Lt. Governor Kay Ivey was sworn in last Monday as Alabama governor by acting Chief Justice Lyn Stuart after the resignation of former Governor Robert Bentley at the Capital in Montgomery. Ivey is the second woman to serve as governor of the state and the only woman to serve as
House Speaker Mac McCutcheon proclaimed the plan to raise the state tax on gasoline and diesel to pay for infrastructure improvements as “dead” on Thursday. The bill was pulled because it did not have the votes to clear a procedural hurdle. Bill Poole of Tuscaloosa, the bill’s sponsor, said it
The Alabama Legislature returned to work on Tuesday, April 4 for the 14th day of the session, following a two-week break. Debate on the Education Trust Fund Budget dominated the Senate on Tuesday. Here are a few other highlights: On Tuesday (14th day of session): The House passed a couple of bills of local application
Following more than nine hours in an executive session, The Alabama Ethics Commission voted to refer Governor Robert Bentley’s case to the Montgomery County district attorney’s office for consideration and possible prosecution. The commission said it found probable cause to believe the governor violated the state’s ethics laws and the
There was some good news involving the governor last week. Governor Bentley awarded a grant to the Alabama Network of Children’s Advocacy Centers to help the nonprofit enhance services for child abuse victims in the state. According to the Office of the Governor, the grants total $159,326 and will help fund
The Alabama Legislature returned to work on Tuesday, March 14th for the 11th day of the session, and on that day, the House passed a General Fund Budget. Here are a few other highlights: On Tuesday (11th day of session): The House passed a couple of bills of local application only and worked late into the night
At the end of last week, a spokesperson for Governor Bentley made a definitive statement, saying the governor had no intention of ending his term early by resigning from office. The statement said he was committed to the people of Alabama and to “finishing the race.” Read more here.
An updated version of legislation to build new prisons in Alabama has been filed, and it’s a scale back of previous plans. The plan calls for construction of three new prisons, but the updated version requires at least two of them to be built by local governments or groups. The state
The Alabama Legislature returned to work on Tuesday, March 7th for the 9th day of the session. The General Fund Budget came up in committee, and here are a few other highlights: On Tuesday (9th day of session): The House passed several bills of local application only and general bills to allow marinas to be designated an additional type of community
Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox was re-elected this week to a fourth term by almost 90 percent of voters. Maddox thanked his supporters for ushering him victory in his first political challenge since 2005. Maddox bested four challengers for the mayor’s seat in 2005 after six-term Mayor Al Dupont chose not to
