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Steve Flowers

Prediction: Same sex marriage will be the law of the land

INSIDE THE STATEHOUSE By Steve Flowers This has been an eventful year. Thousands of tourists have flocked to Alabama to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery March for Civil and Voting Rights. The events that happened in Alabama spurred the enactment of the landmark acts that broke down the legal barriers prohibiting … Continued
May 27, 2015

Prison Reform a Major Accomplishment

INSIDE THE STATEHOUSE By Steve Flowers The hallmark accomplishment of this year’s legislative session will be a comprehensive prison reform package. This legislation is the one long-term substantive issue tackled by the super majority Republican legislative body. This comprehensive prison project has been in the works for a while. A lot of research and planning … Continued
May 20, 2015

Righting the Titanic

INSIDE THE STATEHOUSE By Steve Flowers You would have to have been under a rock for the past six months to not have heard that the State General Fund has a shortfall and Gov. Robert Bentley has proposed a $540 million tax increase solution to resolve the problem. This crisis has been formulating for close … Continued
May 13, 2015

Redistricting Case Cloud Over Session

INSIDE THE STATEHOUSE By Steve Flowers There is an ominous cloud hanging over this legislative session. Last year the U.S. Supreme Court surprisingly agreed to hear a Hail Mary complaint filed by the black legislative caucus over the 2014 redistricting plan. In an even more surprising opinion, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the … Continued
May 6, 2015

Nice Guys Finish Last

INSIDE THE STATEHOUSE By Steve Flowers Recently, at a forum I was asked the question, “Which governor made a difference in Alabama politics?” The question caught me off guard because I really had not thought about that obvious inquiry. My knee-jerk reaction and answer to the insightful questioner was George Wallace and I gave a … Continued
April 29, 2015

2018 Derby for Governor

INSIDE THE STATEHOUSE By Steve Flowers On a picture perfect sunny January day Governor Robert Bentley was sworn in for his second term as governor, along with all of the other constitutional state officeholders. Taking their oath of office on the same day were Lt. Gov. Kay Ivey, Attorney General Luther Strange, State Treasurer Young … Continued
April 22, 2015

Barking at The Moon

INSIDE THE STATEHOUSE By Steve Flowers As the world turns in Alabama politics, a lot has happened in the first three months of 2015. After Inauguration Day, a federal judge in Mobile ruled Alabama’s constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage was not constitutional under federal law. In appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court it was obvious … Continued
April 15, 2015

Honors and Posibilites

INSIDE THE STATEHOUSE By Steve Flowers Alabama’s senior and premier political reporter, Phil Rawls, has retired. Phil spent 35 years reporting on Alabama politics for the Associated Press. He was simply the best. He was fair and accurate. His 40 years of covering the State Capitol made him easily the longest serving member of Alabama’s … Continued
April 8, 2015

The Charter School Options

INSIDE THE STATEHOUSE By Steve Flowers In recent years, the Republican Party has taken control of the legislatures in all of the southern states. Alabama’s legislature is overwhelmingly Republican. The GOP holds a 25 to 9 majority in the State Senate and an equally dominating 72 to 33 majority in the House of Representatives. Our … Continued
April 1, 2015

Calling Dr. Bentley

INSIDE THE STATEHOUSE By Steve Flowers Our good doctor governor, Robert Bentley, has done a thorough physical exam on the state’s finances and his diagnosis is that the General Fund needs additional revenue. His Republican comrades in the legislature have been trying to starve the patient for the past four years. If the patient is … Continued
March 25, 2015