by Allen Sanderson Legislation that passed in 2014 limits the amount of money all state and education employees are liable for if they are sued personally for actions taken during the performance of their job. Why are municipal employees not granted the same protections? It’s an important question that highlights
Here we go! The 2015 regular session of the Alabama Legislature has begun, and it’s sure to be an interesting one. State of the State: Governor Robert Bentley unveiled his plan for Alabama during the state of the state speech last Tuesday. The governor proposes adding 500 teaching units; level funding for
by Allen Sanderson Fifty years ago, the Civil Rights struggle in America came to a head with the first attempted Selma-to-Montgomery march. It ended in violence as peaceful marchers on the Edmund Pettus Bridge were beaten back by state troopers, earning the event the name “Bloody Sunday.” As thousands came to Selma this
The billionaire owners of Koch Industries, known for their support of conservative Republican initiatives, have joined several groups known for their liberal leaning to promote prison reform. Even the Koch’s harshest critics are willing to take their funding for prison reform efforts. Former Obama administration advisor Van Jones welcomed Koch Industries
The Governor’s proposed tax increase is supposed to raise just over $4 million, but many claim it will bring in much more. Here are a few of the proposed increases and changes and the amount they will raise: Cigarette and Tobacco Tax: $205 million. It would raise taxes on pack
Business is booming in Alabama, and the new Senate Majority Leader is reaching across the aisle. Exports Are Up: State exports were up 1.2 percent in 2014, led by shipments of Alabama-made automobiles to almost 100 countries, according to U.S. Commerce Department data. Rising overseas sales of industrial machinery, plastics and more
These desks won’t be empty for much longer! The 2015 Regular Session of the Alabama Legislature starts on March 3 this year (instead of in February) as this is the first year of the Governor’s new four-year term. Watch your inbox for weekly issues of Group
U.S. Representative Terri Sewell, a Democrat from Selma, and Representative Martha Roby, a Republican from Montgomery, recently teamed up for a bill to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the foot soldiers who took part in the March 1965 voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery. Sewell introduced the bill,
Winton Blount III, the son of the late Montgomery philanthropist Winton “Red” Blount and a 1998 candidate for governor recently died of natural causes. The former businessman and chairman of the Alabama Republican Party was 71. He will be remembered as a great visionary and strategist. Blount was a former
The 2015 Organizational Session of the Alabama Legislature started last week. Leadership roles were filled and budget discussions began. Leadership: The Legislature met on January 13 and 14 to formally elect its leadership for the next four years. There were no surprises as the House predictably re-elected Mike Hubbard of Auburn
