Latest news with #AlabamaHouseofRepresentatives
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Micah Messer announces candidacy for District 38 Alabama House seat
SMITHS STATION, Ala. () — A small business owner and law enforcement officer has announced his candidacy for the District 38 seat in the Alabama House of Representatives. Micah Messer, a University of South Alabama grad and U.S. Army veteran, says he is running on a platform of transparency, accountability and common-sense governance. 'District 38 is my home, and I want it to continue to be a wonderful place to live, work, and raisea family.' Messer said. 'The people of this district deserve a representative who reflects theirvalues and work ethic—from farmers and industrial workers to firefighters and teachers.' Messer's campaign priorities include election integrity, lowering taxes, stopping government waste and fighting crime by ensuring law enforcement has the training and resources it needs. He also strongly opposes the expansion of casino interests into District 38 and stands firmly for family values. District 38 is currently represented by Incumbent Debbie Hamby Wood (R), who announced her resignation from the seat, officially taking effect on July 31. Wood previously defeated Messer in the Republican primary for District 38 in May of 2022. District 38 was redistricted on November 9, 2022. The current map can be found here: Alabama House of Representatives District 38 Map Messer has invited the residents of District 38 to contact him directly at (334) 219-0321 to sharetheir concerns and ideas. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Voting rights, access bills stopped in the Alabama Legislature
Rep. Thomas Jackson, D-Thomasville (right, at lectern) raises his hand during a debate in the Alabama House of Representatives on March 6, 2025 at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Alabama. Jackson filed an early voting bill this session, which was not considered by a committee, along with other voting-related bills. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector) A collection of bills aimed to enhance voting access in Alabama were never considered by committees during the 2025 legislative session, but advocates say the fight for enhanced voting rights in Alabama is not over HB 59, sponsored by Rep. Thomas Jackson, D-Thomasville, would have required one early voting precinct in each county for one week before Election Day. According to a study by the Center for Election Innovation and Research (CEIR), about 70% of the ballots cast nationwide in 2020 were cast before Election Day, and 40% were cast before Election Day in 2016. In 2016, 25% of ballots nationwide were cast through early in-person voting, of the states that offer the option, according to the study. 'Senior citizens really brought it to my attention,' Jackson said in an interview on Monday. 'So I drafted it, and I put it the simplest way that I could do it: a week out before the election, four days prior to the elections, and nobody liked that. Republicans don't like that.' Alabama does not allow early voting and does not have no-excuse absentee voting. Amid the COVID pandemic in 2020, state leaders effectively allowed anyone to cast an absentee ballot, but that was rescinded after the election. The League of Women Voters of Alabama supported the measures. Kim Bailey, president of the league, said in an interview Thursday that the bills would expand access to voting in Alabama, which would increase voter turnout in the state. 'You can make a plan, but if something comes up on voting day, you may not be able to get to the ballot box,' Bailey said. 'Voting as a right and not a privilege. I think that's important that they'd be able to exercise that right.' In 2024, there were 3.7 million people registered to vote in Alabama, according to the Secretary of State's website. But only 2.2 million (59%) people voted in the 2024 Presidential election. That was significantly less than the national voter turnout of 88% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and the lowest percentage of Alabama voters to cast ballots in a presidential election since 1988. The bill was assigned to the House Constitution, Campaigns and Elections Committee, but Rep. Bob Fincher, R-Woodland, chair of the committee, said he did not take HB 59 up in his committee because he is not in favor of early voting due to the cost to the state. 'It costs the state extra money when you vote early,' he said. 'If there's a change in the campaign, you cannot go back and change your vote.' The Legislative Services Agency did not provide a fiscal note for any of the election access related bills. Although a total cost is not available, Bailey said early voting would utilize state employees that are already working and would be held at locations that are already staffed. 