Rep. Terri Sewell hosts CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure in fireside chat on health care access
On Thursday, Congresswoman Terri Sewell welcomed Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Chiquita Brooks-LaSure to Birmingham to highlight the Biden Administration’s commitment to expanding access to quality, affordable health care for Alabama families. The CMS Administrator joined Rep. Sewell for a fireside chat regarding healthcare access for both rural and urban communities at United Way of Central Alabama to connect with people across Alabama’s 7th Congressional District and share with them how the CMS, Congress, and local leaders are working to make healthcare more accessible for Alabamians. “Thrilled to welcome to Birmingham the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Chiquita Brooks-LaSure!” Sewell said on Facebook. “We had a great conversation about the work of Congress and the Biden-Harris Administration to expand health care access and lower prescription drug prices for Alabamians. We made great strides with the American Rescue Plan and the Inflation Reduction Act. I’m committed to building on our historic progress!” “Alabama needs to expand Medicaid,” Sewell said. “Our rural hospitals are in jeopardy. Aliceville, that hospital closed, and Hale County Hospital is just holding on.” “We are very concerned about what we are seeing in rural areas across the country,” Brooks-LaSure said. “A lot of my district are very much dependent. I don’t know the percentage on government healthcare, whether it is Tricare, Medicare, or Medicaid,” Sewell said. “When I think about CMS and our role right now, over 170 million Americans are covered by our programs, and so it is not a surprise that over so many districts, we are a major force for healthcare. We are very concerned about what we are seeing in rural areas across the country,” Sewell continued. “We have just composed new rules around Medicaid to make sure that people get access to care, not just enrollment, to make sure that payments are adequate to ensure primary care physician participation, including maternal health and mental health.” “One of the topics that is particularly of urgent concern is maternal mortality,” Sewell said. “The fact is that Black women are three times more likely to die in childbirth.” “Medicaid pays for 65% of the births for Black Women,” Brooks LaSure said. “We cover at least 50% of the total births.” Brooks-LaSure said that the Biden administration has several initiatives in place to try to address this issue. Sewell asked about improving access to mental health services. “We have more work to do with addressing the mental health crisis, particularly with our youth and our seniors,” Brooks-LaSure said. Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin welcomed Congresswoman Sewell and Chiquita Brooks-LaSure to last week’s event. Rep. Sewell is in her seventh term representing Alabama’s Seventh Congressional District. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Alabama Senate passes bill to raise cap on the Alabama Accountability Act
On Tuesday, the Alabama Senate voted to raise the cap on the money that can go to the Alabama Accountability Act (AAA). The Alabama Accountability Act was passed in 2013 to allow parents whose children are zoned to Alabama’s worst-performing schools to choose to apply for a scholarship to go to another public school or a private school. That act is currently capped at $30 million. This legislation would raise it to $40 million next year, and if specific targets are reached in coming years, that could increase to $50 million. Potentially the cap could increase to $60 million over six years. Senate Bill 263 (SB263) is sponsored by State Senator Donnie Chesteen (R-Dothan). SB263 also raises the number of Alabama students who qualify for scholarships to 250 percent of the poverty line. That would be slightly higher than the median income in Alabama. Under the existing rules, only students zoned to the worst six percent of schools can qualify for scholarships to go to a private school or another public school. The legislation would also rename those failing schools as priority schools. Chesteen said that in the old bill, students from just 79 failing schools can apply for the scholarships. This would open it up to students from a school with a D or an F on its report card – 212 schools. SB263 would open up to 25% of the scholarships for students who live outside of those targeted D and F scoring schools if they meet the poverty thresholds. Sen. Bobby Singleton (D-Greensboro) said, “I think this bill takes care of the middle up. It does not help those in the bottom.” “It is not easy to satisfy all the components of all the people involved, and it is not easy to get through the process to get here today; nevertheless, I do not support this bill,” Singleton