Skip to content

lawmakers

News / State

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

Poarch Band of Creek Indians face uncertainty

The Poarch Band of Creek Indians (PCI) has two serious problems which they hope to eliminate through relationships with current lawmakers both in Washington and Montgomery, but those prospects are dwindling. The tribe’s current worries have been exacerbated, given President Donald J. Trump’s hostility toward Indian gaming. The Poarch Creek Indians were noticeably absent in the 2018 … Continued
December 4, 2018

Get Hart

Years of political pressure from shady defense attorneys and crooked lawmakers culminated last week in the firing of Special Prosecution Division Chief Matt Hart. Gov. Robert Bentley’s appointed attorney general, Steve Marshall, delivered the blow just 13 days after being elected attorney general, but the move against Hart was orchestrated by some of the state’s … Continued
November 26, 2018

Ivey, Bentley have been robbing bridges to pay judges, and this shell game has to stop

Want to know how broke Alabama is under its current Republican leadership? For the past nine years, GOP lawmakers, at the request of the Govs. Robert Bentley and Kay Ivey, have moved more than $300 million out of funds earmarked for road and bridge repairs and deposited it into an account that covers the costs … Continued
October 25, 2018

Three cheers for cheaters, conmen and crooks

Lobbyists and others representing special interests give millions to lawmakers in the form of campaign contributions, and it doesn’t even matter if they are legally or ethically right; they are a must. Not only are these contributions acceptable and expected, in many cases, it is demanded with valued treats. With millions in contributions, lobbyists and … Continued
September 14, 2018

The myth of the “simple lottery bill”

There is no such thing as a “simple lottery bill” in the state of Alabama. You hear this phrase a lot from state lawmakers, as they field the inevitable questions about gambling that pop up prior to each legislative session or prior to elections in which one candidate — usually a Democrat — has proposed … Continued
September 6, 2018

Alabama Republican lawmakers have broken the law. Should all Republicans in the state lose their rights?

It’s time for Republicans in Alabama to give up some rights. Over the last few years, GOP lawmakers have violated the law on an almost daily basis, and seven of them have been indicted, convicted or pleaded guilty of misusing their offices for public gain. They have violated the public’s trust repeatedly. They have sought … Continued
August 21, 2018

DC’s political pornography keeps voters distracted

While Alabama’s voters breathlessly bask in the bodice-ripper soft porn that is the daily press coverage of the President Donald J. Trump administration here at home, some elected officials are disregarding and dismantling the very laws that Republicans rode to victory in 2010. Ethics reform and the Fair Campaign Practice Act are under attack, not … Continued
August 8, 2018

Deposition: Bentley was pressured by lawmakers, attorneys, major donors to upend Hubbard trial

Former Gov. Robert Bentley said during a recent deposition that he was pressured by lawmakers, attorneys and major donors on numerous occasions during the Mike Hubbard trial to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the Alabama Attorney General’s Office — a move that likely would have torpedoed the case against the former House speaker. Under … Continued
July 16, 2018

President’s American heart, hands and grit promise may spur infrastructure campaign

As part of his Make America Great Again promise, President Donald Trump offered the American Infrastructure Initiative in February of this year. Many Alabama lawmakers hoped to pass a statewide infrastructure package during the last legislative session, but like President Trump’s plan, it stalled because Republicans feared voter backlash in an election year. As reported … Continued
July 10, 2018