2/27/17 Group Watch: Senator Rusty Glover to Run for Lt. Governor

State Senator Rusty Glover announced last week that he will run for lieutenant governor in 2018. A Republican from Mobile County, Glover said he wants to make the legislature open to all people, looking out for all Alabamians and not just the few. Glover, a retired high school history teacher, won election to the Alabama House of Representatives in 2002. He served a single term before winning election to the Alabama Senate in 2006 and is currently in his third term. The lieutenant governor’s responsibilities now include presiding over the Senate; breaking vote ties and deciding points of order; and making appointments to some boards and commissions. The lieutenant governor also becomes governor if the governor dies or is removed from office.

2/27/17 Group Watch: House Majority Leader Steps Down

After six years in the position, Representative Micky Hammon of Decatur confirmed in a press release that he was stepping down as House Majority Leader once his replacement is elected. Hammon was elected to the House in 2002 and as Majority Leader in 2010. Hammon said he will continue to be a proud member of the Republican team and will do everything in his power to help pass the party’s agenda and other conservative reform measures. Earlier this month, the Democratic Caucus elected Rep. Anthony Daniel of Huntsville as the new Minority Leader. Hammon said it was time for the House Republicans to have new leadership as well.

February 20, 2017 Group Watch: News & Views from the State House

The Alabama Legislature returned to work on Tuesday, February 14, for the 3^rd day of the session. Here are a few highlights:

• On Tuesday (3rd day of session): The House debated the rules report for several hours before breaking for dinner. After the recess, they quickly voted on a resolution voicing support for President Donald J. Trump. They also passed a bill clarifying the status of institutions of higher education as agencies of the state under the Alabama Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act and requiring them to comply with all immigration laws or be subject to forfeiture of certain funds. The Senate passed several bills of local application only and a number of general bills including a bill to further define and regulate the sale of over-the-counter, nonprescription eyeglasses and to allow the Department of Transportation only, greater flexibility on bids on certain public improvement projects. Others passed included bills: to require seatbelt use for each occupant while a vehicle is in motion; to revise the statutes of limitations for certain fraudulent activities relating to Medicaid; and to further provide for the Department of Environmental Management to set fees for centralized waste treatment facilities. They carried over a bill to extend the weight allowances for motor vehicles converted to the use of compressed natural or liquefied gas.
• On Wednesday (committee day): The House Boards, Agencies and Commissions Committee gave a favorable report to a bill to allow Marriage and Family Therapy licensees to diagnose mental and emotional problems. The House Education Policy Committee approved a bill to establish as a corporate body the Community College System and to further provide for employees and the disposition of property. The Senate Education and Youth Affairs Committee approved a bill to prohibit from requiring residents of the state who live within 75 miles of campus from living on campus. The Senate Finance and Education Committee approved bills to provide grants for educational programs provided by the State Department of Education and to implement the Simplified Sellers use Tax.
• On Thursday (4th day of session): The House approved several bills of local application only and a number of bills under the sunset provision of state law to continue the following agencies and boards: the board of Licensure for Professional Geologists, the Board of Nursing, the State Board of Pharmacy, the Dental Examiners Board, the Elevator Safety Review Board, the Manufactured Housing Commission, the Board of Optometry and the Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners.  The Senate approved bills to create the Alabama Space Authority within the Department of Economic and Community Affairs and to authorize the Commissioner of the Department of Corrections and the Secretary of ALEA to establish a program to issue non-driver IDs to resident parolees upon release.

2/20/2017 Group Watch: Major Hospitals Pull Out of Medicaid Reform

An overhaul of the state’s Medicaid program has already been postponed a year and could face more delays after the departure of several healthcare systems over concerns about the program’s direction and costs. In recent months, several of Alabama’s largest hospitals, including UAB and the University of South Alabama, have suspended plans to create regional care organizations. The CEO of UAB Health System said lawmakers should postpone the October start of the plan to evaluate loopholes that opened the market to out-of-state companies that specialize in managing Medicaid programs. Although several large hospitals have shelved plans to put together regional care organizations, not all have pulled out of the program. Leaders of a regional care organization with participation from DCH Hospital in Tuscaloosa and Huntsville Hospital are still pushing for an October rollout of Medicaid reform. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has stated that an extension beyond October 1, 2017, will result in the withdrawal of waiver approval and the loss of approximately $748 million in waiver funding.

February 13, 2017 Group Watch: News & Views from the State House

The 2017 Regular Session of the Alabama Legislature began last Tuesday, and legislators wasted no time diving into some important and interesting work. Here’s a quick recap of the first two days and the pressing issues facing them:

• The Medicaid Commissioner reported another Medicaid crisis. The Bentley Administration is hoping that the federal government will block grant the state their share of the Medicaid money with no strings attached about who gets coverage and deductibles.
• Building prisons is the governor’s No. 1 priority. Alabama prisons are drastically overcrowded, and the governor wants the legislature to approve an $800 million bond issue to address constitutional deficiencies.
• While the 2010 census is in the past for most Alabamians, the state is still trying to get a legislative redistricting plan through the Federal court system. Three state senate seats and nine house seats were recently ruled unconstitutional and the state is forbidden from using those districts ever again. During this session, the Joint Committee on Redistricting is going to have to draw up a new plan to satisfy the plaintiffs and Federal court prior to the 2018 election.
• Roadbuilders want more money to fund needed road and bridge work across the state. As cars have become more fuel efficient, gas tax revenues have stagnated, leaving less state money available to draw down Federal road and bridge funds
• Alabama is a pro-gun rights state however there is still debate on just what gun rights mean. A bill has been introduced to allow citizens carry a concealed weapon without a permit.
• Sanctuary cities became an issue after the Birmingham City Council passed a resolution declaring the state’s largest city open as a sanctuary.

