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Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene files resolution to oust Mike Johnson as U.S. House speaker
Georgia Republican U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene filed a resolution Friday to remove U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson from his position, using the same parliamentary measure that led to Johnson ascending to the speakership last year. Following a bipartisan vote to approve the six remaining government spending bills for fiscal 2024, Greene filed a motion […] The post Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene files resolution to oust Mike Johnson as U.S. House speaker appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Former Autauga-Prattville Public Library director demands reinstatement
The former director of the Autauga-Prattville Public Library Thursday demanded that the library’s governing board give him his job back and take action to restore his good name. In a memo sent to members of the Autauga-Prattville Library Board of Trustees, Christopher Weller, an attorney representing Andrew Foster, accused the board of violating the state […] The post Former Autauga-Prattville Public Library director demands reinstatement appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Congress rushes to approve $1.2 trillion spending package ahead of midnight deadline
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House approved a broadly bipartisan $1.2 trillion spending package Friday, sending the legislation to the Senate ahead of a midnight deadline. Senators have just hours to clear the measure for President Joe Biden’s signature. Otherwise, parts of the federal government will begin a funding lapse early Saturday. Meeting that benchmark will […] The post Congress rushes to approve $1.2 trillion spending package ahead of midnight deadline appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
What passed in the Alabama Legislature: March 19-21, 2024
Here is a list of bills that passed the Alabama Legislature this week. House HB 230, sponsored by Rep. Margie Wilcox, R-Mobile, removes the requirement that corporations file an annual report with the Alabama Secretary of State and remove any reference to an annual report in the code. The bill passed 100-0. It goes to […] The post What passed in the Alabama Legislature: March 19-21, 2024 appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Alabama gambling bill stalled after Senate changes
A senator who carried a gambling package in that chamber said Thursday that the legislation is running into trouble. Sen. Greg Albritton, R-Atmore, a longtime proponent of legalizing gambling, told reporters Thursday that the gambling legislation remains in the House basket, meaning the chamber has not taken action on changes made by the Senate. “That […] The post Alabama gambling bill stalled after Senate changes appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Taxpayers were overcharged for patient meds. Then came the lawyers.
Shalina Chatlani examined the health care system in Mississippi as a part of The Times’s Local Investigations Fellowship. This story cannot be republished. In 2018, when Mike DeWine was Ohio’s attorney general, he began investigating an obscure corner of the health care industry. He believed that insurers were inflating prescription drug prices through management companies […] The post Taxpayers were overcharged for patient meds. Then came the lawyers. appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Alabama Supreme Court approves execution of Jamie Ray Mills
The Alabama Supreme Court Wednesday approved the execution of a death row inmate for the 2004 murder of a Marion couple. The justices unanimously granted the motion filed by the Alabama Attorney General’s Office in January authorizing the Alabama Department of Corrections to execute Jamie Ray Mills. A jury convicted Mills, 50, in 2007 of […] The post Alabama Supreme Court approves execution of Jamie Ray Mills appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Alabama House votes to give paid parental leave to state employees
The Alabama House of Representatives Thursday approved a bill that would extend up to eight weeks of parental leave to state employees. HB 309, sponsored by Rep. Ginny Shaver, R-Leesburg, would provide up to eight weeks for parents for the birth of a child or adoption of a child under the age of three. Shaver […] The post Alabama House votes to give paid parental leave to state employees appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Advocates hold rally for bill allowing resentencing for some Alabama death row inmates
Criminal justice reform groups hosted a rally Thursday at the Alabama Statehouse urging lawmakers to pass a bill that could resentence more than 30 people on Alabama’s death row to life without parole. HB 27, sponsored by Rep. Chris England, D-Tuscaloosa, would retroactively apply a 2017 law that ended judge’s abilities to override a jury’s […] The post Advocates hold rally for bill allowing resentencing for some Alabama death row inmates appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
‘Working for Alabama’ bills aim to improve state’s workforce participation rate
Gov. Kay Ivey and Alabama lawmakers Thursday unveiled a a package of bills aimed at improving the state’s low workforce participation rates. The package, named “Working for Alabama,” will attempt to address a host of issues, including education, child care and housing. “While we have record low unemployment, our labor force participation rate is one […] The post ‘Working for Alabama’ bills aim to improve state’s workforce participation rate appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Alabama Legislature sends ‘Scout’s Honor’ bill to Gov. Kay Ivey
The Alabama House of Representatives Thursday approved a bill that would allow Alabamians who suffered sexual abuse while in the Boys Scouts of America to press claims against the organization. SB 18, sponsored by Sen. Merika Coleman, D-Pleasant Grove, and carried in the House by Rep. Matt Simpson, R-Daphne, a former Baldwin County child victims […] The post Alabama Legislature sends ‘Scout’s Honor’ bill to Gov. Kay Ivey appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Alabama infant mortality decreases, but still higher than national average
