Category: Alabama Politics

Doug Jones Now Says He Would ‘Phase Out’ the CHOOSE Act, Letting Current Students Finish

Democratic gubernatorial nominee Doug Jones told a Montgomery town hall Tuesday that he wants to “phase out the CHOOSE Act,” Alabama's education savings account program, rather than end it outright, the Alabama Reflector reported. The program's income caps on eligibility come off Jan. 1. Jones said he “started out candidly talking about eliminating it,” but because students are already using the program, he would let them stay. “Those kids made a decision and their parents… Read More

Amendments 3 and 4 Ask Voters to Put the Pledge, Student-Led Prayer and the National Anthem in Schools Into the Alabama Constitution

Two of the four statewide amendments on the Nov. 3 ballot deal with what happens at the start of the school day, the Alabama Reflector reported. Amendment 3 , sponsored by Rep. Reed Ingram, R-Pike Road, would require K-12 public school boards to adopt a policy for the voluntary daily recital of the Pledge of Allegiance and a second policy allowing prayer that is “initiated by and led” by students. It passed the House 94-3… Read More

Doug Jones Calls for a One-Year Moratorium and No Tax Breaks for Data Centers at a Lowndes County Town Hall

Democratic gubernatorial nominee Doug Jones made data centers the centerpiece of a town hall Monday in Fort Deposit, in Lowndes County, where a planned hyperscale project has residents worried about electricity and water use, the Alabama Reflector reported. About 50 people attended. Jones repeated his call for a year-long moratorium on new data center construction, public disclosure of development agreements between data center companies and local governments, and an end to tax breaks, incentives and… Read More

Alabama Public Schools Lost About 12,000 Students Last Year, Nearly Double the Prior Drop, State Superintendent Says

Preliminary numbers show about 702,000 students enrolled in Alabama public schools for the 2025-26 school year, down roughly 12,000 from the year before, State Superintendent Eric Mackey told the State Board of Education on Thursday, the Alabama Reflector reported. The prior year's drop was about 5,800. “We had thought it would probably stabilize this year,” Mackey said. “It turns out this year's loss is more than double, or essentially double, what last year's was.” The… Read More

Ethics Commission Says Alabama Officials May Use Campaign Money for Lawsuits Tied to Their Office

The Alabama Ethics Commission on Wednesday unanimously approved an advisory opinion saying state law allows candidates and officeholders to spend campaign contributions on legal fees for civil lawsuits, criminal cases or investigations related to the duties of the office they hold, the Alabama Reflector reported. The opinion was requested by state Rep. Matt Simpson, R-Daphne, who has threatened to sue Alabama Values PAC over mailers ahead of the May Republican primary that he says misstated… Read More

New Faculty Senate Law Takes Effect, and Auburn Went Further Than Most Alabama Universities

HB 580, the state law that limits the power of faculty senates and requires post-tenure reviews at public universities, took effect Oct. 1, and Alabama's universities have responded to it in very different ways, the Alabama Reflector reported. Auburn's Board of Trustees voted in June to dissolve the University Senate and take direct control of curricula, even though the law has an exemption for Auburn and the University of Alabama because of their standing in… Read More

Amendment 2 on the Nov. 3 Ballot Would Let County School Boards Merge if Local Voters Agree

Alabama voters will decide on Nov. 3 whether county school boards should be allowed to merge with one another, the Alabama Reflector reported. Amendment 2 is a statewide constitutional amendment, so it will be on every ballot in Lee County. The measure, HB 380 by Rep. Terri Collins, R-Decatur, passed the House 96-2 and the Senate unanimously this spring. Collins told the Reflector the goal is to let small systems, some with fewer than 1,000… Read More

PSC Will Now Publicly Vote on Alabama Power’s Data Center Contracts, but Silence for 90 Days Still Means Yes

The Alabama Public Service Commission on Tuesday unanimously approved a new process for reviewing electricity contracts between Alabama Power and data centers, the Alabama Reflector reported. Alabama Power will have to publish a summary of each proposed agreement, including the facility's location, information about the company and its maximum electricity use. Redacted full contracts will be filed with the PSC and the Attorney General's Office. Under an amendment from PSC President Cynthia Almond, commissioners must… Read More

Jones and Tuberville Raise Almost Exactly the Same in September, but Tuberville Has Triple the Cash on Hand

Democrat Doug Jones and Republican Tommy Tuberville raised nearly identical amounts for the governor's race in September, according to campaign finance reports filed Friday, the Alabama Reflector reported. Jones raised $1.12 million and Tuberville $1.13 million. Tuberville still holds the bigger war chest: $6.5 million in cash on hand to Jones' $2.2 million. He also outspent Jones in September, $4 million to $1.5 million. "Coach continues to raise and spend money at a record pace,"… Read More

State Rep. Brett Easterbrook and a Former Satsuma School Board President Charged With Attempted Human Trafficking in a Sting

State Rep. Brett Easterbrook, R-Fruitdale, and Kory Wesley, the former president of the Satsuma City Schools Board of Education, were arrested Friday afternoon, Oct. 2, by the Escambia County Sheriff's Office and charged with attempted human trafficking, the Alabama Reflector reported. Court documents filed Monday describe the arrests as part of a sting operation but give no further details. Both men were first charged with first-degree human trafficking. On Monday, prosecutors moved to reduce the… Read More

Verified by MonsterInsights