Paul DeMarco: Alabama Legislature’s conservative credentials up for debate as session end draws near
With the few remaining days of the 2022 Alabama Legislative session, voters will be watching what gets passed or fails. There are a number of bills in states like Florida and Arizona that have passed which conservatives want to see made law in Alabama. Bills that give more parents say in their student’s education, punishment for municipalities that defund the police, and restrictions on transgender surgeries for minors are all teed up and ready to go to the Governor for her signature. Our state is viewed as one of the most conservative in the country, yet if none of these bills pass despite similar laws getting enacted in other states, it will raise a lot of questions. However, the Alabama statehouse floor is littered with bills that Alabama citizens wanted passed that died before legislators adjourned their session. Yet, bills that raised taxes and opened the door for the legalization of marijuana use became law the past four years. In addition, numerous bills were passed that weaken the criminal justice system in our state despite the spike in violent crime across our state. Thus, it is understandable why Alabama State Representatives and Senators commitment to conservative principles is being questioned. Alabama has a supermajority of Republican lawmakers, and their conservative credentials will be up for debate in the next week. We will see what direction they take in the next couple of days. Paul DeMarco is a member of the Alabama House of Representatives.
Kay Ivey signs Numeracy Act into Law, eliminating Common Core standards completely
Governor Kay Ivey on Tuesday signed Senate Bill 171, the Alabama Numeracy Act, into law. The Numeracy Act, sponsored by Sen. Arthur Orr and Rep. Alan Baker, is a strategic approach to improving mathematics achievement. In a press release, Ivey stated, “Literacy and numeracy are the blocking and tackling of education, plain and simple. For our students to have positive educational outcomes and to have success later in life, we must ensure proficiency in both reading and math is achieved. That is why, here in Alabama, we are focusing on what matters, and that is core instruction – not any of the other nonsense. Alabama parents wholeheartedly agree with that.” In 2019, Gov. Ivey and the State Board of Education eliminated Common Core from Alabama’s mathematics standards, and with the governor’s signature, this legislation eradicates these standards once and for all. “We cannot accept passing our students along without the proper foundation as the status quo, and that is why I have proudly signed the Alabama Numeracy Act into law. This strategic, targeted, and wise investment in our children will provide necessary resources, will include high-quality instruction, and will keep our schools accountable. The Alabama Numeracy Act delivers on my commitment to place the same sense of urgency on math as we rightfully have on reading,” Ivey continued. “Students will not only understand how to find an answer, but will have the mathematical reasoning needed for the in-demand STEM jobs in Alabama,” Ivey concluded.
CJ Pearson: Lawmakers should address retail theft at the scene of the crime, not online
Smash and grab robberies are not only plaguing Alabama, but the country as a whole. It’s up to Alabama’s lawmakers to make sure they respond with policy that is tough on crime. However, the only parties bills like HB 318 will be tough on are our local small business community. While the intent behind HB 318 is admirable, there’s little evidence to suggest that it will actually be effective in halting the wave of organized retail crime in its tracks. It’s not the fix we need. Amid the pandemic, many craftsmen, artisans, and entrepreneurs have moved their businesses online and are working from the comfort and security of their home rather than a traditional storefront. If HB 318 becomes law, it will force small businesses to provide a home address and other personal information for the entire internet to see, undermining the very reason many sellers choose to work from home in the first place. Exposing online sellers’ personal information won’t curb in-store organized retail crime, but it could lead to home break-ins, stalking, identity theft, and other forms of harassment. Not to mention, home invasions are a growing concern these days. Handing such sensitive details over to bad actors is just plain irresponsible. Small business owners shouldn’t have to worry about putting their families’ privacy and safety at risk just to make an honest living—this isn’t a choice our legislators should force them to make. During challenging times like these, we should be supporting the people of Alabama, not tying them up with more regulations and red tape. More rules mean less freedom for our Virtual Main Street to thrive and survive in an economy that is already suffocating under sky-high inflation and a supply chain crisis. Instead, let’s address the problem at its source: the stores organized retail crime bandits are targeting in the first place. What we really need are common-sense legislative solutions that are tough on crime. This is an opportunity for Alabama to be leaders in empowering our law enforcement amid a clarion call to defund the police. Let’s make sure our men and women in blue are rich in the resources they need to do their job to crack down on actual crooks, not hardworking business owners. Retail theft needs to be addressed at the scene of the crime, not online. Lawmakers aren’t elected to make life more difficult for Alabama small businesses. If safety truly is the priority here, let’s not put Alabama businesses at risk in a misguided attempt to address retail crime. There’s a better solution to the in-store retail theft problem—supporting our local law enforcement. Alabama legislators should vote no on HB 318. CJ Pearson is the Founder of the Free Thinker Project and a student at the University of Alabama.
