June 19, 2019 - One Vote Can Make a Difference
Some of us who were former legislators, who served our counties in the legislature a long time, were considered by many to always be their legislator. A good many of my former constituents still call me with questions or problems. Some ask me how to get in touch with their congressman or senator about a certain issue so that they can express their opinion. They invariably ask will their letter or email make a difference. My response is, “Yes, it will.”
All legislators or congressmen want to know what their constituents are thinking. They generally want to vote their district’s feelings and needs. When I was a legislator, I would cherish this input and actually solicit it.
One year, I received a nice note from one of my favorite retired teachers. I loved her. She had not only taught me but also taught my mom and dad. She was as fine a lady as I have ever known. Her note simply asked me to vote for some issue. I was not even cognizant of the issue until she made me aware of it. She even referred to it by a bill number. It did not pertain to education and I did not perceive it to have much opposition or controversy. I do not even remember now what the issue was. However, I revered this lady and she was asking me to vote yes on a matter I had no position on anyway. So I called her and told her that due to her interest I would vote for the measure. I kept her note on my desk with the bill number referenced. Lo and behold, about halfway through the legislative session, I saw the bill on the special-order calendar for the day. I got primed for the vote. I voted for the bill simply because that lady had asked me to. To my amazement, I looked up at the large electronic vote tally machine and the bill passed by one vote.
One vote can make a difference.
Having told you that story, reminds me of my first year in the legislature. I was a young 30-year old representative representing Pike and Barbour counties. Like today, Wallace was passing a gas tax for roads and bridges. This was a common occurrence and expected during the Wallace era. He knew the people of Alabama didn’t even notice that their gasoline tax had been raised. However, they knew that Wallace had built them a four-lane highway in their county. He knew Alabama politics better than anybody in state history.
Another political legend, Big Jim Folsom, left an indelible legacy as governor with his legendary and necessary Farm-to-Market road program. Recently while making a speech in Dothan, I told the group this Big Jim story about their region. Big Jim was a native of the Wiregrass. As a young man, Big Jim was making a futile run for Congress in the Wiregrass. One day he was campaigning down a dirt country road in Geneva County. He met and befriended an old farmer and his wife at the end of the road. The couple gave Big Jim cold buttermilk to drink. Big Jim bonded with those folks on their front porch as he drank a gallon or two of buttermilk. As he was leaving the old farmer shouted out to his new friend, Big Jim, “Boy if you get elected to anything will you pave my road?” Big Jim smiled and said, “Sure I will.” Ten years later Big Jim got elected governor and guess which county road in the state got paved first? You are right, it was that road in Geneva County. They named it the Buttermilk Road.
For folks in the Wiregrass, guess who built the Ross Clark Circle around Dothan? You got it, Big Jim Folsom.
For any of you legislators that are reading, my advice to you is that your average constituent ain’t gonna know whether or not you voted for the state tax on gasoline. But, they are going to remember that highway or bridge you brought home to your county. If you play your cards right, you might even get it named after you.
Speaking of legislators, legendary Black Belt Legislator, Rick Manley, passed away in January. He represented Marengo County and the Black Belt for over 25 years in the House and Senate. He was one of the most able and effective legislative leaders in state history. He served as Chairman of both the House and Senate Judiciary Committees. He was also Speaker Pro Tem of the House.
See you next week.
June 12, 2019 - Past Prominent State Legislators
The 2019 legislative session is now in the books. As each session is observed, it is apparent that primary, powerful, state senators control the flow and outcome of any and all legislative sessions.
Current Alabama State Senators Del Marsh, Jabo Waggoner, Greg Reed, and Arthur Orr wield immense influence.
This has been true throughout history. The annals of political history reveal powerful state senators. Some of the most prominent include: Roland Cooper, the “Wily Fox from Wilcox”, Joe Goodwyn of Montgomery, Walter Givhan of Dallas County, Ryan DeGraffenreid, Sr. of Tuscaloosa and later his son, Ryan, Jr. also of Tuscaloosa. The legendary state senator Bob Wilson, Sr. of Jasper was powerful in his day.
Jimmy Clark of Barbour as a Senator and Speaker of the House, the legendary Rankin Fite of Marion County, a Senator and Speaker of the House, Joe McCorquodale of Clarke County, who was Speaker for over a decade, Pete Turnham and Bo Torbert of Lee County, Rick Manley of Marengo was brilliant, Lowell Barron of Fyffe, Roger Bedford of Russellville, and Hank Sanders of Selma would be on the list along with former Speaker of the House, Seth Hammett of Covington County.
