Kirk Hatcher’s (potential) problem with the Hatch Act
Hatcher is set to face former Rep. John Knight in a special election runoff on Dec. 15.
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See recent postsA forgotten 40 percent
In an age of hyper-partisan politics, a wide swath of the population feels disenfranchised. Because of straight-ticket voting in Alabama, some 40 percent of its citizens feel the government does not represent their interests or even acknowledge they have an opinion on how the state is run. There was a time when candidates for public … Continued
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See recent postsWill the Alabama Supreme Court do for Mike Hubbard what no one else would?
The most worthless oral arguments in legal history will occur Tuesday in front of the Alabama Supreme Court. That’s when attorneys representing former Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard will once again argue that he didn’t break the law because the laws were wrong. And the state will once again point out that Hubbard’s the one … Continued
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See recent postsNew ethics law: A brief analysis
An initial analysis of Senate Bill 230, which repeals and replaces sections of the Alabama Ethics Act as adopted in the 2010 special legislative session, finds that it makes two radical changes. First, it removes the section of code that governs using a public office for personal gain, and secondly, it essentially turns the Alabama … Continued
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See recent postsRepublicans 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
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See recent postsPutting Alabama families first
When you run for public office, you think of family first – your spouse, your children, and your parents. Both of my parents were teachers. I grew up in a modest home where education was important, and where I was rooted in the kind of traditional family values which everyone can appreciate. The lessons I … Continued
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See recent postsLetter to the Editor on FCPA and the Ethics Commission
In the 2015 Alabama Legislative Session, the Legislature passed legislation that required all county candidates and political action committees running for public office to file campaign finance reports with the Alabama Secretary of State’s Office. The 2015 legislation did not change the requirement for all state candidates to file with the Alabama Secretary of State’s … Continued