said. Singleton said that expansion of the AAA would only hurt public schools. “I think this is going to hurt public education,” Singleton said. “I am here to protect those to whom I see that unintended consequences are happening. “Our charter schools, they can take a limited number of students, our private schools, they can take a limited number of students,” Singleton said. “If students leave school B for school A, what they are going to do is leave school B with nobody. If that was a bad school, you just left it worse.” The SGOs have had difficulty over the past year in raising the $30 million to utilize the cap. “If we have not met the cap, why are we bumping it up?” Singleton said. “25% can go anywhere.” “If they meet the threshold,” Chesteen said. “That bothers me,” Singleton said. “They may not qualify at one level, but can roam around the system if they are in poverty.” Sen. Larry Stutts (R-Sheffield) argued against the bill because he felt it did not go far enough. “We have been in last place too long,” Stutts said. “It is important that we make a statement that education is important. It is important for the workforce. It is important to parents.” Stutts is the sponsor of the PRICE Act, which would be a far larger, more expansive school choice bill. “Your bill (the AAA) has only helped 3,200 students in ten years. My bill would help 7,900 students the first year,” Stutts argued. The money for the Accountability Act comes from Alabama taxpayers voluntarily electing to take tax credits so that their income tax dollars go to scholarship granting organizations (SGOs) instead of the Alabama education trust fund. The PRICE Act, on the other hand, would transfer $6,900 per student from the education trust fund to an education savings account that would follow the child to the school of the parent’s choice. “We need universal school choice,” Stutts said. “We need choice throughout the state. The parents know the needs of the children. No one understands the individual needs of the child better than the parents.” Stutts also objected to the fact that the students can get a scholarship up to $10,000 under this bill, while the amount the student would receive under the PRICE Act – would be just $6,900 – the amount of state support that Alabama public schools students receive from the education trust fund on a per capita basis. “Are you willing to say that we carry over your bill tonight and commit to me that we will tie these two bills together and pass these two bills out of the Senate together?” Stutts asked. Chesteen answered, “My plan is to move this bill tonight. I am going to continue to work this bill. If you will continue to work your bill, I will commit to you that I will work with you to get your bill passed tomorrow.” Stutts said, “I appreciate your bill, but I appreciate my bill more.” Singleton warned that expanding school choice could lead to a mass exodus of students from public schools. “You might think that not everybody is going to get up and run, but it might happen,” Singleton said. “It doesn’t say that the child has to fail, just that the school has to fail. They can recruit this star athlete who has a 3.9 to go over here because the school is failing. Usually, when one child leaves, it is the whole family that leaves.” Sen. Garlan Gudger (R-Cullman) said there are no failing schools in his district, so no one in his district qualifies for the scholarships. “They told me back in my district that they are not opposed to school choice, but since no one from the district gets the money, and it takes $30 million out of the education trust fund to oppose this,” Gudger said. “It is hard for me to go back to rural Alabama when the money goes to people in other parts of the state.” Sen. Rodger Smitherman (D-Birmingham) said that more money is going for school choice than raising up the state’s failing schools. “I am up here
Alabama House passes legislation to hire more judges
On Tuesday, the Alabama House of Representatives passed legislation adding new judges to reduce the dockets in Alabama’s fastest-growing judicial circuits. As the state’s population has grown, the number of judgeships has not kept pace, particularly in those counties that have experienced the most rapid growth. Senate Bill 39 (SB39) is sponsored by State Senator Sam Givhan (R-Huntsville). SB39 will add four additional circuit judgeships in the 23rd Circuit (Madison County), the 28th (Baldwin County), the 19th (Autauga, Chilton, and Elmore counties), and the 37th (Lee County), as well as three additional district judgeships in Baldwin, Mobile, and DeKalb counties. Addressing the overcrowded dockets in Alabama’s fastest-growing jurisdictions has been a priority of the Alabama Judges Association and Chief Justice Tom Parker. House Ways and Committee General Fund Chair Rex Reynolds (R-Huntsville) said when the first version of the budget