However, as powerful as all of the aforementioned were, perhaps the title of “Most Powerful Legislator” should go to State Senator James Titus of Madison. Almost all of you are scratching your head and saying who in the world is James Titus? Let me share with you the James Titus story and place in Alabama history.
When the Alabama territory was created by Congress in 1817, the Act provided that the new legislature would be made up of members of the Mississippi Territorial Legislature, who resided in what was to become Alabama. There were ten men serving in the Mississippi House of Representatives and three in the Senate. Before the new Legislature convened at St. Stephens in January, 1818, one of these senators had resigned and a second was unable to attend the session. Only James Titus was present for that first legislative session.
Some men might have been reluctant to conduct business under the circumstances, but not James Titus. He had not made the long journey from Huntsville to St. Stephens for nothing and he took his responsibilities seriously. He called the Senate to order, called the roll, organized the Senate, nominated and elected himself as presiding officer, voted on all bills and at the end of the day, made the motion to adjourn. He was in essence a one-man senate.
Folks, there have been powerful legislators in our colorful and illustrious political history, but none will ever have the power that Senator Titus had.
Speaking of powerful senators, our Senior U.S. Senator Richard Shelby has reached a pinnacle unsurpassed in Alabama political history. In March Senator Shelby passed the legendary Senator John Sparkman for length of service in the United States Senate from Alabama. Shelby has now served 32-years and five months. Sparkman’s record was 32 years and three months.
In my 2015 book, “Of Goats and Governors: Six Decades of Colorful Alabama Political Stories,” I have a chapter entitled Alabama’s three greatest U.S. Senators. Senators Lister Hill, John Sparkman and Richard Shelby have been the greatest. However, if I were writing the chapter today, Shelby would be in a league of his own as Alabama’s most powerful senator in Alabama History.
Senators Hill and Sparkman were powerful and left a legacy. Hill’s is in medical research and rural hospitals throughout the nation and Alabama. Sparkman was the father of the Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville and delivered hallmark legislation that afforded housing for Americans as Chairman of the Banking and Housing Committee.
Senator Shelby, over his 32-plus years in the Senate has chaired the U.S. Senate Banking Committee, Intelligence Committee, and Rules Committee. However, his current perch as Chairman of the Appropriations Committee is unparalleled. Alabama has never had a Chairman of the United States Senate Appropriations Committee, and more than likely never will again.
Meanwhile, the race for the 2020 U.S. Senate is developing very slowly. The Republican field is smaller than what was expected at this point. If someone is going to run they better go ahead and get going. The primaries are just around the corner in early March of next year.
The only serious announced candidates thus far are 1st District Congressman Bradley Byrne and former Auburn football coach Tommy Tuberville.
See you next week.
June 5, 2019 - Legends of Girls State
For almost 100 years one of, if not the best annual event for young Alabama High School leaders in Alabama has been the Alabama Boys State and the Alabama Girls State programs.
These events are sponsored by the American Legion and the American Legion Auxillary. Boys State and Girls State are sponsored nationwide by the American Legion. The programs epitomize the American Legion’s mission to honor those who have bought us our American freedom.
The Girls State and Boys State programs brings the brightest high school leaders together every June. These young Alabama leaders will be Alabama’s governmental leaders in the future.
During the week-long session these high school rising seniors develop leadership skills and action-based understanding of the governmental process that gives them a lasting foundation for success both professionally and personally.
Boys State has spawned Alabama’s governmental leaders for decades. I attended Boys State 50-years ago this month. I remember it like it was yesterday. It is a lifetime memory. You make friends that last throughout life and have resurfaced my entire life. One of my contemporaries from Boys State, who became a lifetime friend, is current Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, Tom Parker.
Now that women have taken their rightful place in Alabama governmental positions, it is appropriate that our top two female leaders in Alabama got their start at Alabama Girls State. Governor Kay Ivey and BCA CEO Katie Britt were leaders at Girls State. Katie Britt, who was young Katie Boyd, has always been an outstanding leader. Katie became Governor of Girls State.
Kay Ivey has stayed extremely active as a Board member and Director of Girls State ever since her years at Auburn University. She has volunteered as a counselor for over 50 years. She loves Girls State. In fact, when these young female leaders meet next week at the University of Alabama for the 79th time, Kay will address them as their Governor and fellow Girls Stater.
