Gov. Kay Ivey encourages Alabamians to stock up on school supplies this sales tax holiday weekend
Schools will be starting soon, meaning families will need to stock up on school supplies and new school uniforms. To help with the budget for this, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey is encouraging Alabamians to take advantage of significant cost savings by participating in Alabama’s annual Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday. This year’s annual Back-To-School sales tax holiday will be held from Friday, July 21, through Sunday, July 23. “With summer nearing its end, I know Alabama families are beginning to prepare for the quickly approaching school year,” said Gov. Ivey. “During this tax-free holiday weekend, pencils, calculators, binders, and other essential school supplies will be eligible for purchase without incurring sales tax. I encourage everyone to take advantage of this relief, so students, teachers, and parents alike can be equipped for the school year.” Even though certain items are exempt from the state sales tax, residents can save money while gathering the supplies students need for the school year. Items available for purchase during the weekend include traditional school supplies and computers, as well as school uniforms, gym suits, and other types of clothing. To see the complete list of back-to-school items that may be purchased free of state sales tax during the holiday, please visit the website. Shop carefully; some counties and municipalities have chosen to join the state by removing their local sales and use taxes from the same items during the same weekend. Others have not. You can save more money by shopping in those communities that have chosen to participate in the sales tax holiday. Some local governments charge more in sales taxes than the state does. Locations where the combined state, county, and municipal sales taxes are nine percent or more are not uncommon in Alabama. Check online to see if your city, town, or county local government is participating in the 2023 Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
More than 5,000 veterans voice support for Tommy Tuberville’s hold on military promotions
U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) has been denounced by President Joe Biden, congressional Democrats, senior leaders at the Department of Defense (DoD), and the mainstream media for his refusal to give unanimous consent to senior military and DoD civilian promotions over his objection to Biden era rules on ensuring abortion access. Tuberville, however, says he is receiving strong veteran support for his standoff with President Biden and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin over the department’s decision to pay for abortion-related expenses for servicemembers using taxpayer dollars. Tuberville announced on Tuesday that he had received more than 5,000 veterans expressing their support for Senator Tuberville’s decision to place a hold on Pentagon general and flag officer promotions, joining a growing army of those backing the senator. Tuberville recently forwarded a letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky). The letter from the veterans outlined the need for a strong military that is focused on fighting to preserve life rather than end it. “As current and former service members of the United States Military, and organizations which support and advocate for the safety and well-being of our service members, we firmly support Senator Tuberville’s position of holding civilian, general, and flag officers from confirmation by unanimous consent until the DoD rescinds its recently instituted policy of subsidizing abortion,” the veterans wrote. “The undersigned stand united in condemning this policy. This policy is not just illegal, it shamefully politicizes the military, circumvents the authority of Congress, and exceeds the authority of the Department of Defense.” “While some claim that Sen. Tuberville’s position is negatively impacting military readiness, the Department of Defense has failed to present any evidence that substantiates this claim,” the veterans continued. “To the contrary, it appears true that the politicized agenda of Secretary Austin and the Biden administration are significantly diminishing military readiness. The American people, including its servicemembers, are disappointed by President Biden and Secretary Austin’s recent decisions to mandate receipt of the COVID-19 vaccines, promote the radical LGBT agenda, and now subsidize abortion. Because of these policies, the military now faces an unprecedented crisis of recruitment – missing its recruitment goal for the first time ever last year. The focus of our military must be on keeping the American people safe, not advancing the left-wing social agenda.” “There is no truth more profound than the fact that all human life is sacred,” the Veterans added.“The mission of the United States Military is to defend and protect all American lives – not subsidize the practice of destroying innocent and vulnerable American children via abortion with taxpayer dollars. By pledging to hold these nominations to the Department of Defense until administration officials reverse course, Senator Tuberville is doing a great service for the American people – including its service members.” Tuberville meanwhile cites what he says is growing support for his position among Republican members of Congress. Tuberville has 20 statements of support from members of Congress. “Thank you, Senator Tuberville, for standing up for American taxpayers, who are being forced to fund abortion through the DoD. As threats against our country continue to grow, the DoD should be focused on protecting Americans instead of being an abortion travel agency,” said U.S. Rep. Barry Moore (R-AL-02). “Senator Tuberville is not blocking them on the floor. He is just saying you can’t do them by unanimous consent because President Biden has created this new abortion policy out of whole cloth. This is a moment where Senator Schumer is just trying to embarrass Senator Tuberville. Senator Tuberville is strong and passionate about the value of children and sees this as important,” said U.S. Senator James Lankford (R-Oklahoma). Sen. Tuberville was elected to the Senate in 2020. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Katie Britt votes for appropriations bill that funds the space program