Lawmakers advance transgender bathroom bill
Alabama lawmakers advanced legislation Tuesday that would bar transgender students from using school bathrooms and locker rooms that correspond to their current gender identity. The Senate Governmental Affairs approved the House-passed bill with little debate. The legislation now moves to the full Alabama Senate, where it could receive final approval in the final three days of the legislative session. Republican supporters said it would address an ongoing problem in public schools, but opponents said the measure targets vulnerable trans youth to score political points. The bill would mandate K-12 schools require students to use multiperson restrooms and locker rooms that match the sex on their original birth certificate. Republican Rep. Scott Stadthagen, the sponsor of the bill, said during House debate on the bill that schools are being asked to accommodate transgender students who request to use the bathrooms that align with their gender identity. “It’s a problem that was brought to my attention the last fall. The bill is short and sweet. It says whatever your original birth certificate states as your gender, that is the bathroom you use in K-12 schools,” Stadthagen told the committee on Tuesday. Opponents of the bill, including the mother of a 13-year-old transgender boy, disputed claims that the bill is about safety, saying there is no evidence of males dressing as females to attack girls in the bathroom. She said the bill targets trans youth for the sake of politics. “This bill is an embarrassment to the state of Alabama and endangers our gender-expansive youth … Transgender children struggled for years to understand their identity and using the restroom is the most basic of human rights,” Vanessa Tate Finney told the committee. Similar policies in other states have resulted in litigation. The U.S. Supreme Court last year rejected a Virginia school board’s appeal to reinstate its transgender bathroom ban, handing a victory to transgender rights groups and a former high school student who fought in court for six years to overturn the ban. The full 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals recently heard arguments in the case of a transgender student in Florida who was blocked from using the boy’s bathroom. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
GOP blocks Senate COVID bill, demands votes on immigration
Republicans blocked a Democratic attempt Tuesday to begin Senate debate on a $10 billion COVID-19 compromise, pressing to entangle the bipartisan package with an election-year showdown over immigration restrictions that poses a politically uncomfortable fight for Democrats. A day after Democratic and GOP bargainers reached an agreement on providing the money for treatments, vaccines, and testing, a Democratic move to push the measure past a procedural hurdle failed 52-47. All 50 Republicans opposed the move, leaving Democrats 13 votes short of the 60 votes they had needed to prevail. Hours earlier, Republicans said they’d withhold crucial support for the measure unless Democrats agreed to votes on an amendment preventing President Joe Biden from lifting Trump-era curbs on migrants entering the U.S. With Biden polling poorly on his handling of immigration and Democrats divided on the issue, Republicans see a focus on migrants as a fertile line of attack. “I think there will have to be” an amendment preserving the immigration restrictions “in order to move the bill,” bolstering federal pandemic efforts, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told reporters. “I don’t think there are probably 10 Republican votes at the moment for a process that doesn’t include” a vote on language retaining the immigration barriers, said No. 2 Senate GOP leader John Thune of South Dakota. At least 10 GOP votes will be needed in the 50-50 Senate for the measure to reach the 60 votes it must have for approval. Biden and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., want Congress to approve the pandemic bill before lawmakers leave in days for a two-week recess. Tuesday’s vote suggested that could be hard. ”This is a potentially devastating vote for every single American who was worried about the possibility of a new variant rearing its nasty head within a few months,” Schumer said after the vote. The new omicron variant, BA.2, is expected to spark a fresh increase in U.S. COVID-19 cases. Around 980,000 Americans and over 6 million people worldwide have died from the disease. The $10 billion pandemic package is far less than the $22.5 billion Biden initially sought. It also lacks $5 billion Biden wanted to battle the pandemic overseas — money that fell victim to disagreements over GOP demands that the measure be entirely paid for with budget savings. At least half the bill would be used for research and to produce therapeutics to treat COVID-19. Money would also be used to buy vaccines and tests and to research new variants. The measure is paid for by pulling back unspent funds provided earlier for protecting aviation manufacturing jobs, assisting entertainment venues