Latest news with #AlabamaStatehouse
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
08-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Alabama House passes bill raising medical age of consent to 16
Sen. Larry Stutts, R-Tuscumbia, speaks in the Alabama Senate on May 8, 2024 at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Alabama. The House passed his bill to raise the medical age of consent to 16 on Wednesday.(Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector) The Alabama House of Representatives passed a bill Wednesday that raised the age of medical consent from 14 to 16. SB 101, sponsored by Sen. Larry Stutts, R-Tuscambia, would require parental consent for medical, dental, and mental health services for minors under 16 and prohibit health care providers and governmental entities from denying parents access to a child's health record. 'Fourteen-year-olds' brains are not fully formed. We don't let 14-year-olds get a tattoo or vote,' Rep. Susan DuBose, R-Hoover, who handled the legislation, said. 'We want parents engaged in the process.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The House Health Committee approved the legislation on April 23 with a substitute that allows a child to receive emergency mental health treatment without the parent's consent. The substitute passed the House 85-0. The bill provides several exemptions to the age of consent requirement. Minors under 16 who are pregnant or emancipated can make their own medical decisions. Minors under 16 can also consent to services related to sexually transmitted diseases and alcohol or drug misuse. Health care professionals would also be allowed to provide emergency services without parental consent under specific circumstances, including imminent threats to the minor's health, suspected abuse, neglect or exploitation. Rep. Ginny Shaver, R-Leesburg, offered an amendment that requires parental consent for individualized counseling. The amendment was adopted 87-0 with 14 abstentions. 'It also spills over into the area of education, so just for some clarity there on what's allowed and what's not allowed,' Shaver said. The bill passed 85-0 with 18 abstentions. It goes to the Senate for concurrence or conference committee. The last day of legislative session is May 14. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Alabama lawmakers advance bill requiring parental consent for minors' medical care
Sen. Larry Stutts, R-Tuscumbia, speaks in the Alabama Senate on May 8, 2024 at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Alabama. Stutts is sponsoring a bill to raise the age of consent for medical services from 14 to 16. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector) The Alabama House Health Committee Wednesday approved a bill raising the age of consent for medical care from 14 to 16. SB 101, sponsored by Sen. Larry Stutts, R-Tuscumbia, would require parental consent for medical, dental, and mental health services for minors under 16 and prohibit health care providers and governmental entities from denying parents access to a child's health record. 'Since 1972, the age of consent for all medical care in Alabama, from dental health to general health to mental health, has been 14 years of age, and this bill seeks to raise it to 16,' said Rep. Susan DuBose, R-Hoover, who is handling the legislation in the House. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX DuBose said that although the bill would have originally raised the age of consent to 18 years, she and Stutts worked with the medical community to arrive at the compromise. 'I understand the concerns of all these medical professionals, and while I may not have wanted 16 to begin with, I wanted 18. We all did. This is far better than 14, and I think sometimes that's what we end up doing on legislation, is working with everybody and coming to the best compromise that we can all live with,' DuBose said. She added that a key part of the bill is ensuring that parents can access their minor child's medical records. 'The good thing about this bill is it does provide parents with access to all medical records of their minor child, and so I'm very happy with that,' she said. The bill provides several exemptions to the age of consent requirement. Minors under 16 who are pregnant or emancipated can make their own medical decisions. Minors under 16 can also consent to services related to sexually transmitted diseases and alcohol or drug misuse. Health care professionals would also be allowed to provide emergency services without parental consent under specific circumstances, including imminent threats to the minor's health, suspected abuse, neglect or exploitation. 'We try to have common sense carve outs in this law,' DuBose said in a phone interview Friday. The bill can now be considered by the full House. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Alabama House passes bill criminalizing forgery of local legislation sponsorship
Rep. Steve Hurst, R-Munford, walks across the floor of the Alabama House of Representatives on April 10, 2025 at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Alabama. The House passed Hurst's bill that criminalizes forging sponsorship on local legislation on Tuesday. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector) The Alabama House of Representatives Tuesday passed a bill that would make it a crime for somebody to forge sponsorship on local legislation. Rep. Steve Hurst, R-Munford, the sponsor of HB 454, said somebody drafted a local bill in his name through the Legislative Services Agency without his permission. He did not say when this happened or what bill was involved. 'I found out later on that a bill had been drafted. I talked to the Legislative Reference Service and asked them to look it up because I did not do this,' he said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The legislation makes drafting a bill without a lawmaker's permission and advertising the legislation a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by one year in jail and a fine of up to $6,000. The bill passed 94-1 with a floor amendment by Rep. Ben Robbins, R-Sylacauga, that clarified that the person publishing the bill was requested to do so by a legislator. 'I got recommendations from the county commission association to add this,' he said. Rep. Chris England, D-Tuscaloosa, was the only vote against the bill. He said he could not support it because of confusing language. 'I can't support it the way it is written because you may catch somebody that's trying to do the right thing and help you out,' England said. The bill goes to the Senate. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Alabama Senate bill would require cities to disclose discretionary accounts
Sen. Wes Kitchens, R-Arab (right) speaks with Jess Skaggs, chief of staff to Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth (left) and Sen. Keith Kelley, R-Anniston (center) on the floor of the Alabama Senate on April 8, 2025 at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Alabama. He filed legislation to require municipalities to publish information about discretionary accounts. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector) The Senate County and Municipal Government Committee approved a bill Tuesday that requires municipalities to disclose information about discretionary spending accounts that the jurisdiction created. SB 306, sponsored by Sen. Wes Kitchens, R-Arab, would require municipalities with discretionary accounts to publish both the balance and spending activity each month. 'What this does, it is really to have transparency in government,' Kitchens said to the committee. 'Different agencies, different elected officials who have discretionary accounts, it is to make it more accessible to people. Similar to what we go through with the campaign finance report, it would be publicized.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The bill would require government agencies, boards, commissions and departments to make that information available online through their website; with the Association of County Commissions of Alabama or with the Alabama League of Municipalities. Judges, district attorneys and clerks may also make that information public with the Administrative Office of the Courts. Kaleb Beck, legislative counsel for the Alabama League of Municipalities, spoke against the legislation during a public hearing. 'The League's first area of opposition is the resource burden this will place on our cities,' Beck said. 'For example, our smaller municipalities might lack the technical expertise or staff to, every month, format and upload these types of documents.' He said that municipal clerks that oversee less populated areas of the state already perform different functions, and the legislation will place them with another responsibility. 'If residents want this information published, this can be pushed for at the local level,' Beck said. 'We can trust that our municipal officials will be receptive to their constituents' wants and needs, and if not, they can be held accountable at the polls like every other elected official in the state.' After the public hearing, Sen. Linda Coleman-Madison, D-Birmingham, said she would propose an amendment to the legislation to make it easier for the smaller jurisdictions to comply with the provisions with the bill. 'I understand the issue with the smaller municipalities, it may be an issue for them,' she said. 'If they didn't have the abilities to publicize it, some small towns may not have a website, but that it would be posted at city hall, a county courthouse, or whatever.' Kitchens said he is open to continue discussing the elements contained in his bill. 'This seems like an incredibly low bar for me to reach,' said Sen. Chris Elliott, R-Josephine, the chair of the committee. 'I am very supportive of your legislation.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