U.S. Senator Katie Britt, as a member of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, joined her colleagues in voting to advance the Fiscal Year 2024 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. The appropriations bill provides key funding for space exploration and research, including directly supporting important efforts at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville (MSFC). “The Marshall Space Flight Center is second-to-none,” said Sen. Britt. “As the incredible men and women at NASA, along with their partners in the private sector, continue to make historic leaps that broaden our understanding and expand the limits of human achievement, we must ensure that their groundbreaking work is supported. I am proud of the work that Alabamians accomplish every day to fuel a new age of American excellence in space exploration, and I am continually impressed at how our capabilities in Huntsville lead innovation crucial to our national priorities.” In the bill, Senator Britt secured $110 million for the development of Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (NTP) based at MSFC to ensure that the United States has an NTP system capable of performing cislunar and deep space science missions, as well as potentially enabling future crewed missions to Mars. This legislation also appropriates $2.5 billion for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS), which NASA hopes will put Americans back on the Moon with the Artemis missions before the end of the decade and be the rocket that launches Americans to Mars in the 2030s. The SLS program is managed at Marshall. This critical funding requested by Sen. Britt would also ensure future Artemis missions remain on schedule. The SLS is the most powerful rocket that has ever been built. The bill would also fully fund the Human Landing System (HLS) program at $1.88 billion. Britt said that this funding ensures maintained progress for Artemis 3 and continued development of the two crewed lunar landers to provide services from the Gateway lunar space station. NASA’s recent selection of a second HLS team will ensure redundancy and competition as our nation returns astronauts to the moon. The HLS program is also managed at Marshall. This legislation also supports NASA’s efforts as they evaluate multi-purpose habitation and life support systems for Mars transit and lunar surfaces currently involved in the Artemis missions, including in assembly facilities, to manufacture the mock-up and eventual habitats for these missions. Earlier this year, in a Senate Committee on Appropriations subcommittee hearing, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson reaffirmed that MSFC has the expertise and the workforce to establish a habitat and life support office that integrates and manages NASA’s efforts. The FY2024 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act passed out of committee in the Senate. It now moves to the full Senate for consideration. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Mike Bolin wins Jefferson County Commission seat
On Tuesday, voters in Jefferson County Commission District Five went to the polls and elected former Alabama Supreme Court Justice Mike Bolin to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Commissioner Steve Ammons. Bolin, a Republican, replaces Ammons, a Republican. “I’m anxious to get in there and work hard and just get it going,” said Bolin following his election victory. “I’m thrilled and feel blessed that the public has given me one more opportunity to serve them. And I will do everything I can to not drop the ball.” The Jefferson County special election primary, a Jefferson County-specific quirk in Alabama election law, is non-partisan. The five-member Jeffco commission was divided two Republicans to two Democrats, so this election had significant partisan ramifications over who controlled the Commission. It remains up to the Commission which of them will be appointed as Chairman of the County Commission. According to preliminary election returns, Bolin had 59.27% of the vote (5,728 votes) to David Silverstein’s 40.6% (3,924 votes). Jeff Wise had just 13 votes. Wise was still on the ballot, but he had dropped out of the race on Thursday and had endorsed Bolin. Bolin will serve the remainder of Ammons’s term. Mike Bolin was elected to the Alabama Supreme Court in 2004. Bolin was an attorney for 15 years before being elected Probate Judge of Jefferson County, where he served from 1988 to 2004. Justice Bolin received the National “Angels of Adoption” award in 2000 for his service to adoptive families. Justice Bolin has stayed active within the Alabama Probate Judges Association, his community, and his church. He is married to his wife, Rosemary. They have one daughter. Bolin had the official support and endorsement of the Jefferson County Republican Party. Silverstein was running as non-partisan, but he had the backing of key Jefferson County Democratic groups, and Republicans made issue of that as well as his past generous donations to Democratic candidates, including Congresswoman Terri Sewell (D-AL07) and former U.S. Senator Doug Jones. There is litigation underway by civil rights groups challenging the county commission districting in Jefferson County. While Republicans, until Ammons’s resignation, had enjoyed a 3 to 2 majority on the Commission, Democrats hold every countywide position that has voted increasingly Democratic over recent decades. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Personnel Update: State Rep. Rolanda Hollis to be Sworn in as New Board Chair for Women in Training, Inc.