shuttered by the pandemic, and other programs. Administration officials have said the government has run out of money to finance COVID-19 testing and treatments for people without insurance, and is running low on money for boosters, free monoclonal antibody treatments, and care for people with immune system weaknesses. At the 2020 height of the pandemic, President Donald Trump imposed immigration curbs letting authorities immediately expel asylum seekers and migrants for public health reasons. The ban is set to expire May 23, triggering what, by all accounts, will be a massive increase in the number of people trying to cross the Mexican border into the U.S. That confronts Democrats with messy choices ahead of fall elections when they’re expected to struggle to retain their hair-breadth majorities in the House and Senate. Many of the party’s lawmakers and their liberal supporters want the U.S. to open its doors to more immigrants. But moderates and some Democrats confronting tight November reelections worry about lifting the restrictions and alienating centrist voters. Shortly before Tuesday’s vote, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., showed no taste for exposing his party to a divisive immigration vote. “This is a bipartisan agreement that does a whole lot of important good for the American people. Vaccines, testing, therapeutics,” he said. “It should not be held hostage for an extraneous issue.” Jeff Zients, head of White House COVID-19 task force, expressed the same view about an immigration provision. “This should not be included on any funding bill,” he told reporters. “The decision should be made by the CDC. That’s where it has been, and that’s where it belongs.” But Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said he would still support a Senate COVID-19 aid bill if it included the GOP effort to retain the Trump immigration restrictions. “Why wouldn’t I?” he said in a brief interview. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which initiated the move two years ago, said earlier this month that it would lift the ban next month. The restrictions, known as Title 42, have been harder to justify as pandemic restrictions have eased. Trump administration officials cast the curbs as a way to keep COVID-19 from spreading further in the U.S. Democrats considered that an excuse for Trump, whose anti-immigrant rhetoric was a hallmark of his presidency, to keep migrants from entering the country. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., who faces a competitive reelection this fall, declined to say Tuesday whether she would support retaining the Trump-era ban, saying she wanted to see its language. But she said the Biden administration needs to do more. “I’ve been very clear with the administration. I need a plan; we need a plan,” she said in a brief interview. “There’s going to be a surge at the border. There should be a plan, and I’ve been calling for it all along.” Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Steve Flowers: Fob James story, 1978 governor’s race
The crowded field for governor striving to oust incumbent Governor Kay Ivey includes Tim James. He has run before. In fact, this is his third try for the brass ring. His last race was in 2010, when he barely missed the runoff by a few votes. He was edged out by Robert Bentley, who went on to win. Tim James’ primary calling card has always been that he is the son of former Governor Fob James. The elder James was an ultra-successful businessman who was first elected governor in 1978 as a Democrat and then elected to a second term as governor as a Republican in 1994. Governor Fob James’s first election as Governor in 1978 is one for the record books. The 1978 Governor’s Race is one of the classics in Alabama political lore. That governor’s race, which began with three heavyweights – former Governor Albert Brewer, Attorney General Bill Baxley, and Lt. Governor Jere Beasley – was expected to be titanic. The Republicans were relegated to insignificance on the gubernatorial stage. Therefore, the winner of the Democratic Primary would be governor. Meanwhile, over in east Alabama, a little-known former Auburn halfback named Fob James strolled into the governor’s race. Fob’s entry evoked very little interest, only curiosity as to why he would want to enter the fray against three well-known major players. Fob was exposed as a card-carrying Republican, but even a political novice like Fob knew he could not win as a Republican, so he qualified to run as a Democrat along with the three B’s. Fob had become very wealthy by starting a successful manufacturing company in Opelika. When he signed up to run for governor, the press wrote him off as a rich gadfly who simply chose politics rather than golf as his pastime. Little did they know that the fact he was rich and had a lot of time on his hands could spell trouble for the average political opponent, who had to worry about fundraising and feeding their family while running a full-time campaign. Fob realized he was no political professional like the three B’s who had spent their entire political