These young women leaders will organize and assume the roles of government leaders. They will campaign in mock parties called the “Federalists” and “Nationalists.” They will divide up in cities and become mayors and county officials. Then others will have bigger roles as state constitutional officers and Supreme Court Judges. One will become Governor. She and the Lt. Governor will go to Washington D.C. to attend Girls Nation. They may even run for President of Girls Nation.
Governor Ivey has mentored several Girls State leaders over the years. Lee Grant Sellers, “Mrs.” Girls State, was an outstanding leader from Montgomery. She is now the 18-year Director of Alabama’s Girls State. Lee’s husband, Will Sellers, currently sits on the Alabama Supreme Court. By the way, Lee and Will are Kay Ivey’s closest friends and confidants.
We have had a President of Girls Nation mentored by Governor Kay Ivey, Cathy Johnson Randall. Kay bonded with Cathy through Girls State. Cathy has been one of the most outstanding leaders in Alabama over the past 50 years. She headed Kay Ivey’s Gubernatorial Inauguration Committee.
I knew Cathy as a student at the University of Alabama. She was by far the most respected leader on campus, male or female. She was president of everything on campus. While at the University, she was a Chi Omega, a Crimson Girl, SGA Senator and ODK, and a member of Mortar Board.
After graduation from the Capstone, she married Pettus Randall from Tuscaloosa, thus becoming Cathy Johnson Randall. Upon his death she became the Chairman of the Board of Randall Holdings. She is also on the Board of the Alabama Power Company and Mercedes Benz.
While in high School, Cathy Johnson Randall was elected Governor of Girls State and then went on to become President of Girls Nation. Believe it or not, her husband Pettus, was Boys State Governor and Boys Nation President. Furthermore, she and Pettus had a daughter who was Governor of Girls State and President of Girls Nation.
See you next week.
May 29, 2019 - An Act of Congress
A good many people wonder why simple, straightforward, no nonsense, good- government legislation fails to pass even though it appears to have universal and overwhelming support and appeal for many voters and legislators.
You will recall old sayings that you heard from your elders when you were young. Old bits of wisdom spouted from the lips of your grandparents and older folks, which went in one ear and out the other. Sayings like, “If you’ve got your health you’ve got everything” and “If it ain’t broke then don’t fix it”; and, if you are a golfer there is no truer euphuism than, “You drive for show and putt for dough,” and “it ain’t how you drive its how you arrive.” The older you get, it occurs to you how wise these old adages are in actual life. They are golden facts.
One of the sage morsels pertains to getting something accomplished. You say, “It takes an act of Congress to get that done.” In politics, there is no clearer truism. It is really hard to pass a piece of legislation through Congress and it is just as equally difficult to channel a bill through the labyrinth of legislative approval in Alabama.
Ask any successful lobbyist or legislator which side they would rather be on in legislative wars. They much prefer to be against something than trying to pass a bill. It is probably 100 times harder to steer a bill through legislative approval than it is to kill a bill. The Alabama Senate Rules or such that if a handful of the 35 Senators are adamantly opposed to something then they can kill the bill. If the right Senator is against it, if for example he is Chairman of the Rules Committee and he wants it killed, it is dead.
It does not matter if the proposed legislation is as all American as a proposal or legislation saying the legislature is in favor of apple pie and motherhood. The bill has to go before both House and Senate committees, win approval, and not get an amendment put on it. If an amendment on is added, the bill basically has to start all over again. Then it has to get placed on the special order calendar set by the Rules Committee. There are hundreds of bills waiting to get on this calendar but only a few bills make it on the calendar each day. There are only 30 legislative days in the session. If a bill gets on the calendar, it then has to pass both houses. Then, hopefully, the governor is also for apple pie and motherhood, because if she vetoes the bill, it has to start all over again.
Let me give you an example of a piece of apple pie and motherhood legislation I was asked to sponsor when I was a freshman legislator. There was a quirk in Alabama Criminal Law that allowed the family of a criminal defendant to be in the court room in a criminal trial and sit behind the criminal and observe and cry on behalf of their relative. However, unbelievably the family of the crime victim could not be in the court room. The Victims of Crime Leniency (VOCAL) sought to correct this injustice. VOCAL asked me to sponsor its bill and work for its passage. I worked diligently on the bill. The press gave me and the bill glowing editorials for its fairness. We got the bill out of the House. It passed overwhelmingly. However, when it got to the Senate it was assigned, rightfully so, to the Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by Senator Earl Hilliard from Jefferson County. He was opposed to the bill and as Chairman of the Committee, he deep sixed it and would not let it out. No amount of haranguing from the VOCAL people or bad press would budge Earl. However, one day I was on the floor of the House and the VOCAL leader, Mrs. Miriam Shehane, called me out to the lobby. She said Earl was sick and would not be in Montgomery today and the Senate Judiciary Committee was meeting and the Vice Chairman will bring our bill up out of order. We quickly went to the 6th floor and whisked our bill out of order of the Judiciary Committee and it won final approval in the Senate a few weeks later and it became law.
