June 06, 2013
The 2013 legislative session has come to an end. Our legislature, both the House and Senate, is Republican controlled. In fact, both chambers have super Republican majorities. They were elected in 2010. Therefore, this is the third year of their four-year reign. The GOP holds about a two to one advantage in both the upper and lower chambers. This will more than likely remain the same after the 2014 elections.
These GOP lawmakers have left an indelible conservative mark on state government and public policy. Their reactionary philosophy has resonated on both social and budgetary matters. Perhaps they are a reflection of the state. My perception is that they portray an accurate mirror of their constituency. Their actions over the past three years have not only been conservative, they have been decisive and functional.
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May 30, 2013
Historically, the legislature has not been a good stepping stone to governor. In fact, Robert Bentley is the only person in modern Alabama political history to go directly from the legislature to the governor’s office.
However, the legislature is an excellent training ground for being governor. You learn how state government works and how to craft a budget. Regardless, it has been a difficult route from which to launch a statewide political career. Probably because it does not lend itself to garnering statewide name identification, yet you become saddled with a lengthy and detailed voting record on numerous controversial issues. However, with Bentley’s breaking of the ice, you may see a reversal of this precedent.
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May 23, 2013
As the third regular legislative session of the quadrennium draws to an end let us look at the makeup of the new super Republican majority.
As we have often said, this legislative body may not be deliberative but they are very conservative. These folks are not Republicans in name only. They are real Republicans.
Who makes up the leadership of this group? Last week we discussed the Senate leadership. This week we will dwell on the House of Representatives. The Republicans own a 66 to 39 advantage over the Democrats in the House. This gives them a super majority and they have taken advantage of that power. They have run roughshod over the Democrats and ramroded a conservative agenda through the lower chamber. In three years, they have placed an indelible conservative stamp on state government.
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May 16, 2013
We are at the end of the third regular legislative session of this quadrennium. They are closing in on the culmination of their four-year terms.
This is the first Republican majority legislature in modern Alabama history. The Republicans not only have a majority, they sport a super majority. That means that the remaining Democratic minority is incapable of stopping or even slowing down any GOP initiatives or budgets in either the House or Senate. Republicans own a commanding 66 to 39 advantage in the House. They have an even more lordly control of the House of Lords. They have an omnipotent 24 to 11 ownership of the Senate.
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May 09, 2013
On the night of the November 2010 elections I was in my regular post as the political analyst for the Montgomery CBS affiliate WAKA Channel 8. Around midnight as it became evident that the Democratic ticket had been annihilated my cohort, longtime anchor Glenn Halbrooks, looked over at me pensively and asked, “What do you think the Democratic Party does now?” I candidly responded, “They can turn out the lights and leave the keys on the mantle. The Democratic Party is dead in Alabama.” My off the cuff response was not intended to be flippant or humorous but I had just witnessed the devastating denunciation of the Democratic Party in the Heart of Dixie.
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May 02, 2013
As the world turns in Alabama politics, the 2013 Legislative Session is in the stretch run. The waning days will see the final passage of the 2014 budgets, which will begin in October.
The most controversial and pivotal issue of the session is the infamous Accountability Act. It has sent the legislative session into an acrimonious partisan stalemate. To recant the scenario, Republicans came forward with a controversial eight-page Education Flexibility Bill, which gave local school boards the option to opt out of strict state educational requirements. However, when the bill went to a conference committee, it grew into a 28-page bill that was completely different. It became a full fledged voucher bill which allows a $3,500 tax credit to parents who choose to send their children to private schools.
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April 25, 2013
As the 2013 regular legislative session winds down, let us review some highlights.
One of the highlights was a lowlight. It did not happen on the floor of the House but late at night at a Mobile legislator’s home while he was on his computer responding to emails. The email he responded to was a generic letter sent by a man in Jefferson County to all members of the legislature. It was not even intended specifically for Rep. Joseph Mitchell.
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April 18, 2013
As the 2013 regular legislative session winds down, the continuing saga of balancing the beleaguered General Fund Budget will be issue number one.
As legislators wrestle to finalize the General Fund Budget the obvious complementary dilemma that confronts lawmakers is what to do about Medicaid. The growth and expansion of Medicaid is the number one problem facing the General Fund and state government. One thing is for certain, Medicaid will continue to be problem number one when it comes to crafting and balancing Alabama’s budget.
There is an inevitable crossroads that Alabama is facing when it comes to Medicaid. It will only become more acute as our population continues to age. Today, Medicaid accounts for an amazing 35% of the state’s General Fund Budget. Most state lawmakers point to this joint state/federal program as the obvious elephant in the room when it comes to making ends meet. It is a money eating monster.
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April 11, 2013
The 2013 Legislative Session is heading into the homestretch. Balancing the State General Fund Budget will again be the paramount problem this year as they put the final pieces of the puzzle together. It is apparent that there is not enough revenue to meet the basic needs of state government.
The governor and the legislature have adamantly declared that they will oppose any new tax increase measures. It is obvious to even the most casual and cursory observer that this cavalier ostrich approach cannot prevail forever. If the state survives until after the 2014 election, when the governor and legislature will not have to run on a no new tax pledge, what new revenue sources will be on the table?
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April 04, 2013
As the legislature wrestles with the crafting of next year’s budget the perennial issue of whether to cut vital services or raise new revenue is debated.
A study released late last year revealed that state and local governments in Alabama collect less tax dollars than any other state, with the exception of Idaho. This ranking of income means Alabamians have fewer tax dollars to spend on schools, police, roads and all government services than 48 other states.
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