adulthood in public office, so Fob sought out professional advice. He had the money to think big and wanted to know who the best political consultant in the South was. It was an easy answer: Deloss Walker was a political public relations genius who lived in Memphis. His track record for electing governors of southern states was 5-0. Walker was the most renowned and expensive political guru in the country in 1977. Fob quietly sought out Walker, who at first refused to take Fob’s race. Walker’s first impression was that even he could not mold Fob into a winner against three well-financed, experienced thoroughbreds. Nobody was aware Fob had garnered the genius Walker and had already been to political school when he signed up to run for governor in the spring of 1978. Brewer, Baxley, and Beasley ignored Fob. Baxley even praised him, saying, “Fob would be a good governor. Too bad he’s not a serious candidate.” Those words would come back to haunt Baxley. Fob traveled the state in a yellow school bus and let the three B’s tear each other up. Baxley, Beasley, and Brewer spent all their time and money attacking each other with negative ads, all the while Fob ran positive ads. Folks were of the opinion that the three B’s had all probably shot their mothers in a bar fight, but they liked old Fob James, even if they thought his name was “Bob” James. It was too late for the three B’s when they saw a poll about a week before the election showing Fob ahead of all three of them. Baxley refused to believe it and kept hammering at Beasley and Brewer, ignoring Fob. When the votes were counted, Fob was in first place, Baxley second, Brewer was third, and Beasley finished fifth behind State Senator Sid McDonald. Fob easily beat Baxley in the runoff. After all, what could Baxley say? He had run all over the state for three months saying Fob would make a good governor. Fob James had pulled off one of the most amazing upset victories in the history of Alabama politics. The Fob James story of the 1978 Governor’s Race is truly one for the record books. See you next week. Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist. His weekly column appears in over 60 Alabama newspapers. He served 16 years in the state legislature. Steve may be reached at www.steveflowers.us.
Nick Stehle: The difference between thriving and withering during a pandemic? Good leadership
Naples. Jacksonville. Miami. Destin. San Francisco. As the jingle from Sesame Street goes, “one of these things is not like the others.” If you’ve traveled at all during the pandemic, read a newspaper, or if you generally don’t live in a 1,000-foot-deep hole devoid of all technology, you probably know where I’m going with this. The difference in the quality of leadership throughout the pandemic has been impactful for everyone. This distinction is clear for children who are happy, learning, and thriving at in-person schools – or not learning at all, depressed, and struggling to cope with the reality their government and their parents have thrust upon them under onerous and poorly contrived public health guidance. Perhaps the most significant disparity is for small businesses and those who risk their savings, their futures, and their mental sanity for the American Dream – to go out on their own, start something real, and create something unique. While people give up on their dreams in New York, California, and New Jersey, entrepreneurs flock to Florida, a state that operates under the assumption – now considered antiquated in much of the world – that every human has the right to experience the dignity that comes from work. Every job is essential. Every person is equal. But to the Left, to quote Animal Farm, “some… are more equal than others.” During lockdowns, politicians never missed a paycheck. Waiters and waitresses? Not so much. My family and I spent two wonderful years living near Destin. I recently spoke with my old friend, Captain Si Nelson, who operates a guide company there. He and his wife live the American Dream, with thriving small businesses that have seen exponential growth during the pandemic. Si’s customers flock to Florida from places as far away as California, New York, New Jersey, and even other countries such as Canada and the U.K. Though, during the pandemic, California feels like a different country. His customers feel that, too. And that’s why the tourists are coming – by the millions. In fact, 59 million people visited Florida in just the first half of 2021. Maybe that’s why Captain Si just bought his second boat to accommodate even more families who wish to ditch their masks and don their flip-flops. They come from locked-down San Francisco or Los Angeles. Then they spend a week, or two, or four, enjoying Florida’s pristine beaches, clean water and air, and most important of all, freedom. Leadership matters. It mattered when Florida opened up and allowed people to assess their personal level of risk and live their lives. It mattered when, instead of focusing on more failed lockdown policies, Florida’s State Legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis concentrated on