'That wouldn't require a lot of infrastructure cost in those kinds of things, so depending on what the legislation that passes the cost could be not really very much,' Bailey said. Jackson said the potential cost to the state for a week of early voting would be much less than the cost to the state for unconstitutional bills and the congressional redistricting trial. In the state's General Fund budget, a $300,000 line item was added for 'reapportionment litigation fees.' 'We don't have an idea of the cost to the state. Look at all these lawsuits, these millions of dollars that are being paid to lawyers for these unconstitutional bills. That's a cost to the state,' Jackson said. 'See, they can come up with any excuse when they don't want something.' Jerome Dees, the Alabama policy director at the Southern Poverty Law Center, said in an interview Thursday that he was not surprised the bills were not considered. He said the state has been regressing in voting access and inclusivity for the last decade. 'This bill is really kind of an effort to try and present a new vision of what democracy can and should be in Alabama, which is kind of the home of the civil rights movement,' Dees said. In fact, Dees said the state's congressional redistricting trial has highlighted the need for more voter protections and access. 'The fact that not a single one of these bills that aimed to expand voter access to create oversight over the redistricting process, whether that's at the municipal level, drawing of city council districts or at the state and federal level,' Dees said. 'According to the federal courts, is obviously a problem, just based on recent rulings. The fact that the Legislature intentionally chose not to touch any of those, I think, is as telling as anything.' In 2021, the Alabama Legislature approved congressional district maps that were later challenged in court and struck down in 2022 by a three-judge panel, which ordered the districts to be redrawn. In 2023, the Legislature redrew the maps, which were again challenged by plaintiffs for not meeting the court's requirement of allowing Black voters to elect a candidate of their choice in a second district. The court struck down the 2023 map passed by the Legislature and appointed a special master to submit three potential remedial maps in time for the 2024 election. The Alabama Attorney General's Office said last month the state may forgo drawing new congressional district maps before 2030 to prevent federal oversight of future redistricting, pausing the redistricting for five years. HB 97, sponsored by Rep. Kenyatté Hassell, D-Montgomery, would have allowed voters to cure their absentee ballot affidavit if they submit them before the election and the absentee election manager finds an error. Currently, the ballots are set aside and not counted if election officials find a defect with the affidavits. Hassell said in an interview on Wednesday that the bill would have given absentee voters a better chance for their ballot to be counted. 'People were making mistakes on their ballots, and even though they didn't know they made mistakes,' he said. 'We might have people who voted on an absentee ballot for the last 20 years, and their vote never counted because they made the same mistake over and over again not knowing they made that mistake.' The bill was assigned to Fincher's committee, but Fincher said he did not take it up because of conversations with Hassell and the Secretary of State Wes Allen. 'I've been very clear, I believe in Election Day, not Election month,' Allen said in a statement Monday. Hassell raised concerns that the executive branch had control over what bills did or did not get taken up in committee. 'When one person in the executive branch has an agenda, that shouldn't dictate if we all feel like this is a good piece of legislation that'll help the citizens,' Hassell said. 'That's why we have a House. That's why we have a Senate.' HB 31, sponsored by Rep. Adline Clarke, D-Mobile, allows people with a disability, or those unable to read or write, to designate someone to assist them with delivering an absentee ballot application or the absentee ballot itself, to the election manager. Messages seeking comment from Clarke were left Wednesday and Monday. Dees and Bailey expect the bills to be filed again for the 2026 Legislative Session. 'We're going to keep filing this year, I'm gonna keep filing until something happens,' Jackson said. 'We just have to keep hitting that rock until they crack. That's why I'm still pushing it, because it's the right thing to do, and the people of the state want it.'