2/13/17: Sessions Confirmed as U.S. Attorney General

The U.S. Senate confirmed Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama as U.S. Attorney General by a vote of 52-47. Sessions voted “present” on his nomination, while Democrat Joe Manchin of West Virginia was the lone Democrat to cross the aisle to vote for Sessions. Sessions was elected U.S. Senator from Alabama in 1996 after serving two years as the state’s attorney general. Sessions was among the first in Congress to support candidate Donald Trump and served as an advisor in Trump’s successful presidential campaign. Sessions, who graduated from Huntingdon College in Montgomery, and the University of Alabama Law School, was the ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee. He was also a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

2/13/17 Group Watch: Luther Strange Appointed to U.S. Senate

Governor Robert Bentley appointed Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange to the U.S. Senate following the confirmation of Jeff Sessions as U.S. Attorney General. Strange, 63, was elected the state’s attorney general in 2010 and re-elected in 2014. The appointment follows a lengthy process of interviews and questions about what role, if any, the Alabama attorney general’s office had in probing controversies swirling around the governor. Bentley expressed confidence in Strange’s ability to serve the people of Alabama.

2/13/17 Group Watch: Governor Bentley Appoints New AL AG

Governor Robert Bentley announced on Friday the appointment of Steven Marshall, former Marshall County District Attorney, as the new Alabama Attorney General. Marshall will fill the vacancy left by Luther Strange upon his appointment to the Unites States Senate. Read more here.

January 2017 Group Watch: News & Views from the State House

The new year is starting off strong, with tons of political news swirling around Inauguration Day on January 20 as well as hearings on Trump’s cabinet appointees, including Alabama’s Jeff Sessions. More localized stories are revolving around the Alabama Legislature’s soon-to-start 2017 session, including some ideas on education reform.

Bentley Setting Senate Special Election for 2018
Governor Robert Bentley will soon be appointing a replacement for Senator Jeff Sessions, but that person will only be temporary. The governor recently announced that he would schedule the Special Election to coincide with the 2018 statewide elections. He cited two reasons for his decision: this timeline will save money and is likely to have a larger turnout since voters will have a number of local and statewide matters to spark interest and bring them to the polls. The governor has interviewed 20 state and federal officials and a businessman as possible contenders for the interim appointment. Read the full list:

• Jim Byard, ADECA Director
• U.S. Representative Mo Brooks
• Alabama State Senator Bill Hightower
• Former Representative Perry Hooper Jr.
• Alabama State Senator Del Marsh
• Chief Justice Roy Moore
• Alabama Supreme Court Associate Justice Glenn Murdock
• State Senator Arthur Orr
• State Senator Tripp Pittman
• Representative Bill Poole
• Representative Connie Rowe
• State Senator Cam Ward
• Alabama Revenue Commissioner Julie Magee
• U.S. Representative Robert Aderholt
• Alabama State Senator Phil Williams
• Tim James
• Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange
• U.S. Representative Martha Roby
• State Senator Greg Reed
• U.S. Representative Gary Palmer

And read Bentley’s latest comments on the special election here.

Sessions’ Chief of Staff to serve in White House
President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team recently announced the appointment of Rick Dearborn as Deputy Chief of Staff in the White House. Dearborn is the longtime chief of staff to Senator Jeff Sessions. In his new role, Dearborn, who is currently executive director of the Presidential Transition Team, will lead the White House Office of Legislative Affairs, Office of Intergovernmental Affairs and Cabinet affairs. Dearborn has worked for six U.S. Senators and spent more than 25 years working on Capitol Hill.

State Senator calls for Education Plan 
Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh of Anniston is calling for a comprehensive plan for public education in Alabama. Marsh has sponsored high-profile education reform bills in recent years says the development of a cohesive school strategy should start with educators and not lawmakers. Directors of two groups representing education leaders said Marsh’s idea has merit. Dr. Eric Mackey, executive of the School Superintendents of Alabama, said test scores show Alabama students lagging behind those from other states to a degree that can’t be fully blamed on Alabama’s high poverty rate. He said a comprehensive plan needs to account for the wide disparity among Alabama school systems. The executive director of the Alabama Association of School Boards agrees and said the time is right because of new leadership and other changes in education.

January 2017 Group Watch: Talladega College Part of Inaugural Parade

Talladega College President Dr. Billy Hawkins announced that the Marching Tornado Band has accepted an invitation to perform in the president’s inaugural parade. We’d like to congratulate Talladega College, a longtime The Bloom Group client, on this wonderful opportunity. The school established a GoFundMe page (click here to visit it), which set a goal of $75,000, to defray the expenses. On Thursday, Dr. Hawkins appeared on Fox News’ “The O’Reilly Factor,”  where he described the educational value of the experience for the 300-member band. Former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain shared news of the GoFundMe page on his personal website, urging others to make donations. As of this morning, the fund was reporting contributions close to $600,000. Talladega College under the leadership of Dr. Hawkins has been described as one of great hidden treasures of Alabama.