On Thursday, State Representative Rolanda Hollis (D-Birmingham) will be sworn in as Board Chair for Women in Training, Inc., a nonprofit organization. Women in Training, Inc. (WIT) distributes “WITKITS” of menstrual, hygiene, and dental products to underserved girls and youth who identify as nonbinary. “WIT’s co-founders, Breanna and Brooke Bennett – who also serve on the board – are my ‘sheroes’ for their work to end period poverty, and it is my honor to work alongside them, the rest of the board and our volunteers to make feminine hygiene products accessible to all girls across the state of Alabama,” Rep. Hollis said. The swearing-in ceremony will be on July 20, 2023, and will begin at 5:30 PM with a reception and ceremony at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts. Rep. Hollis has been a strong advocate for young girls, nonbinary youth, and ending “period poverty.” In 2022, Hollis sponsored House Bill 50 (HB 50), Alabama’s “period poverty” bill, which became law in April after three years of advocacy by Hollis, WIT, and WIT’s supporters. The law allocates $200,000 to the Alabama Department of Education to provide grants for menstrual products to students in Title I schools across the state. During the 2023 Alabama Regular Legislative Session, Rep. Hollis sponsored House Bill 3 (HB3), which bans smoking and vaping in a motor vehicle when a child under 14 is present. The Legislature passed the bill, which was signed into law by Alabama Governor Kay Ivey as Act Number 2023-93. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Michigan charges 16 fake electors for Donald Trump with election law and forgery felonies
Michigan’s attorney general filed felony charges Tuesday against 16 Republicans who acted as fake electors for then-President Donald Trump in 2020, accusing them of submitting false certificates confirming they were legitimate electors despite Joe Biden’s victory in the state. Attorney General Dana Nessel, a Democrat, announced Tuesday that all 16 people would face eight criminal charges, including forgery and conspiracy to commit election forgery, which range from a potential five to 14 years in prison each. The group includes the head of the Republican National Committee’s chapter in Michigan, Kathy Berden, as well as the former co-chair of the Michigan Republican Party, Meshawn Maddock, and Shelby Township Clerk Stan Grot. “The false electors’ actions undermined the public’s faith in the integrity of our elections and, we believe, also plainly violated the laws by which we administer our elections in Michigan,” Nessel said in a statement. Electors are people appointed to represent voters in presidential elections. The winner of the popular vote in each state determines which party’s electors are sent to the Electoral College, which meets in December after the election to certify the outcome. The group is alleged to have met inside the then-Michigan Republican Party headquarters on December 14, 2020, and signed their names to multiple certificates stating they were the qualified electors for Trump. These false documents were then transmitted to Congress and National Archives. In January of last year, Nessel asked federal prosecutors to open a criminal investigation into the 16 Republicans. In seven battleground states, including Michigan, supporters of Trump signed certificates that falsely stated he had won their states, not Biden. The fake certificates were ignored, but the attempt has been subject to investigations, including by the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. False Electoral College certificates were also submitted declaring Trump the winner of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, New Mexico, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
Steve Flowers: If Alabama loses Space Command, it is because we lost Richard Shelby
Make no mistake about it; the decision as to where the heralded National Space Command Headquarters will be located is political. If you think otherwise, you are politically naïve. Senator Richard Shelby is the reason, and only reason, that the federal military officials even considered moving Space Command from Colorado to Huntsville, Alabama, in the first place, period. Folks, you are just beginning to see Senator Shelby’s retirement’s impact on the State of Alabama. Our freshman congressional members and even state and Huntsville leaders are continually referring to the results of a commission study that supposedly analyzed the qualifications and best locations for the Command Center, and Huntsville was the best choice. Commissions and studies like that are created every day of the week by Washington’s most powerful senators to justify what they want to accomplish. Guess what? Shelby wanted the study to say that Huntsville was the place. The bottom line is the only reason there was any consideration towards moving the facility from Colorado to Alabama was Richard Shelby, and the only reason that it might not be moving is because he is gone. I knew at the time of the announcement that Space Command Headquarters might move to Alabama, that if Shelby did not get it moved before he retired, it would probably never happen. Our two new senators, Tommy Tuberville and Katie Britt, do not have the power to impact the final decision on Space Command’s location. Seniority is omnipotent in the U.S. Senate. Britt is 99th out of 100, and Tuberville is 93rd. They have a vote, and that is it. Huntsville even has a freshman congressman in Dale Strong. He is less than irrelevant as a new face in the 435-member House. It will be ten years before they know