tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32874105070457999882023-11-16T05:33:37.285-06:00South Union StreetThe Montgomery Advertiser newspaper's blog on all things related to Alabama politics and state government, featuring the writings of Sebastian Kitchen and Markeshia RicksSouth Union Streethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08570125913707370041noreply@blogger.comBlogger698125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287410507045799988.post-88328047792965411482011-03-17T16:51:00.004-05:002011-03-17T17:26:09.786-05:00We're MovingWe wanted to let readers know we are moving our blog and making it easier to find.You can now find us at: http://madvertiserblogs.com/southunionstreet/or go to www.montgomeryadvertiser.com and there is a direct link to the blog at the top of the page as one of our "Featured" sites.We also have a South Union Street page on Facebook, where we post links to the latest updates we've placed on the South Union Streethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08570125913707370041noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287410507045799988.post-42925919031791200262011-03-17T13:38:00.005-05:002011-03-17T13:56:02.167-05:00Ag commissioner announces layoffsThe commissioner of the state’s agriculture department has started notifying about 60 workers they will be laid off to make cuts necessary to balance the budget.Commissioner John McMillan said the department informed 17 people this week that they were being laid off and expects to announce more layoffs next week. Those employees who are laid off will remain on the payroll through April.He said heSouth Union Streethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08570125913707370041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287410507045799988.post-11703288743073787552011-03-17T11:02:00.004-05:002011-03-17T11:22:38.412-05:00Armistead selects new executive director for state GOPTimothy James "TJ" Maloney will become executive director of the Alabama Republican Party on Monday, the party announced Thursday.New Party Chairman Bill Armistead, a former state senator, said he made his choice after a thorough search for the person with the necessary experience and skills to direct the daily operations of the party.“We have a strong team shaping up, and TJ has the experience South Union Streethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08570125913707370041noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287410507045799988.post-90136803729237540382011-03-15T16:44:00.004-05:002011-03-15T17:05:50.391-05:00Bentley: Lawmakers should sacrifice if they expect the same from teachers Gov. Robert Bentley said he is leaving it up to lawmakers about how to handle the much-publicized and much-criticized pay raise, but he does have some advice."If they're wise, they should consider a cut like every other agency is taking a cut," the governor said.Bentley said that lawmakers should be willing to sacrifice if they are going to ask teachers to sacrifice.He also believes that South Union Streethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08570125913707370041noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287410507045799988.post-73757172414481628862011-03-14T17:49:00.005-05:002011-03-14T18:42:48.565-05:00Bentleys cutting back at mansionGov. Robert Bentley, talking Monday at the Montgomery Advertiser about the budgets, said he and his wife are trying to save the state money at the mansion.He said he and his wife, Dianne, had the six phone lines coming into the mansion cut to one. And they decided they only needed one cable box instead of four.The governor said his wife is frugal and they are cutting services and saving money South Union Streethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08570125913707370041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287410507045799988.post-17239436414607376812011-03-11T16:10:00.004-06:002011-03-11T17:18:48.541-06:00Bentley signs bill overhauling education fundingGov. Robert Bentley signed his first bill into law on Friday, a day after the Republican-led Legislature passed the bill overhauling how lawmakers budget money for Alabama schools.Republicans, including Bentley, pushed the so-called rolling reserve bill to keep lawmakers from spending all of the available money in good economic years and from keeping Bentley and future governors from having to South Union Streethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08570125913707370041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287410507045799988.post-49875290915790685582011-03-10T17:32:00.002-06:002011-03-10T17:40:34.870-06:00Governor Won't Get to Sign DROP BillIt looks like Gov. Robert Bentley will only get to sign one of the two major pieces of legislation that he needed lawmakers to pass to make his budget proposals for fiscal 2012 work.Though the House passed legislation that would eliminate the state's Deferred Retirement Option Plan, or DROP program, the Senate adjourned without concurring on an amendment that was put on in the House. The South Union Streethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08570125913707370041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287410507045799988.post-75537743565391100752011-03-10T15:38:00.010-06:002011-03-10T16:29:01.191-06:00DROP Bill is Amended to Create a Study Committee on Teacher RetentionA bill that would eliminate the state's Deferred Retirement Option Plan, or DROP program, was amended from the floor Thursday to create a study committee that would look for ways to help the state retain its "best and brightest" classroom teachers and public employees.The amendment was offered by state Rep. Mac McCutcheon, R-Huntsville The committee would have to report its findings by the fifth South Union Streethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08570125913707370041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287410507045799988.post-4185476196816702202011-03-10T15:16:00.006-06:002011-03-10T15:50:13.744-06:00Legislature passes rolling reserve billState lawmakers passed a bill on Thursday that could keep funding for education at or below 2007 levels for another five years.The House passed the measure on Tuesday and the Senate passed the legislation on Thursday 23-10 along partisan lines with Republicans voting for it.Democrats in the House and Senate expressed concerns that the "rolling reserve" bill could hurt the progress Alabama has South Union Streethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08570125913707370041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287410507045799988.post-58102195085060727972011-03-10T14:15:00.006-06:002011-03-10T16:42:03.301-06:00"STOP JUAN CROW": Opponents of bill targeting illegal immigrants rally at State HousePeople opposing an Arizona-style bill that they believe will lead to racial profiling and cost the state heavily to defend it in court rallied in front of the State House on Thursday.They carried handmade signs that read: "Stop Juan Crow," "Don't spend my taxdollars on your hate," and "This country was built by immigrants."A House committee already passed the bill and it now goes to the full South Union Streethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08570125913707370041noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287410507045799988.post-43705483682351165912011-03-09T18:23:00.008-06:002011-03-09T18:43:03.497-06:00Democrats announce legislative agendaDemocrats in the Alabama Legislature rolled out their agenda on Wednesday, saying their platform is a handshake with working people and not with big corporations.They were taking a dig at Republicans, who are pushing through bills from their Handshake with Alabama, a list of campaign promises from the 2010 election.This is the first regular session in which Democrats will be trying to pass their South Union Streethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08570125913707370041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287410507045799988.post-39480023035849055272011-03-09T16:11:00.002-06:002011-03-09T16:31:53.667-06:00House Goes to Special Order on Fifth Legislative DayThe Alabama House of Representatives will start working from a special order calendar Thursday that could allow several bills important to the Republican majority to come up for debate before lawmakers head off to spring break.House Rules Chairman Blaine Galliher, R-Gadsden, told members that they would begin working from the special order on the fifth legislative day, which is Thursday.A specialSouth Union Streethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08570125913707370041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287410507045799988.post-39603170104871816562011-03-09T14:45:00.026-06:002011-03-09T19:45:26.019-06:00Major players in Alabama have large sums in DROP programThe following is a list of the people with the top 50 balances in the DROP program or Deferred Retirement Option Program. The Alabama Senate voted on Tuesday to kill the program and the House could vote on its version as early as Thursday. The name of the officials are followed by their balance in the program.REED, JOE LOUIS; $1,475,952.21; Associate Executive Secretary, Alabama Education South Union Streethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08570125913707370041noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287410507045799988.post-90880291499200714502011-03-08T17:11:00.003-06:002011-03-08T17:30:40.437-06:00Senate Republicans vote to kill DROP programDemocrats in the Alabama Senate attempted to delay a vote on the bill that would kill a retirement program the state started to keep quality longtime employees, especially teachers, from retiring or leaving for other states, but Republicans quickly shut down debate.On Tuesday, Republicans approved the bill repealing the DROP program or Deferred Retirement Option Program on a 23-12 vote.The DROP South Union Streethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08570125913707370041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287410507045799988.post-27879769288275756292011-03-08T16:17:00.004-06:002011-03-08T16:37:40.445-06:00Senate Democrats attack repeal of DROPDemocrats in the Alabama Senate are calling the attempt by Republicans to stop the DROP retirement program a punitive attack on teachers and state employees hidden behind the guise of saving money.Senate Minority Leader Roger Bedford, D-Russellville, said that Republicans in the regular session, like they did in the special session on ethics, are bringing up a bill that would hurt teachers and South Union Streethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08570125913707370041noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287410507045799988.post-42948466504896808132011-03-08T12:32:00.008-06:002011-03-08T13:42:02.043-06:00Lawmakers move forward with term limits, stronger veto power and removing racist languageA committee of Alabama senators approved legislation on Tuesday that would allow voters to decide if they want to remove racist language from the state constitution, limit how many terms a state lawmaker can serve, and give the governor stronger veto power."These represent monumental reforms," said Bryan Taylor, chairman of the Senate Committee on Constitution, Campaign Finance, Ethics and South Union Streethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08570125913707370041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287410507045799988.post-78910831105593797572011-03-07T16:09:00.002-06:002011-03-07T16:17:54.690-06:00Senate panel to consider term limits, military voting and removing racist languageTerm limits, military voting on the web, and removing racist language from the state constitution are at the top of the