Thank you for the opportunity to blog during the 2010 Regular Session of the Legislature.  I enjoyed the experience last year.  It was my first time to blog.

Each year the House and Senate alternate giving the Democratic response to the Governor’s message.  The following my response on Alabama Public Television to the Governor Riley’s State [...]

Alabama has the dubious distinction of having the longest written constitution in the world. That’s right, the world!

The Constitution of Alabama has been amended more than 800 times. Amendments should be something rare, not common. Alabama’s constitution is government micromanagement at its worst. The converse is true for our nation’s framework [...]

For three legislative meetings the first bill considered was HB 116 by Representative John Knight. The bill would remove the state sales tax on groceries and in exchange phase out the federal income tax deduction.

House Republicans has blocked this measure being brought up for debate. House Republicans claim the removal of the federal [...]

PROPOSED BY THE RULES COMMITTEE
FOR WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2009
THE 16TH LEGISLATIVE DAY

HR _______ SPECIAL ORDER CALENDAR BY: HOUSE RULES COMMITTEE

BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA, That immediately upon the adoption of this resolution, the following business, in the order set forth below, shall not be the [...]

When the Alabama Legislature returns to session on Tuesday to meet for the 15th legislative day it will mark the halfway point in the session. A regular session has a maximum of 30 legislative days (or meeting days). Days in which committees meet are not considered legislative days for purposes of marking time [...]

I recently saw a bumper sticker, which simply read, “Thank God for Mississippi.” It wasn’t meant as a complement to the Magnolia State. Only two states in the nation tax the purchase of food – Alabama and Mississippi. What’s wrong with this picture?

Currently, 4 cents of every dollar spent on [...]

Today Republican House members killed SB 71 after intense lobbying effort by the Governors office. SB 71 simply allowed for the Governor, Lt. Governor and Speaker of the House to appoint individual to serve on his or her behalf on various boards, commissions and committees. The primary purposes of the bill was to [...]

On Thursday HB 676 by Representative Marcel Black and SB 471 by Senator Quinton Ross regarding the play of bingo in Alabama were introduced. The introduction of these bills was long anticipated.

It is reported a group of gaming operators have been meeting in Montgomery for months in an effort to forge an alliance, coalesce [...]

A bill is pending in the legislature which would limit an investigation conducted by the Ethics Commission to thirty days. Thirty days is not enough time to conduct any type of meaningful investigation.

The real question is what prompted this type of legislation in the first place. Often legislation is introduced, which has no [...]

On Tuesday Representative Paul DeMarco’s bill will be first on the calender. His bill is in position to be substituted with the Senate bill sponsored by Senator Jabo Waggoner. This bill would regulate the hauling of steel coils on Alabama highways. In recent years there have been substantial problems with trucks dropping [...]

I’ve never responded to a comment regarding one of my postings. However, the response by the writer whose nom de plume is Anon conveys an elitist attitude that too often permeates the legislative process, an attitude that the special interest’s should receive special consideration. The following are excerpts from Anon’s comments and my [...]

On December 10, 2008, Oakman Elementary was destroyed by a tornado. The children have been placed in temporary space in three different areas, a portion of the 1948 structure, portable classrooms on the baseball field and in the high school. The administration, faculty and staff have done a wonderful making the most of [...]

Many in the legislature are asking questions of whether it is wise for the governor to reject a portion of the economic stimulus funds. The argument several governors have raised is that after four years there would be a cost to the states. At this point I am not sure that it a [...]

The House of Representatives on Tuesday passed 15 general bills that ranged from oil and gas offshore severance tax to computer solicitation of a child to regulation of out-of-state certified public accountants. The diversity of topics is typical for an early day in the legislative regular session.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009 was the [...]

This week in the legislature the take of the hall has centered on the true sum of stimulus dollars coming to Alabama. On first glance it appears that education, Medicaid and roads are the big winners (winners probably isn’t the best term to use in this situation).

In the education area there are $597 million [...]