supermajority Archives • Alabama Political Reporter

Will lawmakers find Alabama solutions?

An Alabama solution to an Alabama problem is often how Gov. Kay Ivey frames her policy initiatives. Ivey’s position is unique in an era when Republican and Democrat solutions diverge greatly on even the most fundamental challenges of governing. But Ivey’s approach is not only wise; it is also the type of pragmatic thinking that … Continued

January 6, 2020

The colossal charter mess in Montgomery

It is nigh impossible to figure out what is going on with charter schools in Montgomery. Whether it is by design, deception or a bushel of inaptitude, the situation is clearly defying sections of the charter law and thumbs its nose at what is legal and what is not. The charter law was passed in … Continued

January 6, 2020

John Rogers leaving the majority leader’s office to join Jeff Sessions’ Senate campaign

Tuesday, Alabama State Senate Majority Leader Greg Reed, R-Jasper, announced that John Rogers, the office’s long-time Communications Director and Policy Advisor, will be leaving the Majority Leader’s Office at the end of the week to join former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ (R) campaign for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Doug Jones (D). … Continued

November 27, 2019

George Wallace was right

For some of us who are long in the tooth, we can recall that when George Wallace ran for president as a third-party candidate, he often said “there was not a dime’s worth of difference between Democrats and Republicans. And looking at Alabama today, it’s hard to argue with what he said. For all intent … Continued

November 18, 2019

Do you really want Marsh to hand pick State School Board?

Let’s cut right to the chase. If the voters of Alabama approve a constitutional amendment next March that switches us from an elected to an appointed state school board, Senate majority leader Del Marsh will be in total control of the board. To date, most discussion of the amendment has virtually ignored the fact that … Continued

September 19, 2019

New quadrennium, launch of 2020 campaigns

A lot has happened politically in the first quarter of 2019. The governor and all of our constitutional officials have been sworn in and have begun their four-year terms in office with Kay Ivey as Governor, Will Ainsworth as Lt. Governor, John Merrill as Secretary of State, John McMillan as State Treasurer, Rick Pate as … Continued

February 27, 2019

Infrastructure program should be priority one

As the new quadrennium crests in Alabama government, everybody looks toward a new beginning. There is a new fresh four years ahead for the newly elected leaders. They are overwhelmingly Republican. The governor is Republican, and all of the accompanying constitutional officeholders are members of the GOP. More importantly, the State Legislature, both the House … Continued

January 30, 2019

McCutcheon announces standing committee assignments for 2019–2022 legislative term

The Alabama House of Representatives released committee assignments to the public this week. Speaker of the House Mac McCutcheon, R – Monrovia, made a statement regarding the member assignments for the 25 House standing committees. “Most of the hard, complex, and important work of vetting and amending the measures that come before the House is … Continued

January 17, 2019

House Democrats say new rules will subvert democracy, transparency

House Democrats say new rules passed during an organization session earlier this week will subvert Democracy and limit the small Democratic minority’s ability to have any say or influence on legislation. “The New Procedural Rule Changes by House Republicans will silence the voices of citizens and minimize legislators ability to fully vet key legislation,” Minority … Continued

January 11, 2019