passed the House that he was committed to working with the judges to fix this problem. Speaker of the House Nathaniel Ledbetter (R-Rainsville) previously told Alabama Today that he and the House were in favor of legislation addressing the state’s judge shortage. Ledbetter said that his own county had a judge shortage of 2.7 judges. The bipartisan legislation received a favorable report from the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. SB39 would also put a moratorium on the reallocation of judges until 2027. Reallocating judgeships from stagnant parts of the state like Birmingham, Montgomery, and the Black Belt to growing, prosperous areas like Baldwin, Madison, Shelby, Lee, and Elmore counties is very controversial for the areas that would lose those judgeships. The Legislature established a reallocation commission in 2015, but the courts have not reallocated judgeships as the Legislature had intended. The new judgeships would be filled by elections in 2024, with the new judges going into office in the second week of January 2025. According to the fiscal note, passage of SB39 will cost the state $2.1 million in 2025 and at least $2.9 million a year beyond that. The effect on the SGF will be $1.9 million in FY2025 and $2.5 million in FY2026 and beyond. The new circuit judge in the 19th circuit may reside in any county within the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit (Chilton, Autauga, or Elmore counties) and shall be assigned to the domestic relations division of the circuit. The bill passed the Alabama House of Representatives 102 to 0. The Legislature also tasks the Administrative Office of Courts to provide an annual report on the caseload statistics for each fiscal year by circuit. The legislation previously passed the Alabama Senate by a vote of 33 to 0. Supporters say that additional judges will help reduce the case backlogs in those circuits getting additional judges, which means that jury trials can occur in a more timely manner, justice will happen more quickly, business disputes can be resolved more quickly, and child custody issues can be dealt with on a more expedited basis. SB39 now goes to the Governor for her consideration. Wednesday will be day 25 of the 2023 Alabama Regular Legislative Session. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Elliot Wang: Supporting Taiwan’s participation in the WHO
As the world enters the fourth year of the COVID-19 pandemic, most border restrictions have been lifted, and global health governance has shifted from pandemic response to post-pandemic recovery. Taiwan fully supports health-related SDGs and the World Health Organization’s triple billion targets and is willing and able to share its experience to help the international community work toward the realization of the SDGs related to health and well-being. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Taiwan effectively mitigated the spread of the disease, leveraging its comprehensive public healthcare system, well-trained anti-pandemic personnel, border control policies, coordinated distribution of medical resources, and a patient transfer system to prevent and contain the pandemic. When compared with the 38 Organizations for Economic Co-operation and Development member states and Singapore, Taiwan ranks sixth-lowest in COVID-19 mortality and case-fatality rates. The COVID-19 pandemic helped the international community recognize the importance of regional cooperation and digitization in healthcare. Taiwan established National Health Insurance (NHI) in 1995, which is a prime example of universal health coverage, offering financial protection and access to a wide range of essential services. Taiwan is committed to promoting digital health and innovation to enhance the accessibility and quality of healthcare services, including plans for a next-generation NHI program, successfully echoing the Director-General of WHO’s five priorities for the subsequent five years, which were outlined last year. Taiwan has not been invited to the World Health Assembly since 2017. The COVID-19 pandemic is abating, and dialogue on strengthening health systems worldwide is accelerating. Taiwan should not be left out. Taiwan can help, and Taiwan’s inclusion would make the world healthier, more sustainable, and more equitable. Taiwan urges WHO and all relevant stakeholders to support Taiwan’s inclusion in the World Health Assembly as an observer, as well as Taiwan’s full participation in WHO meetings, mechanisms, and activities. Taiwan will continue to work with the world to help ensure the fundamental right to health enshrined in the WHO Constitution. In the spirit of the SDGs, no country should be left behind—especially not Taiwan, which has made significant contributions to global public health. Elliot Wang is the Director-General of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Atlanta.
