By State Auditor Jim Zeigler
I do not need expensive studies and consultants to know that Alabama has immediate infrastructure needs. I experienced a major infrastructure problem Saturday afternoon.
While the inadequacy of Interstate 65 from Birmingham to Montgomery — and on all of the Beach route — may or may not be our most dangerous problem, it may well be the most immediate. It is a problem right NOW.
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By House Minority Leader Rep. Craig Ford
Etowah County has produced a lot of great athletes over the years, including several NFL players like Dre Kirkpatrick and Carnell “Cadillac” Williams. In November, the “Lady Fusion 03” soccer team won the state championship in the U13 division.
We have a proud sports tradition here, and now more than ever we need a sports complex to accommodate these teams. Whether its you soccer like our state champion Lady Fusion team (soccer is the fastest growing sport in the country) or travel ball and little league baseball and softball teams, there is a significant need for a sports complex. Read More
By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
The Alabama Senate debated the lottery for four days of this Special Session. On Tuesday, August 23, it took the Alabama House of Representatives just a few minutes to effectively kill the lottery, without ever even discussing it in a committee.
Freshly energized lottery opponents used the tight timeline and a rarely used parliamentary maneuver to kill the lottery bill for the November 8 ballot. Wednesday, August 24, was the last day for the lottery bill to pass out of the House in time for the November 8 Presidential election. Inexplicably the House chose not to meet on Saturday or Monday. It was a fatal mistake by the House leadership. The leadership had assigned State Senator Jim McClendon’s (R-Springville) Senate Bill 3 to the House Economic Development and Tourism Committee; but there was no scheduled meeting of the House Economic Development and Tourism Committee.
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By Susan Britt
Alabama Political Reporter
MONTGOMERY—The lottery bill, SB11, was carried over at the call of the chair late Wednesday, with few Republican senators present. It could resurface Thursday morning, should more lawmakers come onboard.
Jim McClendon (R-Springville) brought SB11 to the Senate Floor on Wednesday. It passed out of Tourism and Marketing Committee on Tuesday. He said he brought this bill to the attention of the Legislature, as a result of his constituents asking him to pass a bill, so they did not have to drive to neighboring states to buy lottery tickets.
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By State Senator Jim McClendon
Medicaid and the entire health delivery system for the State of Alabama is a House of cards, and one of the integral cards is Medicaid itself. If Medicaid falters, the entire system falters. Without Medicaid, hospitals will close, and the entire system will be jeopardized. Thousands, no, hundreds of thousands of Alabamians will be denied access to healthcare.
The RCO model was adopted by this legislature because we are broke, and it is getting worse year by year. The RCO model was adopted to reduce the ever increasing pressure on the General Fund. It was never touted as a way to stop this growing demand, but it is the only way we know to slow this growth.
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By Congressman Bradley Byrne (AL-1)
It is that time of the year again. Families and students are flocking down Interstate 65 or across Interstate 10 to our Alabama beaches for spring break. Those of us who have lived here our entire lives know what it means: crowded roads, packed restaurants, and full hotels.
What you may not have realized, is just how important tourism is to our area’s economy. In Baldwin County alone, 5.7 million tourists visited the beaches last year. Approximately 46,000 people in Baldwin County are employed in the tourism and hospitality industry. Even more, the economic impact in just Baldwin County is over $3.5 billion dollars, and the number of visitors to our beaches continues to grow each year.
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Craig Ford (233)
Josh Moon (204)
Chip Brownlee (194)
Bradley Byrne (152)
A collection of articles investigating the alleged public corruption that led to the indictment of Speaker Mike Hubbard and the continuing saga that surrounds his up coming trial.
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