Thomas Jackson

News / Legislature / State

Committee approves bill to allow retired law enforcement to work as school resource officers

The Alabama House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee approved a bill Wednesday to allow retired law enforcement officers to be hired as school security guards and school resources officers. House Bill 209 is sponsored by state Rep. Phillip Pettus, R-Killen. Pettus is a retired state trooper. Pettus said the bill would allow a sheriff … Continued

April 15, 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

House passes controversial new rules

The Alabama House of Representatives voted for a series of rule changes in the inner workings of the house. Passing the rules for the next four years is one of the duties of the legislature during the organizational session; but since Republicans have an overwhelming 77 to 28 supermajority the Republicans essentially got to write … Continued

January 10, 2019

Rep. Victor Gaston elected House speaker pro tem

The Alabama House of Representatives was in session for the first time in 2019 for its organizational session Tuesday, and State Rep. Victor Gaston, R-Mobile, was elected as the Speaker Pro Tem, a position he has held for the last eight years. State Representative Steve Clouse (R-Ozark) nominated Victor Gaston for another term as Speaker … Continued

January 9, 2019

House Democrats push for better education, healthcare and ethics in Legislative agenda

By Chip Brownlee Alabama Political Reporter Alabama House Democratic Caucus leaders said Wednesday that they will be introducing a series of bills in the coming weeks to back up a broad agenda that focuses on a wide range of issues. From education, workforce development, healthcare and prison reform, to fighting the opioid epidemic, increasing funding … Continued

January 25, 2018

Bill re-organizing registrars fails

By Sam Mattison Alabama Political Reporter House Bill 150, which concerned re-organizing the management of the Board of Registrars, failed Tuesday in a split vote of 43-43. The Board of Registrars control the registration of voters within a county and are appointed by the Governor. HB150 would have made the positions reviewable by the appointing … Continued

March 9, 2017

Where is the Ethical Government Promised in the Republicans’ Handshake with Alabama?

By House Democratic Caucus Chairman Thomas Jackson I was deeply disappointed last week when I read about the Republican leaderships’ hypocrisy on gambling in Alabama and the subsequent threats they made to the papers that printed the story. Disappointed, but not surprised. For years, there have been accusations that the Alabama Republican Party and its … Continued

November 12, 2012