Steve Flowers: Women in Alabama politics
It is hard to imagine that it was only a little over 100 years ago that women were given the right to vote in the United States. The 19th Amendment to the Constitution, giving women full suffrage, was finally ratified in 1920. In recent decades, many folks have lamented that there are very few women in elected office in Alabama, especially in the legislature. We do indeed have a low percentage of female legislators, most particularly in the Republican ranks. We have some high-profile female statewide officeholders. Governor Kay Ivey, PSC President Twinkle Cavanaugh, and Supreme Court Justices Kelli Wise and Sarah Stewart, to name a few. Some of the more progressive states have ridiculed our lack of female political participants. However, history will reveal that we in Alabama were electing women to statewide offices many years before other so-called progressive states. In fact, women dominated the offices of Secretary of State, State Treasurer, and State Auditor for several decades during the 1960s and 1970s. My first observations of Alabama politics were watching women swap out the State Treasurer and Secretary of State posts every four years. In fact, these constitutional offices were considered women offices. In 1944, Governor Chauncey Sparks appointed Sybil Pool as Secretary of State. Two years later, in 1946, Pool won the office overwhelmingly and became the first woman in Alabama history to be elected to a statewide office. In that 1946 race, Pool carried 63 out of 67 counties. Four years later, in her victorious run for State Treasurer, she received the largest vote in state history. In 1954, she was elected to the first of four terms on the Public Service Commission. Prior to Pool’s first statewide victory, she had served in the legislature for two terms from her native Marengo County. She was only the second woman elected to the Alabama Legislature, in addition to being the first woman elected statewide. All-in-all, her political career included eight years as Secretary of State, four years as State Treasurer, and 16 years on the State Public Service Commission. Sibyl Pool was way ahead of her time, and she opened the political door for women to walk through in Alabama. Mary Texas Hurt Garner of Scottsboro was a lawyer by profession and an Assistant Attorney General before being elected Secretary of State in 1954. She then went on to become State Auditor in 1958. She was elected State Treasurer in 1962. Annie Laura Gunter held several prominent cabinet positions in the Wallace Administration. Afterward, Gunter was elected State Treasurer of Alabama in 1978 and served eight years in that important state office. Melba Till Allen was one of 10 children who grew up modestly on an Alabama farm. She rose to be elected as State Auditor and then was elected State Treasurer for two terms. Mabel Amos and Agnes Baggett were household names in Alabama for decades. Agnes Baggett was probably the most prominent and profiled female officeholder in state history after Sybil Pool. She served as Secretary of State from 1951-1955. She was then elected State Auditor in 1955, State Treasurer in 1959, and returned to Secretary of State in 1963. In 1967, she was elected again as State Treasurer and served eight years in this post. She finished out her career as Secretary of State, thus capping a career that made history. She served 28 consecutive years as an elected statewide officeholder, making her one of the most celebrated elected officials in Alabama history. Mabel Amos was one of the most beloved and revered women in state politics. She had an amazing career as the recording secretary for six governors, including Frank Dixon, Chauncey Sparks, James Folsom, Gordon Persons, John Patterson, and George Wallace. There is no telling what secrets and political deals Ms. Mabel knew of during this unbelievable 30-year reign inside the governor’s office. She was elected Secretary of State in 1966 and served eight years in that office. She was a native of Conecuh County and never married. Therefore, she had no direct heirs. When she died, she had a sizeable estate, primarily of family land. Because she had no children, the beloved lady left her estate with instructions that her money should be used for deserving Alabama female students who otherwise would not be able to attend Alabama colleges. 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.