Remember old truisms like, “It will take an act of Congress to get something done,” is very accurate, especially in politics.
See you next week.
May 22, 2019 - Road Rage and Deer Hunting Bills Take Center Stage in Legislature
Over 20 years ago when I was a legislator the State Trooper assigned to my county asked if he could come visit with me. “Of course,” I said. When he came he had a somber look on his face. I thought maybe he had a serious personal problem or had lost a loved one.
He began, “This may not sound like a major highway problem, but one of the things that causes a good many accidents and incidents on our roads is people driving slow in the left lane and not moving over.” I never pursued legislation to this effect. However, he made me aware of the need to remedy this problem.
Well, finally, a legislator has taken up this legislation. Rep. Phillip Pettus, a Republican from Lauderdale County, who by the way retired as a captain in the Alabama State Troopers after a 25-year career, has passed legislation to remedy this problem. He calls his Bill, “The Anti-Road Rage Act.”
The Bill would prohibit drivers from staying in the left most lane on interstates for more than a mile and a half without passing another vehicle. Pettus explained, “People get ill when they come up behind people driving slow in the left lane and they are wanting to get by. Interstates were set up for the movement of traffic. This will make interstate traffic move better if the said road rage causes more wrecks than accident records would indicate, like when angry drivers cut in front of another vehicle and cause that vehicle to run off the road.” The House has passed the Bill on a 61-24 vote. It awaits action in the Senate.
It has been 20 years since I was in the Legislature, and during the entire time I was there we had a perennial issue that would surface every year; whether or not to let deer hunters hunt deer with dogs. Today the issue has evolved into whether or not to allow hunters to use bait to attract deer. This Bill has become an annual debate in the Legislature. Both sides are ardent and take their deer hunting seriously. Well it looks like the baiters have finally won. Rep. Danny Crawford (R-Limestone) has passed legislation that gives hunters the option of hunting over bait. The bill passed overwhelmingly in both chambers.
The deer hunting issue has been around forever. During the 1950’s and 60’s there was a legendary legislative sage named Rankin Fite of Marion County. Ole Rankin had been in the Legislature a long time. He was actually Speaker of the House well into the 1970’s when the first Ethic Laws were passed. Rankin was one of only six House members to vote against the Ethics Law. After the vote the media asked the former Speaker why he voted against the Ethics Law. He wryly replied, “It wasn’t tough enough.” He further pontificated this advice, “I voted for every tax, voting for taxes won’t beat you.” “I just voted against the Ethics Bill, voting against ethics won’t beat you.” “The issues you need to avoid are voting on daylight savings time or hunting deer with dogs.”
Gov. Kay Ivey has done a good job with her judicial appointments throughout the state. In 2017, she appointed Circuit Judge Brad Mendheim of Dothan to the Supreme Court to fill a vacancy. Mendheim is a very well qualified jurist to sit on the state’s highest judicial tribunal. Mendheim is extremely well liked and respected in his native Houston County.
In the 2018 elections, Mendheim lost a close election to Judge Sarah Stewart of Mobile. Gov. Ivey wisely reappointed Mendheim to the Court in the place of Justice Tom Parker who was elected Chief Justice.
Former Chief Justice Lynn Stuart, who Tom Parker replaced, has taken a seat on the State Ethics Commission. Judge Stuart was a Baldwin County Judge for 12 years prior to being elected to the Supreme Court in 2000. She served 18 years on the Supreme Court. Her term on the Ethics Commission is for four years, through August of 2023.
Gov. Ivey has set the Special Election dates for the seat of Dimitri Polizos in Montgomery. Dimitri, a popular restaurateur in the Capital City, died in March. The first primary is June 11 with a runoff on August 27. It is a Republican seat, which has drawn a crowded field of candidates.
See you next week.
May 15, 2019 - Infrastructure Package Passage will be Hallmark of Success for Governor Kay Ivey and the Legislature
The five day Special Legislative Session that addressed the increase in the gas tax to fund an Infrastructure Rebuilding Program for the state was a remarkable success. I still marvel at the adroitness, efficiency and expediency in which the governor accomplished this monumental initiative. She called for a Special Session on the night of her State of the State address and within one week it was signed, sealed, and delivered.