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gov. Kay Ivey names new Public Service Commission president
COLUMBUS, Ga. — Alabama Governor Kay Ivey has named Cynthia Lee Almond to serve as the next Public Service Commission President. The appointment fills the seat left vacant by Twinkle Cavanaugh, who has taken a role in the Trump Administration. As president, Almond will lead the board responsible for regulating utilities in Alabama. Almond is a seasoned attorney and currently works in the private practice of law. She also takes the helm at the Public Service Commission after serving as a Republican member of the Alabama House of Representatives for District 63. Previously, Almond served four terms on the Tuscaloosa City Council, where she was elected president pro tem by her colleagues. 'I am honored to have been asked by Governor Ivey to fill this important position. It is one I accept with great enthusiasm,' said Almond. 'I know how important this commission is to the people of Alabama and to the industry sectors it regulates. I believe my training as an attorney and legislator will prove to be helpful in performing this role.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Four Republicans, one Democrat running in House District 12 special election
Members of the Alabama House of Representatives vote on a local bill on May 1, 2025 at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Alabama. The lights in each name represent how a member of the House voted. Green is for yes; blue is for abstention. Abstaining on local bills is common for representatives not from the area that will be affected by the bill. A special election will be held to fill the Cullman County area House District 12 seat on Oct. 28, with the primary on July 15.(Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector) Four Republicans and one Democratic candidate qualified for the Alabama House District 12 special election in Cullman County. Republican voters will have the choice between Heather Doyle, Clint Hollingsworth, Dan McWhorter and Cindy Myrex on July 15. The lone Democratic candidate, Matt Glover, will advance to the general election on Oct. 28 against the winner of the special election primary. If one Republican candidate does not receive 50% of votes, the special runoff election will take place on Aug. 12. Former Rep. Corey Harbison, R-Cullman, resigned in April after he was absent for much of the 2025 legislative session. All interviewed candidates said they are running for office for Cullman County representation in Montgomery. 'You didn't ask how anybody that lives there, how they felt about it,' Doyle said. 'This is our community, like we live there. This is going to affect us.' 'My plan is to represent the folks in this district like I have my constituents with the city,' Hollingsworth said. 'I'm gonna work hard for them, just like what I've done for the last 17 years on the city council, for the folks here that voted for me.' 'I didn't think we were getting much representation on the issues that I thought were important, so I figured I'd get involved,' McWhorter said. Efforts to schedule an interview with Myrex were not successful. Doyle, Glover and McWhorter also expressed opposition to SB 322, sponsored by Sen. Jabo Waggoner, R-Vestavia Hills. It was signed by Gov. Kay Ivey on May 7 and allowed the City of Cullman to annex a resort on Smith Lake in Cullman County, a dry county, for the resort to serve alcohol. 'I mean, there's nothing I can do about that, even though I know that's the main concentration for the election. I just think it's wrong,' Doyle said. 'We're exploring what it would take to rescind the legislation,' McWhorter said. Glover's first priority in his campaign is giving the people more power, which he said was not present when the legislation passed. The Republican primary Doyle, 43, is a former teacher and realtor in the Smith Lake area of Cullman County. She wants to reform the court system, inspired by an ongoing custody battle in her personal life that she declined to explain because of potential implications in the litigation. 'I think we just need a better system, like something for inmates to even go to rehab,' she said in an interview Monday. 'I just think we need to do something better.' She also wants to reduce wasteful spending and government overreach by reviewing where state taxpayer dollars are going. 'I think we need to look closer at the budget and what we're spending and the programs,' she said. Finally, she wants to improve education in the state and be a voice for children in education and in custody battles. 'They don't get like issues that are going on with the court system, with kids, it's just not a man thing. They're not worried about kids, and they're not worried about women,' she said. 'And I just think we've got a lot of things going on with juveniles in the court system that I think just needs to be handled differently.' The first-time candidate said she is the best for the job because she will not rely on the politics of lawmaking to pass legislation. 'Nobody's going to be able to bribe me, I don't owe anybody a favor,' she said. 'I really think this is how politics work.' Hollingsworth, 47, owns a used car dealership in Cullman. He said in an interview on May 27 that he is prioritizing education and work force development. 