Joe Biden picks Timothy Haugh as new National Security Agency head, key to support of Ukraine, defense of U.S. elections
President Joe Biden has chosen a new leader for the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command, a joint position that oversees much of America’s cyber warfare and defense. Air Force Lt. Gen. Timothy Haugh, the current deputy commander of Cyber Command, would replace Army Gen. Paul Nakasone, who has led both organizations since May 2018 and was expected to step down this year, according to a notice sent by the Air Force this week and confirmed by a person familiar with the announcement. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters not yet made public. If confirmed, Haugh will take charge of highly influential U.S. efforts to bolster Ukraine’s cybersecurity and share information with Ukrainian forces fighting Russia’s invasion. He will also oversee programs to detect and stop foreign influence and interference in American elections, as well as those targeting criminals behind ransomware attacks that have shut down hospital systems and, at one point, a key U.S. fuel pipeline. Politico first reported that Haugh was picked. It’s unclear whether Haugh will be affected by a Republican senator’s blockade of all military nominations. Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama has for months objected to the Pentagon’s policy of providing travel money and support to troops seeking abortions but based in states with abortion bans. Haugh’s nomination to lead both the NSA and Cyber Command reflects the White House’s intention to keep one person in charge of both organizations. That arrangement is known as a “dual-hat” posting. Some key Republicans have long wanted to split the leadership, saying each organization is important enough to require a full-time leader. Nakasone has long advocated for keeping the dual hat, saying it gives him and future leaders access to more powers more efficiently. The Biden administration established a small study group last year to review the leadership structure. The review signaled support for keeping the position as is. An official familiar with the matter said the group’s review found that having a single head in charge of both agencies better mirrored how U.S. allies’ cyber and intelligence operations were structured and made it easier to act quickly on information — a critical aspect of countering cyber warfare. The official spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to be able to discuss sensitive matters. The group also found that within the U.S., having a single head also streamlined decisions and enabled the U.S. to more quickly act on intelligence, rather than have the information move through the leadership of both structures before recommendations could be made on a response. The group reviewed case studies of intelligence and cyber operations to determine whether the dual hat structure was necessary and briefed the defense secretary, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and relevant congressional committees on its findings, the official said. According to a service biography, Haugh is a career signals intelligence officer and recipient of the Bronze Star, given to service members for heroism or outstanding achievement in a combat theater. He has been deputy commander at U.S. Cyber Command since August. Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
Debt ceiling talks grind on, but Republicans say there’s a ‘lack of urgency’ from White House
Debt ceiling negotiators for President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy traded more budget-cutting ideas at the Capitol Tuesday, but Republicans warned of a “lack of urgency” at the White House to resolve the standoff in time to avert a potentially chaotic federal default. With barely a week to go before a deadline as soon as June 1, the Democratic president and the Republican speaker were staring down a financial crisis. Failure to strike a deal would be unprecedented, and certain to throw U.S. financial markets into turmoil, inflicting economic pain at home and abroad. Markets lowered Tuesday with no deal in sight. “We’re not there yet,” McCarthy said at the Capitol, reiterating he won’t bring any bill forward “that doesn’t spend less than we spent this year.” Behind closed doors, McCarthy urged his slim House Republican majority to “just stick together” despite their own factions as he negotiates the strongest deal possible for conservatives, said lawmakers exiting the private session. He told reporters the teams are eyeing “creative” ways of rolling back spending that all sides can accept. “I believe we can still get there — and get there before June 1,” McCarthy, R-Calif., said at midday. Dragging into a third week, the negotiations over raising the nation’s debt limit, now at $31 trillion, were never supposed to arrive at this point — a crisis in the making. From the White House, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said it was “ridiculous” to suggest Biden wasn’t acting with urgency. “He wants to see this done as soon as possible,” she said. The White House insisted early on it was unwilling to barter over the need to pay the nation’s bills, demanding that Congress simply lift the ceiling as it has done many times before with no strings attached. But the newly elected speaker urged the president at an Oval Office meeting in February to come to the negotiating table on a budget package that would reduce spending to reduce ballooning deficits in the post-COVID era in exchange for the vote to allow future debt. Both men said after a crucial meeting late Monday at the White House — after the president returned from