I have seen some successful special sessions in my lifetime of watching Alabama politics. However, I have never seen anything like this. George Wallace used Special Sessions continuously and regularly during his 20-year reign as King of Alabama politics. He got things accomplished this way. It is the way to go to crystalize the importance of an issue.
Kay Ivey’s success made Wallace’s hardball ploys look minor league. She got her mission accomplished in the minimum five days. It was an amazing success story that will be told in political circles for years.
She did her homework. She dug in and made it clear that infrastructure improvement was a must for Alabama. She had a plan, she worked it and she won and the people of Alabama won.
She was not doing it for self-serving reasons nor was she doing it to secure her place in history. However, I am here to tell you as an Alabama political historian, she earned a place in my book. She has earned her spurs and earned the name “Governor.” She showed her leadership and the title Gov. Kay Ivey.
Gov. Ivey was astute to address the issue in a Special Session within the Regular Session for several reasons. In a Special Session, Legislators have to address only the issue the governor calls them in for. By calling for the concentrated Special Session within the Regular Session it did not cost taxpayers any more. It also got them around the 3/5 vote needed to bring a bill up before the budgets which is required in the Regular Session.
Her ability to reach across the aisle and garner Democratic support for passage of the program was noteworthy. She brought in all of the Democratic legislative leaders. She sat down with them and diligently worked to explain how important this agenda was to not only their constituents, but to the entire state.
Her reaching out to them was not only important for passage of this package, but it built the foundation for a successful and harmonious working relationship with all the members of the Legislature which has been missing for over a decade.
The relationships Kay developed with state senators as presiding officer of the Senate for six years paid off with not only the Republican leadership but also with Democratic leaders like Bobby Singleton.
She forged new friendships with both Republican and Democratic legislators in the House. She worked hard and developed a close working relationship with House Democratic leader, Anthony Daniels (D-Huntsville), who is a bright young star. This friendship will be good going forward for Ivey and the state.
Rep. Bill Poole (R-Tuscaloosa) was the leader in the House that worked closely with Gov. Kay Ivey to align the stars for passage. Poole drafted the Bill, helped devise the strategy and fought for passage. He is probably the only House sponsor who could pull it off. Senator Clyde Chambliss did a brilliant job in the Senate. Both Poole and Chambliss are young with bright paths ahead in Alabama politics.
Expanding access to broadband internet in rural Alabama has been one of the cornerstone issues for Gov. Ivey and the legislature the last few years. This access to broadband today is as important as getting electricity was 60-75 years ago.
This initiative has moved to the forefront for passage as the session evolves. The magic formula for success is engrossed in House Bill 400. This legislation would logically and effectively allow electric utilities to use their existing infrastructure to run broadband to areas that do not have service today.
Opposition has arisen from big cable companies for obvious self-serving reasons. To allow these large out-of-state companies to thwart the passage of this important piece of legislation would be bad for the state. The need to run new fiber optic lines at great expense would make the initiative almost cost prohibitive.
Regardless, the cable companies and AT&T are working to kill this logical plan to extend broadband internet service to all Alabamians. They are also using some unsavory tactics in their attempt to kill Gov. Ivey’s initiative. Hopefully, their transparent efforts to derail this important legislation will be ignored by legislators who want what is best for Alabama.
See you next week.
May 8, 2019 - Senator Richard Shelby Turns 85 this week. He is an Alabama Treasure with Legendary Prowess at Unlocking the U.S. Treasury for Alabama
Our Senior U.S. Senator, Richard Shelby, turns 85 this week. In March he reached another milestone – he surpassed Senator John Sparkman as the longest serving U.S. Senator in Alabama history. Shelby has been our senator for 32 plus years.
Alabama has a treasure in Richard Shelby. He is not only the longest serving U.S. Senator in Alabama history, he is also the most successful U.S. Senator in Alabama history. During his illustrious tenure, Senator Shelby has chaired the Senate Banking Committee, Intelligence Committee and Rules Committee. However, his current perch as Chairman of the Appropriations Committee is unparalleled.
He has brought home the bacon during his five six-year terms like no one in history. However, in his sixth six-year term it’s Katie bar the door. In addition to chairing the Appropriations Committee, he also retained the Chairmanship of the Subcommittee on Defense Appropriations. It is through this channel that he has pumped immense federal money into the Heart of Dixie in last year’s budget alone. It is staggering. It is almost unimaginable.