'Investing in public education and job training programs is vital to prepare our students for future employment opportunities,' he said. He also said he wants the state to support volunteer fire departments more. There are 983 volunteer fire departments in the state, 23 of which are in Cullman County, according to the Alabama Forestry Commission. 'There's 17 in this district that I'm running for, and I want to help with funding and training and just trying to get people willing to serve and help their community,' Hollingsworth said. He also said he wants to improve transportation infrastructure. 'Reliable transportation is essential for employment, education and our health care,' he said. 'Not just the county roads, but even 65 and interstate highways just need upgrades for sure.' The former Cullman County City Councilman said he is the best candidate because of his tenure on city council, which he has served on since 2008. 'It's a new challenge for me, but it encompasses areas that I'm already kind of used to,' he said. 'I'm just looking forward to helping and serving more people.' McWhorter, 68, has been a sales manager for Innovative Analytical Solutions in Bremen, Alabama, for a decade. McWhorter said in an interview on May 21 that his main priority is to implement a property tax cap for property owners who are at least 65 years old. 'Property ownership is either a right or it's a privilege,' McWhorter said. 'So if it's a right, we don't tax free speech, right? So why are you taxing my property?' Aside from that, McWhorter also wants a 'clean lottery bill' that would fund two years of tuition at technical colleges. The legislature failed to pass a comprehensive gaming bill in 2024, and the House rejected any attempts at another from the Senate this year. 'The second one is a clean lottery bill that'll fund two-year college tuition, or two years of college tuition for any high school graduate with a C average,' he said. Lastly, McWhorter wants to completely eliminate the tax on overtime, which is set to expire on June 30. He also mentioned eliminating daylight savings time as a goal. House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter, R-Rainsville, an original supporter of the bill, has said the exemption created a larger hole in the Education Trust Fund (ETF) than expected. President Donald Trump has advocated for a national exemption in his second term. The lone Democrat Glover, 40, served on the Good Hope City Council from 2012-2016. He wants to prioritize local power. 'Returning power to local communities, like just trying to wrestle away some of the power that the state government has taken from like local cities and towns, which plays in with SB 322,' Glover said in an interview on May 23. He also said he opposes HB 445, sponsored by Rep. Andy Whitt, R-Harvest, which was signed into law on May 14. The bill requires testing and labeling for all consumable hemp products and caps at 10 milligrams per individually wrapped product and 40 milligrams per package. It will require the Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Board to license retailers of these products, restrict retail establishments selling hemp products and impose an excise tax on consumable hemp products. 'With the amount of jobs that I think that's going to cost, and the amount of like, government overreach that is involved with it is pretty disgusting,' he said. Finally, Glover wants to advocate for direct ballot initiatives in order for Alabamians to have a say in a state lottery. Nineteen states have direct ballot initiatives, which allow citizens to propose constitutional amendments. 'A lot of that goes back to us not being able to get the lottery amendment on the ballot, like sports gambling, any number of things, but where they just won't pass it in Montgomery to allow the citizens to vote,' he said. Glover said he is running for office to show the people of the district that there are Democrats and that they deserve to be represented. 'We still exist. And I think there's just a lack of enthusiasm and motivation,' he said. 'When you see a statewide ballot with no Democrats running, it makes people less likely to turn out, and then it looks like that they're just not there.' Meet the Candidates Age: 43 Residence: Cullman Occupation: Realtor, former teacher Education: Associates degree, Accounting, Snead State Community College, 2006; Bachelor's degree, elementary education, Athens State University, 2010; Master's degree, instructional leadership, Athens State University, 2024 Party: Republican Previous political experience: first-time candidate Age: 47 Residence: Cullman Occupation: self-employed at a used car dealership Education: Bachelor's degree, K-12 physical education, Athens State University, 1999 Party: Republican Previous political experience: Cullman City Council since 2008 Age: 40 Residence: Cullman Occupation: Parts manager at a poultry plant Education: High school diploma, Good Hope High School, 2002 Party: Democrat Previous political experience: Good Hope City Council 2012-2016 Age: 68 Residence: Cold Springs Occupation: Sales manager at Innovative Analytical Solutions Education: Associates's degree, electronics, National Institute of Technology, 1984 Party: Republican Previous political experience: first-time candidate SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Sponsor of ‘Don't Say Gay' expansion plans to revive bill next year