agenda for the Senate Committee on Constitution, Campaign Finance, Ethics and Elections, according to the chairman.Sen. Bryan Taylor, R-Prattville, said those are among the bills that will be considered during a meeting at 11 a.m. Tuesday in room 609A of the State House.Sen. South Union Streethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08570125913707370041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287410507045799988.post-24835324385483467702011-03-07T15:30:00.004-06:002011-03-07T15:39:39.068-06:00Senate puts repealing DROP at top of agendaThe president pro tem of the Alabama Senate is pushing for the repeal of what he deemed a "luxury benefit plan," known as the Deferred Retirement Option Program or DROP.Sen. Del Marsh, R-Anniston, said when lawmakers return to Montgomery on Tuesday that repealing DROP will be at the top of the Senate's agenda. He said people need to understand the difference between luxuries and necessities in South Union Streethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08570125913707370041noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287410507045799988.post-60852469430112337032011-03-03T16:17:00.003-06:002011-03-03T16:35:53.896-06:00Ivey Makes Appointments to Reapportionment CommitteeLt. Gov. Kay Ivey announced Thursday the appointment of eleven state senators to a committee that will redraw lines for congressional, state and local political boundaries. Ivey appointed the following senators to the reapportionment committee: Congressional District 1– Sen. Trip Pittman, R.-Daphne Congressional District 2– Sen. Jimmy Holley, R-Elba; Congressional District 3 - Sen. Gerald Dial,South Union Streethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08570125913707370041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287410507045799988.post-32729276352728407552011-03-03T09:57:00.005-06:002011-03-03T10:36:34.235-06:00Democrats Continue Fight for Constitutional ReformDemocratic members of the Alabama Legislature announced Thursday that they would introduce a resolution that would allow the state's voters to decide whether to call a constitutional convention to reform the state's constitution.State Rep. Demetrius Newton, D-Birmingham, said that he hopes his Republican colleagues who now control both chambers of the Legislature will join him in support of South Union Streethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08570125913707370041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287410507045799988.post-56959418324353885702011-03-02T18:48:00.004-06:002011-03-02T18:54:28.021-06:00Bill to Shut Down Drop Program AdvancesMembers of the House Ways and Means General Fund Committee voted 10 to 4 along party lines to advance a bill that would end enrollment in the DROP program and change how much interest the remaining accounts receive starting June 1. Ending the program was one of the cost saving measures that Gov. Robert Bentley outlined in his state of the state address Tuesday. State Rep. Barry Mask, R-Wetumpka,South Union Streethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08570125913707370041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287410507045799988.post-42329550688424076852011-03-02T12:58:00.004-06:002011-03-02T18:56:05.440-06:00Secret Ballot Bill Headed to the Full HouseFor the first time in the three years, a constitutional amendment that would guarantee the right to a secret ballot including in votes of employee representation is on its way to full debate in the Alabama House of Representatives.Business interests in the state have backed such a bill for several years, but were always unsuccessful getting it out of Democrat controlled committees because of South Union Streethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08570125913707370041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287410507045799988.post-75066492702456523692011-03-02T11:25:00.006-06:002011-03-02T18:57:03.493-06:00From Nearly 30 to 3: Voter I.D Bill Makes it out of House CommitteeIn a 7 to 2 vote, the House Constitution, Campaigns and Election Committee gave a favorable report to a bill that would allow voters to show only government issued, photo identification at the polls. If the bill becomes law, it would reduce the kind of identifying material that a person could possibly use to prove they are a voter from nearly 30 to 3. And all three kinds of identification would South Union Streethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08570125913707370041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287410507045799988.post-7278926857617582642011-03-02T11:21:00.003-06:002011-03-02T11:31:42.113-06:00Fight over illegal immigration begins in AlabamaThe two sides in the fight over illegal immigration in Alabama discussed a proposal modeled after the controversial law in Arizona during a public hearing on Wednesday.In the second day of the legislative session, a committee in the Alabama House of Representatives heard from both sides on the bill intended to push out illegal immigrants that are here and deter others from coming to the state.TheSouth Union Streethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08570125913707370041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287410507045799988.post-65004101195970793852011-03-02T11:02:00.005-06:002011-03-02T18:58:24.459-06:00Presidential Preference Primary Could Go Back to JuneThe House Constitution, Campaigns and Elections Committee gave the green light to a bill that would return Alabama's presidential preference primary to June and likely save the state nearly $4 million in fiscal 2012 and every four years after.Alabama lawmakers voted in 2006 to move the state's presidential preference primary from the first Tuesday in June to the first Tuesday in February in hopesSouth Union Streethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08570125913707370041noreply@blogger.com0