However, get this, in the Fort Rucker budget alone Senator Shelby carved out an additional $95 million for future vertical lift research, which will help accelerate development of helicopters flown at Fort Rucker; $10 million to up-grade Navy MH-60 Seahawk helicopters; $1 billion for THAAD missiles: $111 million for long range anti-ship missiles; $306 million for JAG missiles; $484 million for Hellfire missiles, which are made in Troy and used for training at Fort Rucker; $254 million for Javelin missiles for the Army and Marine Corps; and $663 million for Joint Air-Surface Standoff missiles, which recently made their debut in strikes on Syria in response to their use of chemical weapons.
Sen. Shelby has bestowed a largess of grants on UAB for medical research over the years. However, he recognizes the possibility of explosive growth in the Huntsville area. The Redstone Arsenal is reaping the rewards of Senator Shelby’s prowess and influence. The amount of money our senior senator is putting into North Alabama is mind boggling: in Army research $11 billion for instruments in transformational technologies to address future Army needs; $10.4 billion for missile defense; $664 million for hypersonic research; $184 million for Directed Energy; $306 million for Cyber Research; and $200 million for Space Launch vehicles.
Of all the things that Sen. Shelby has procured for Alabama, specifically the Huntsville area, his Hallmark legacy may be securing the placement of one of the largest FBI facilities in America. Huntsville will eventually be second only to Washington D.C. for the FBI.
The FBI’s investment in Huntsville could reach $1 billion. Initially 1,350 jobs will be transferred from Washington to North Alabama. The Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville already includes a U.S. Army Base as well as NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. Folks these 1,350 to 1,500 Federal FBI jobs all pay more than the average Alabama salary. The Huntsville metro area is poised to grow more size wise and economically than any area of America in the next decade in no small part to Senator Richard Shelby.
He has almost four years left on his 6th term, 44 months to be exact. He is in excellent health, physically and mentally. Most Alabamians hope and pray he runs again in 2022. However, he will be 88.
If Senator Shelby does not run, who might follow him? He might be involved in picking his successor. He is convinced that someone young should be his heir. He realizes the importance of youth and how it predicates future seniority.
First on most lists is State Rep. Bill Poole, who like Shelby hails from Tuscaloosa. He is only 42-years old but has served in the legislature for nine years, most of his time as Chairman of the House Education Budget Committee. He is the most respected member of the House. His adroit handling of the Infrastructure Package had many longtime Statehouse observers labeling him as having future governor or senator written all over him.
Another name to remember is 37-year old Katie Boyd Britt. She is Shelby’s former Chief of Staff and current CEO of the Business Council of Alabama.
See you next week.
May 1, 2019 - Prisons Issue - Front/Center
Folks, taking care of prisoners is not a popular political issue. However, every so often Alabama politicians pragmatically have to acquiesce to the mandates of federal judges and grant our transgressing citizens their rights as determined by the courts.
Federal Courts have determined that our felons deserve the rights to adequate imprisonment. You just cannot log them in, lock them up, and give them a basic bunk and rations three times a day. Courts want them to have sufficient space and access to mental health care.
Some state prison systems have come under a Federal Court order and have been given instructions on how to run their prisons and how to treat prisoners without regard to how much it costs. We in Alabama know that all too well. We went down that road a few years ago with Judge Frank Johnson.
We are headed in the same direction again. Alabama, like many states, has prison overcrowding and violence problems. Just as the Legislature began preparing their budgets for the coming year, the Department of Justice (DOJ) in conjunction with all our U.S. Attorneys in concurrence, has sent Alabama a clear message that the state’s overcrowded and understaffed correctional system is in incredibly poor physical shape.
In a precise outline the Justice Department clearly defines the remedies that the state must take to avoid federal intervention. This detailed report focuses on the most acute problems, which are sexual abuse, drug trade and extortion and the lack of adequate mental health for prisoners which is causing a high suicide rate. The federal investigators clearly said that the prisons are so dangerous that there is reasonable cause to believe that the state is in violation of the U.S. Constitution.
Their outline clarified to the state that the overcrowding problem will and should be addressed by additional prisons. However, the report further said that new facilities will not resolve the contributing factors to the overall unconstitutional conditions.
Judge Myron Thompson has been overseeing the mental health issues in the prisons for several years. The Alabama Legislature has shown Judge Thompson a good faith effort toward remedying our prison shortcomings and Judge Thompson has responded with leniency.
In 2015, the Alabama Legislature passed Criminal Justice reform legislation that greatly reduced the number of inmates in Alabama. Through legislative efforts the state prison population has decreased from nearly 200 percent of capacity to about 160 percent.