he is even there. Strong and Britt have been in the House and Senate less than six months. If truth be known, with us having this little clout in Washington, I doubt that Huntsville is even on the radar screen for the headquarters. Huntsville should not feel so badly about the Biden Administration leaving Space Command in Colorado; it was crumbs compared to what Shelby loaded Huntsville up with in the last decade, anyway. This Space Command deal is more for prestige than it is for jobs and dollars. Shelby brought most of the high-tech and aerospace dollars in the country to Huntsville, which is what matters. Much more importantly, he moved most of Washington to Huntsville, including the FBI Headquarters. Folks, that is real power. It is unlikely that Alabama or any other state in the nation will ever see the power wielded by Richard Shelby in the nation’s history. King Shelby was more powerful than the President, whether it be Donald Trump or Joe Biden. As Chairman of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee and Chairman of the Subcommittee on Armed Services Appropriations, he called the shots when it came to the U.S. Military. When he spoke, the generals listened. Unfortunately, when Britt and Tuberville speak, the military generals are cordial, but they could not care less what Britt and Tuberville say. In defense of Katie Britt and Tommy Tuberville, they are giving it their all as freshman senators. The liberal writers in Alabama have castigated Tommy Tuberville for losing Space Command because of his position on abortion. He is no more the reason than Katie Britt or Dale Strong. All three are representatives of Alabama’s conservative Republican policy towards abortion. The Biden administration is using this decision to win two political points. First of all, if you are a liberal Democratic president and Space Command is in a liberal Democratic state like Colorado, would you move it to one of the reddest Republican states in America? Secondly, Biden is promoting the notion that since conservative ruby-red Alabama has enacted a very restrictive anti-abortion law, he is going to keep Space Command in Colorado. Most Democrats are for abortion on demand. He wins approval and points from both sides of the deal. By the way, he is running for reelection as a Democrat. That is Politics 101. Politics prevails, especially in an election year. 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.
Alabama lawmakers to negotiate construction of new Statehouse
Alabama lawmakers on Tuesday took another step toward construction of a new Alabama Statehouse by appointing a committee to negotiate a lease agreement. A 20-member panel that consists of legislative leaders and appointed members voted to allow a committee to negotiate a lease for a building that would be constructed by the Retirement Systems of Alabama. The panel will need to approve the lease agreement. Lawmakers in the last session approved legislation to contract with the Retirement Systems of Alabama, or another entity, for the construction of a Statehouse that would be leased back to the Legislature. The proposed new building would be located in a parking lot behind the existing Statehouse. The Retirement Systems has built several office buildings in downtown Montgomery that are used by other state entities. The negotiations are expected to be completed within a few weeks, members of the panel said. The current building is plagued by mold and other problems and lacks adequate space for the public to attend meetings, according to lawmakers. From the mid-1800s to 1985, Alabama lawmakers met at the Alabama Capitol, which also includes the governor’s office. Lawmakers in 1985 moved into the current building as a temporary meeting place when the Capitol was undergoing renovations. Lawmakers, who had offices in the new location, never moved back. Alabama lawmakers in 2020 briefly discussed the possibility of using $200 million of federal pandemic relief funds to build a new statehouse, but the idea drew immediate backlash. Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
After court ruling, Alabama GOP criticized for rejecting 2nd majority-Black congressional district
Alabama Republicans on Tuesday advanced proposals to boost the number of Black voters in one of the state’s seven congressional districts, but critics said the plans flout a court order to create a second majority-Black district or something close to it. Lawmakers must adopt new maps by Friday after the U.S. Supreme Court in June upheld a finding that the current state map — with one majority-Black district in a state that is 27% Black — likely violated the federal Voting Rights Act. Republican-controlled legislative committees on Tuesday voted down proposals to create a second majority-Black district and advanced separate GOP plans that would increase the percentage of Black voters in the 2nd Congressional district from about 30% to either 38% or 42%. That is short of the 50% sought by plaintiffs who won the Supreme Court case. Republicans said their plan complies with the court’s directive to draw a district where Black voters are present in enough numbers to influence the outcome of an election. “They told us draw a map with either an additional majority-minority district or a district that allows Black voters otherwise to elect the representative of their choice. I believe (this) map that you have before you best addresses the issues before the court,” Republican Rep. Chris Pringle told the House committee. Pringle said the district, which would have a Black voting age population of 42% under his bill, would