reforms that made it easier to start a business in Florida. Florida House Speaker Chris Sprowls urged his colleagues to “develop an entrepreneurship agenda that knocks down the barriers holding back all those untapped job creators.” And together with Sen. Keith Perry and the leadership of Senate President Wilton Simpson, they did just that. Florida reformed home-based business laws, making it easier for Floridians to start small businesses. Perhaps this will lead to the founding of the next Apple in Miami or the next Google in Tallahassee. The legislature and Gov. DeSantis also fast-tracked building permits, preempted local licensing requirements, and increased performance metrics for workforce programs. Florida employers hired nearly 1.3 million net new workers after DeSantis announced the end of the unemployment bonus. And entrepreneurs created almost 150,000 new startups. This was critical for lessening the worker shortage. According to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, while Florida enjoys low unemployment and growing small businesses, residents of New York, California, and New Jersey are tortured with unemployment rates over six percent nearly two years after the pandemic hit. Leadership matters. And for struggling small businesses, leadership matters more than ever. There is a quiet but incredible dignity in creating something entirely your own and making it grow into a thriving business. Thousands of Floridians will come out of the pandemic feeling that dignity deep in their souls. That’s what good leadership is all about. Nick Stehle is vice president of communications at the Naples-based Foundation for Government Accountability. Republished with the permission of The Center Square.
Bill to ban teaching ‘divisive concepts’ heads to key vote
Legislation to ban a list of “divisive concepts” from being taught in K-12 classrooms and state worker training was headed to a key committee vote. The Senate State Governmental Affairs Committee will take up the bill Tuesday afternoon. The committee’s decision will decide if the measure has a chance of winning approval in the closing days of the 2022 legislative session. The bill by Republican Rep. Ed Oliver of Dadeville would prohibit a list of “divisive concepts” from being taught in schools and in diversity training for state entities. The banned concepts would include that Alabama and United States are “inherently racist or sexist” and that anyone should be asked to accept “a sense of guilt, complicity, or a need to work harder” because of their race or gender. The bill is part of a conservative effort to put guidelines on how race and gender are taught in classrooms and worker training sessions, but that Black lawmakers have called an endeavor to whitewash the nation’s history. The Alabama House of Representatives approved the bill earlier this month on a 65-32 vote after an emotional night of debate. Oliver said the goal of the legislation is to, “prevent kids from being taught to hate America and hate each other.” African American representatives sharply criticized the measure. They said it would restrict the conversations that give a deeper understanding of race and history just because those conversations might make white people uncomfortable. The bill bans the concepts from being discussed in K-12 schools and says they can be discussed in college classes in a larger course of academic instruction as long as students are not forced “to assent.” A number of college professors have spoken out against the bill, concerned it would have a chilling effect on classroom lessons and discussions. The list of banned concepts is similar to a now-repealed executive order former President Donald Trump issued regarding training for federal employees. Similar language has since popped up in bills in more than a dozen states. The bill lists the divisive concepts that could not be taught as: — That one race, sex, or religion is inherently superior to another race, sex, or religion. —That this state or the United States is inherently racist or sexist. — That an individual, solely by virtue of his or her race or sex, is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously. — That an individual should be discriminated against or receive adverse treatment solely on the basis of his or her race. — That members of one race should attempt to treat others differently solely on the basis of race. — That an individual’s moral character is determined solely on the basis of his or her race, sex, or religion. — That an individual, solely by virtue of his or her race, sex, or religion, bears responsibility for actions committed in the past by other members of the same race, sex, or religion. — That fault, blame, or bias should be assigned to a race, sex, or religion, or to members of a race, sex, or religion, solely on the basis of their race, sex, or religion. — That any individual should be asked to accept, acknowledge, affirm, or assent to a sense of guilt, complicity, or a need to work harder solely on the basis of his or her race or sex. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
