week but … Continued

January 15, 2018