be a swing district that could be won by either a Republican or a Democrat. Senators advanced an amended map where the Black voting age population would be 38% instead of 42% in the 2nd district. Sen. Vivian Davis Figures, a Democratic lawmaker from Mobile, said the Senate proposal is “nowhere close” to what was suggested by the court. She said the district would remain under white Republican control with those numbers. “We don’t think this is going to pass muster with the court,” Figures said. She said the Republicans are headed down a path that will ensure extended litigation, “continuing to spend millions of dollars of taxpayer money just so they don’t give all of Alabama’s citizens a seat at the table for their voices to be heard.” Republicans have been resistant to creating a Democratic-leaning district and are wagering on what the three-judge panel will accept — or that the state will be successful in a second round of appeals. The three-judge panel could step in and draw its own plan if the judges deem lawmakers’ proposal unacceptable. The three-judge panel found that Alabama’s existing congressional map diluted the voting power of Black residents. “The appropriate remedy is a congressional redistricting plan that includes either an additional majority-Black congressional district or an additional district in which Black voters otherwise have an opportunity to elect a representative of their choice,” the lower-court panel wrote in its 2022 ruling. It added that the plan would need to include two districts in which “Black voters either comprise a voting-age majority or something quite close to it.” Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Reed, the Republican leader of the Senate, said lawyers have advised that the Senate plan complies with court order, although “there’s going to be certainly more debate.” He added that those drafting the plan are trying to weigh what is important to the court. “Are you really wanting us to focus on community of interest issues, which they stated in the order? Or are we looking at voting populations? Which one is more important?” Reed said. The proposals head to their first floor votes on Tuesday. The three-judge panel that blocked the use of the current map gave Alabama until Friday to submit a new plan for review. Rep. Barbara Boyd, a Democratic lawmaker from Anniston, said Alabama has a long history of “refusing to do the right thing.” “Don’t continue to allow the courts to have to force us to do what we know is right,” Boyd told her colleagues on the House committee. Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
Judge refuses to toss discrimination lawsuits over Georgia voting districts
A judge has refused to dismiss lawsuits alleging Georgia’s congressional and legislative districts illegally discriminate against Black voters. U.S. District Judge Steve Jones ruled Monday that he could only decide disputes over the facts of the cases and the credibility of the witnesses after a full trial, which he set for September. “Additionally, given the gravity and importance of the right to an equal vote for all American citizens, the court will engage in a thorough and sifting review of the evidence that the parties will present in this case at a trial,” Jones wrote. The orders apply to three cases, one challenging the lines of Georgia’s 14 congressional districts and two challenging the lines of the 56 state Senate and 180 state House districts. All three lawsuits allege that the maps violate the federal voting rights act by weakening the growing electoral strength of Black voters. Plaintiffs want Jones to order one more congressional district be drawn where Black voters will be able to elect their chosen candidate. That could give Democrats one more congressional district. Republicans hold nine districts, and Democrats hold five after legislative Republicans redrew maps to improve their position from an 8-6 majority in 2020. The cases had been on hold while Alabama had challenged the Voting Rights Act. The U.S. Supreme Court last month stood behind its interpretation of the law, which says that district lines can’t result in discriminatory effects, rejecting Alabama’s attempt to change the rules. That cleared the way for the Georgia cases to move ahead. Jones has already said that it’s likely that some parts of Georgia’s redistricting plans violate federal law. However, last year, he allowed the new congressional and state legislative maps to be used for 2022’s elections, finding changes close to elections would have been too disruptive. In the state legislative cases, the challengers argue a map could include three additional majority Black state Senate districts and five additional majority-Black state House districts. Those changes, if approved, would be unlikely to cost Republicans partisan control of either legislative chamber. Jones has scheduled a joint trial for all three lawsuits starting Sept. 5, which means districts could be redrawn before the 2024 congressional and state legislative elections. The judge said one key argument advanced by the state to defend the maps — that divisions between Black and white voters are caused by partisanship and not race — didn’t apply at this stage of the case, saying only the effects of those divisions mattered now. He also rejected efforts by plaintiffs to win a ruling without a trial, saying he couldn’t rule “without making factual determinations, weighing evidence, and assessing the credibility of the experts.” At least two other cases were also filed challenging Georgia’s new maps. Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