Alabama’s overall infant mortality rate fell in the recent years but remains higher than the national average, with racial disparities in infant deaths getting worse. The state’s infant mortality rate in 2022 was 6.7 per 1,000 live births, a decrease from 7.6 per 1,000 in 2021 but higher than the national average of 5.6, according […] The post Alabama infant mortality decreases, but still higher than national average appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Massive $1.2 trillion spending package that would avert a shutdown released by Congress
WASHINGTON — Congress released the final six government funding bills early Thursday, starting off a sprint toward the Friday midnight deadline to wrap up work that was supposed to be finished nearly six months ago. The bipartisan agreement on the $1.2 trillion spending package, which emerged just before 3 a.m., came less than two weeks […] The post Massive $1.2 trillion spending package that would avert a shutdown released by Congress appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Alabama House committee approves sex ed, ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bills
The Alabama House Education Policy Committee Wednesday approved an expansion of Alabama’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill despite pushback from some Democrats. HB 130, sponsored by Mack Butler, R-Rainbow City, would expand the limitations on teachers addressing sexual orientation and gender identity from kindergarten through fifth grade to kindergarten through twelfth grade. An amendment was added […] The post Alabama House committee approves sex ed, ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bills appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Alabama law enforcement agencies unveil new victim notification system
Multiple law enforcement agencies Wednesday unveiled a revamped victim notification system allowing people to get notices of parole hearings and pending releases for those convicted of violent crimes. “We want the public to know about this project, and for victims and interested parties to sign up in the victim notification system,” said Darlene Hutchinson Biehl, […] The post Alabama law enforcement agencies unveil new victim notification system appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Nurture curiosity, not censorship
My wedding cake was crafted to resemble a stack of books. As you can imagine, my family is full of book lovers. So it’s hit us particularly hard that Alabama’s libraries have come under serious scrutiny and are receiving undeserved ire. As the mother of a four-year-old, I do not believe proposed changes to the state library code are […] The post Nurture curiosity, not censorship appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Bill to overhaul felony murder charges rejected by Alabama House committee
The House Judiciary Committee Wednesday rejected a bill that would have prevented a person from being charged with murder if the victim was involved in a crime. “We are still going to continue to work,” Rep. Chris England, D-Tuscaloosa, the sponsor of the bill, said in an interview after the meeting. “I think there is […] The post Bill to overhaul felony murder charges rejected by Alabama House committee appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Fed declines to cut interest rates, saying it’s not clear inflation has slowed enough yet
The Federal Reserve declined Wednesday to cut interest rates, saying it remains uncertain inflation is slowing enough, but some economists warned the financial regulators risk waiting too long to make cuts. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said the Fed has a lack of sufficient data that inflation is slowing enough to justify taking the pressure off […] The post Fed declines to cut interest rates, saying it’s not clear inflation has slowed enough yet appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Alabama House committee approves bill banning mask mandates
The Alabama House Health Committee Wednesday approved a bill that would prevent the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) and certain state government entities from enacting mask mandates. HB 158, sponsored by Rep. Brock Colvin, R-Albertville, would bar governmental entities and the state health officer from imposing a “face mask mandate to prevent the spread […] The post Alabama House committee approves bill banning mask mandates appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Gov. Kay Ivey signs bill to limit public funds for DEI, use of ‘divisive concepts’ in Alabama
Gov. Kay Ivey Wednesday signed a bill limiting the use of public funds for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs and limiting the ability of public employees to discuss so-called “divisive concepts.” In a statement Wednesday, Ivey wrote that she and her administration valued “Alabama’s rich diversity,” but she wanted to prevent people on college […] The post Gov. Kay Ivey signs bill to limit public funds for DEI, use of ‘divisive concepts’ in Alabama appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
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The Alabama Reflector is an independent nonprofit website covering politics and policy in our state. We look at the problems affecting Alabamians, and search for solutions. We connect readers with the decisions made in the hallways of the State House and try to give a voice to those outside it. We write stories about people in power and men and women on the margins. We hope to reflect what our home is, and what it could be. Alabama Reflector is an affiliate of States Newsroom, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit supported by grants and a coalition of donors and readers. The Reflector retains full editorial independence.
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