Rep. Mack Butler, R-Rainbow City, clapping on the floor of the Alabama House of Representatives on May 14, 2025, in the Alabama State House in Montgomery, Alabama. Butler said Thursday he would bring back the Don't Say Gay expansion next year after it did not receive final passage on the last day of session.(Anna Barrett/Alabama Reflector) An Alabama lawmaker plans to bring back a bill next year that would prohibit all discussions of gender identity and sexuality during instructional time in public schools. HB 244 got approval from the House on April 18 and from the Senate Education Policy Committee on May 1. Sen. Donnie Chesteen, R-Geneva, chair of that committee, told Butler after the bill was approved that it is unlikely the Senate will pass it because of the timing and said it needed to be in his committee earlier in the year to have a chance of passage; at the time, there were four days left in the session. A Democratic filibuster launched in protest of the House's handling of local bills on the last day of the session doomed Butler's bill and many others. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Butler said he was offended by Chesteen's comment that he should have filed the bill sooner but said both men remedied that after the committee meeting. A message seeking comment from Chesteen was left Thursday afternoon. Butler filed the bill in February, but it did not go before the House Education Policy Committee until April 3, when the committee held a public hearing. The committee did not approve it until the following week. Butler said he asked Rep. Terri Collins, R-Decatur, chair of the committee, for it to be put on the agenda many times earlier in the session. 'I repeatedly asked for it, and I was assured it was coming, it was coming, it was coming,' he said. 'The chair had other things she said she was dealing with, and I think they waited to deal with several controversial bills at one time.' A message seeking comment from Collins was left Thursday afternoon. Butler said next year he plans to have a companion bill in the Senate to improve the bill's chances of passage, 'so we can move on both at the same time, and whoever gets there first wins,' he said. Butler said Sen. Keith Kelley, R-Anniston, was handling the bill in the Senate and plans to ask him to sponsor the Senate version next year. Kelley said in an interview that he and Butler will be meeting soon about companion bills for next session soon. 'There may be some changes to it, a little bit here, a little bit there,' Kelley said. 'We're planning on bringing that back next year.' The law currently prohibits such discussions in K-5. Butler's bill would expand it to pre-K-12, which he said would bring it inline with an executive order issued by President Donald Trump in January. Critics of the bill said at the April 3 public hearing that the legislation is unconstitutional and unnecessary. A spokesperson for the Southern Poverty Law Center, a consistent critic of the legislation, said in an interview Thursday she was relieved that the bill did not pass but she still had concerns for the legislation next year. 'I'm hoping that it stays dead, and I'm hoping that we don't see a new extension, a revival of it,' Makhayla DesRosiers, state community organizer for the Alabama SPLC office, said. Many members of the LGBTQ+ community spoke against the bill throughout the legislative process, all with similar concerns: what defines instructional time. DesRosiers said the lack of a definition opens the door for a complete prohibition of discussion. 'If I do extracurricular activities, is it also instructional time? If I'm learning something outside of my regular school hours, is that instructional time?' she asked. 'Who gets to define instructional time?' Butler has repeatedly said discussions of gender identity and sexuality are only prohibited when a teacher is teaching, but that is not explicit in the legislation. 'People keep saying the student can't do this or that. No, they carry their First Amendment rights with them into the school, and they absolutely can talk to the teacher, the principal, the nurse, the counselor, about whatever they want to talk about,' he said. Butler said the bill next year would be the original bill that was filed in February. A House amendment this spring removed a part of the bill that would have prohibited teachers from referring to students by their preferred gender if it conflicts with their assigned sex at birth. He said that is because another bill would have done the same thing. HB 246, sponsored by Rep. Scott Stadthagen, R-Hartselle, would give public educators legal immunity and students immunity from discipline for using a person's legal name and pronouns aligned with their reproductive organs, instead of the name and gender with which they identify. It did not receive final passage either. DesRosier said that while the people speaking out against the legislation may be small in number, legislation like this is not reflective of the state. 'Just because there is a majority of folks that are proposing and voting on these bills at the State House, that is not reflective of the communities they are elected to represent,' DesRosier said. 'As long as bigotry and hate and human rights violations are proposed and passed, there are always going to be folks that are resisting that.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