First on most wish lists for prisons is increasing our staffing levels and improving the pay scale for correctional officers. Alabama prison guards are the lowest paid in the nation. Rep. Steve Clouse (R-Ozark), who chairs the General Fund Budget Committee dropped an extra $80 million into the budget last year for increased prison personnel spending. Even then, as Clouse told a Dothan Chamber Commerce group in February, “People are not beating down doors to be prison guards.”
The Alabama Department of Corrections is asking for a sizeable increase this year to hire additional correctional officers, which will probably be granted.
Gov. Ivey quickly responded to the report by saying she is committed to working with the DOJ to address the problems. The Governor said she is proceeding with her plan to build new prisons, which is expected to cost a billion dollars. This is validation that her initial plan to build new prisons is the right path. The problem in the Legislature is, “How do you pay for them and where do you put them?”
Under any new plan to build or lease new prisons, it must be coupled with prison sentencing reform which is being implemented in a good many states. This reform must include a revised sentencing structure and some inclusion of alternative sentencing options to the state penitentiary system for offenders who pose no threat of violence to society.
A good example is that currently under Alabama Law, the second time a person is caught in possession of marijuana they are charged with a felony, and then under the “three strikes” law you could send someone to prison for life after three felony violations for smoking marijuana. Marijuana use should probably not result in a felony conviction unless it is for trafficking.
State Sen. Cam Ward (R-Alabaster) has done a yeoman’s job leading Alabama’s Criminal Justice Reform efforts. He will be at the forefront of the prisons working with Governor Ivey.
See you next week.
April 24, 2019 - Who will take Doug Jones out next year?
It is a foregone conclusion that a Republican will take out our anomaly liberal democratic senator, Doug Jones, next year. The question is which Republican will be the nominee and capture the seat.
The early favorite is U.S. Congressman Bradley Byrne. There is an old adage that often holds true, the early bird gets the worm.
Byrne made the commitment to run over a year ago and he has been dedicated to the race and is running full speed ahead. He is raising good money and crisscrossing the state in a very organized manner. Byrne ran a good race for governor in 2010, so he knows what he is doing. He has served coastal Alabama in the State Senate and now six years in Congress. If he is the only major candidate from the Mobile/Baldwin area in the Primary, he will get a good “Friends and Neighbors” vote in his 1st Congressional District. Republican primaries begin and end in vote rich Baldwin County now.
The toughest challenge that Byrne could get may very well be fellow congressman, Mo Brooks from Huntsville. Brooks is from the ultra-right wing of the GOP. National conservative group like and trust Brooks. He is a true believer. These folks are not excited about Byrne who they perceive as a silk stocking, country club Republican. Brooks also has a more recent statewide race under his belt than Byrne. Being a congressman gives him access to Washington and national donors and also like Byrne, Huntsville is a good place to be from in a Republican primary.
If Brooks opts not to run, the right wing groups in Washington, D.C. may pursue Birmingham Congressman Gary Palmer. Brooks and Palmer are cut from the same cloth. They are ultra true blue conservatives. Brooks is the better candidate of the two. He is more charismatic and flamboyant.
The person to watch may be Secretary of State John Merrill. If he enters, he will be a player. He is the hardest working person in Alabama politics. He is not only the best retail politician currently on the Alabama political stage, he may be one of the best in Alabama political history. His organization is like something put together in a bygone era. He will outwork everybody in the GOP Primary, as well as Jones, put together. The aforementioned probable candidates need to not underestimate the hardest working man in Alabama political show business, John Merrill.
The legendary Roy Moore may make the race. His name identification and base allows him the luxury of not having much money. He should not be underestimated or dismissed as a “has been”. However, I do think his base has diminished to about 15 percent of the primary vote, which is not enough to make the run-off unless there is a crowded field.
In fact, a large crowd of GOP candidates could be attracted to the GOP race. They may come from strange corners. Former Auburn football coach, Tommy Tuberville, who was the Tigers football coach from 1999-2008 and who has more recently been the head football coach at Ole Miss, Texas Tech and Cincinnati has officially announced that he is a candidate for the GOP nomination. He is originally from Arkansas.
This scenarios reminds me of a story our ole Senator, the late Howell Heflin, use to tell while he was our U.S. Senator for 18 years. Heflin was a true World War II military hero. He won the Bronze star as a Marine officer. Heflin hailed from Colbert County, Tuscumbia.