the Group of Seven summit in Japan — that talks were productive. But with time short to strike a deal, they are laboring to come up with a compromise that could be approved quickly by the Republican House and the Democratic Senate and be signed into law. Negotiations are focused on finding agreement over a 2024 budget year limit. Republicans have set aside their demand to roll back spending to 2022 levels, but say that next year’s government spending must be less than it is now. But the White House instead is offering to freeze spending at current 2023 numbers. Agreement on that topline spending level is vital. It would enable McCarthy to deliver spending restraint for conservatives while not being so severe that it would chase off the Democratic votes that would be needed in the divided Congress to pass any bill. “We are holding firm to the speaker’s red line,” said a top Republican negotiator, Rep. Garret Graves of Louisiana. “Which is that we will not do a deal unless it spends less money than we’re spending this year.” The White House continues to argue that deficits can be reduced by ending tax breaks for wealthier households and some corporations, but McCarthy said he told the president at their February meeting that raising revenue from tax hikes is off the table. The negotiators are now also debating the duration of a 1% cap on annual spending growth going forward, with Republicans dropping their demand for a 10-year cap to six years, but the White House offering only one year, for 2025. Typically, the debt ceiling has been lifted for the duration of a budget deal, and in this negotiation, the White House is angling for a two-year agreement that would push past the presidential elections. Another main Republican negotiator, Rep. Patrick McHenry of North Carolina, who joined the speaker at the Oval Office Monday evening, said, “What I sense from the White House is a lack of urgency.” But on the Senate side, Republican leader Mitch McConnell said, “Look, I think everybody needs to relax.” Traveling in his home state of Kentucky, McConnell said of the back and forth, “This is not that unusual.” However, time is growing short. The House speaker promised lawmakers he will abide by the rule to post any bill for 72 hours before voting, making any action doubtful until the weekend — just days before the potential deadline. The Senate would also have to pass the package before it could go to Biden’s desk to be signed. McCarthy faces a hard-right flank in his own party that is likely to reject any deal, and that has led some Democrats to encourage Biden to resist any compromise with the Republicans and simply invoke the 14th Amendment to raise the debt ceiling on his own, an unprecedented and legally fraught action the president has resisted for now. On Tuesday, the leader of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, Rep. Scott Perry, said: “We all want to stick together. But again, it’s sticking together around the right thing.” He and others are skeptical of the June 1 deadline that Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said is when “it is highly likely” the government will be unable to pay all the nation’s bills. Treasury said Tuesday it is keeping in close contact with federal agencies on their planned spending as it monitors cashflows. As the negotiators focus on the $100 billion-plus difference between the 2022 and 2023 spending plans as a place to cut, other priorities Republicans are pushing as part of the deal remain on the table. Republicans also want to beef up work requirements for government aid to recipients in the Medicaid healthcare program, though the Biden administration has countered that millions of people could lose coverage. The GOP additionally wants new cuts to food aid by restricting states’ ability to waive work requirements in places
Judge dismisses appeal by Alabama ex-sheriff Mike Blakely to have theft and ethics conviction overturned
Former Limestone County Sheriff Mike Blakely has lost his latest appeal to have his theft and ethics conviction and jail sentence overturned. Circuit Judge Tim Jolley dismissed Blakely’s post-trial appeal on Saturday. Blakely argued the retired judge, who was appointed to preside over his trial, was not qualified because her membership had lapsed with the Alabama Bar Association. Jolley ruled that her appointment was proper. A jury in 2021 found the longtime sheriff guilty of charges of theft and using his office for personal gain. After nearly 40 years in office, Blakely was removed from his position as sheriff following the conviction. The two convictions arose from accusations that Blakely helped himself to no-interest loans from a jail safe used to hold inmates’ money and that he deposited $4,000 in campaign funds into his personal account. Blakely was sentenced to serve three years behind bars. Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Tom Parker appointed former Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Pamela Baschab to preside over Blakely’s case after other judges had recused themselves. Jolley, in rejecting Blakely’s appeal, said nothing in state law or the Alabama Constitution requires the appointment of retired judges with an active law license. He also said Blakely could have raised the issue at trial but did not do so. “Because neither requires a retired judge— not least one with more than thirty years of unblemished service— to maintain an active license to practice law, Judge Baschab’s appointment was lawful and proper,” Jolley wrote in the Saturday order. The Alabama Supreme Court in February declined to hear an earlier appeal by Blakely. Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