After undergraduate school at Birmingham Southern and Law School at the University of Alabama, he went back home to Tuscumbia and became one of the most prominent lawyer in Colbert County. At 50 he ran for and was elected Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court. After six-years there he went to the U.S. Senate for three year six-year terms.
Heflin was the son of a Methodist minister. The Methodists at that time moved ministers around. It just so happened that at the time of Howell’s birth his daddy was doing a stint at a church in Georgia. Heflin being a true Alabamian and an Alabama political leader was a little embarrassed about the place of his birth. He would often say, “Yea, well my daddy was over in Georgia doing missionary work among the heathen.”
See you next week.
April 17, 2019 - Host of Young and Female Lobbyists Have Taken Over the Statehouse
As I observe the legislature, it occurs to me that I am getting older. A lot of the legislators and lobbyists I have known over the years have moved on.
Montgomery is no longer an “Old Boys Club.” A cursory look at a typical day at the Alabama Statehouse would surprise you. An increasing number of professional women are a major part of the lawmaking process. There are a host of brilliant women under 40 who are at the forefront and yield a great deal of influence over the process of policy making in Alabama.
First on most lists is of course Katie Boyd Britt, who has recently been selected as head of the Business Council of Alabama. She is not only the first female to lead the organization, but by far the youngest at 37. Katie is dynamic, fierce and talented. She will be an outstanding advocate for the business community in the state. She is the former student body president of the University of Alabama as well as a graduate of the University of Alabama Law School.
Mary Margaret Carroll was the first female to join the state’s oldest governmental relations firm, Fine, Geddie and Associates. She is a brilliant superstar. Mary Margaret is from a prominent Ozark family and possesses a temperament professional demeanor that depicts class, character and intelligence. She has a proven combination of analytical, problem solving, legal and communications skills. She is known for her quiet confidence and conscientious discernment. Mary Margaret manages a broad array of interests in tech, insurance, natural resources, energy and education.
Mary Margaret Carroll and Katie Boyd Britt have amazingly similar backgrounds. Both are daughters of the Wiregrass. Mary Margaret is from Ozark and Katie Britt is from Enterprise. Both were student government presidents and were Chi Omegas at the University of Alabama.
Alison Hosp, who represents the Alabama Retail Association, has proven to be one of the most effective and professional governmental relations spokespersons for several years.
Maci Martin Walker is an outstanding contract lobbyist with the Christie Group. She has worked on dozens of policy measures over the years for major corporate clients.
Katherine Green Robertson is the Chief Legislative Liaison for the Attorney General’s office. She is a native of Selma and a graduate of Auburn University and the University of Alabama School of Law. Katherine previously worked for Senator Jeff Sessions as counselor during his tenure on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Robertson was one of the few former staffers called back to Washington to advise Sessions during his confirmation process as U.S. Attorney General.
First on many lists is Neah Mitchell Scott, who represents the revered Retirement Systems of Alabama. Neah is a brilliant attorney who posses excellent interpersonal skills that holds her in good stead representing the 800-pound gorilla that is the RSA before the state legislature. Neah is a native of Montgomery and a graduate of Auburn and the University of Alabama Law School.
Holly Caraway very aptly represents the Department of Mental Health. Holly is a native of Trussville and earned a BA, JD, and MBA from the University of Alabama. She is admired because she is a passionate advocate for causes in which she believes.
Ashley McLain is an extremely talented and confident lobbyist for the Alabama Education Association.
Brittany Bryan represents the State Personnel Board. She is one of the most experienced agency liaisons on this impressive group of female policy makers.
Molly Cagle, who represented Manufacture Alabama, is a star on the rise. She was stolen away by Katie Britt at the BCA. Molly is a former Auburn University Homecoming Queen.
Christian Becraft, who represents Auburn University, is another superstar.
Sally Corley, who represents the State Employees is one of the most well-liked young professionals in Montgomery.
All of the outstanding young governmental affairs folks in Montgomery are not all female. There are some bright and brilliant young male lobbyists, also. Two of the brightest are married to females just mentioned. Niko Corley, who represents the Medical Association of Alabama, is married to Sally. R.B. Walker, who represents Alabama Power, is married to Maci Walker.
David Cole, who has been an energetic stalwart advocate for ALFA, has gone to the BCA to work with Katie Britt. He was a key player in the recent passage of the infrastructure passage.
The University of Alabama has brought on young Charlie Taylor. He is smart and has a strong family history in Alabama politics.
Young William Filmore, the son of a prominent Wiregrass judge, is outstanding as the Governor’s legislative liaison.
See you next week.