Conservatives hold rally and prayer service in front of the Alabama State Capital
On Thursday, a variety of conservative groups held a prayer service and rally for their issues in front of the Alabama Statehouse. The Alabama Citizens Action Program (ALCAP) and Alabama Eagle Forum held a prayer service and followed that with a rally by the Campaign for Common Sense. The welcome-back rally urged legislators to advance a socially conservative agenda in the 2023 Alabama Regular Legislative Session that began on Tuesday. ALCAP President and CEO and talk radio host Greg Davis said on Facebook, “We had a blessed time of prayer in Montgomery at the Statehouse steps yesterday with ALCAP – Alabama Citizens Action Program. I encourage all Christians to include those who serve us thru Government on your prayer lists and then truly lift them up to God!” Several speakers urged the Legislators to jettison the unpopular Common Core educational standards – renamed the Alabama College and Career Ready Standards by the state school board. The Rev. John Killian said that the state will not succeed educationally while Common Core remains in place. The Campaign for Common Sense Director Lou Campenosi said, “We have been coming here for 13 years, and still nothing has been done.” Campenosi said that the state of Alabama had gone from 20th in educational performance to 52nd in state educational rankings since switching to the Alabama College and Career Ready Standards. The Director of Alabama Eagle Forum, Becky Gerritson, told Alabama Today that State Sen. Larry Stutts and State Rep. Susan Dubose will introduce legislation in each House to prevent pregnant women from being able to obtain medical marijuana – which will become legal in Alabama by the end of the year. Gerritson said that the group would also support a bill to expand school choice for families across Alabama – the Universal School Choice Act. State Auditor Andrew Sorrell advocated for legislation to give his office powers similar to that of other state auditors. Sorrell said that he had been criticized as being “too conservative,” but in the recent November general election, it was he who won by the largest margin showing that true conservatives can win. Sorrell said that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis governed as a conservative and was rewarded with an easy re-election. State Rep. Ernie Yarbrough vowed to support the school choice bill. Former ALCAP Director Joe Godfrey said on Facebook, “Glad to have been a part of the ALCAP Prayer Rally led by Greg Davis.” Stephanie Durnin with the Healthcare Freedom group advocated for passage of the Healthcare Freedom Act. The controversial legislation would prevent employers from being able to require employees to be vaccinated. Durnin said that some workers who refused to get the vaccine are required to submit frequent COVID-19 tests. Durnin said that this was unfair and unjust. Healthcare Freedom wrote on Facebook, “We expect our legislators to pass the #neveragain legislation called the Alabama Health Freedom Act (AHFA) this session. We need your help to make this happen. Here’s your first CALL TO ACTION to kick off this legislative session right…” Other speakers included: former State Auditor Jim Zeigler, 1819 news podcaster Bryan Dawson, Jarman Leatherwood, Angela Shepard, Jackie Connell, Dr. Rick Lance, and others. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Alabama House committee advances lottery bill
An Alabama legislative committee advanced a lottery proposal Thursday as proponents try to get the issue before voters for the first time since 1999. The House Tourism and Economic Development Committee approved the proposed constitutional amendment and related enabling legislation. The bills now move to the full House of Representatives. Alabama is one of five states without a state lottery. Republican Rep. Chip Brown, the bill’s sponsor, said it is the top issue he and other lawmakers get asked about in their districts. He said many Alabamians now drive across state lines to buy tickets. “The people of Alabama have been playing the lottery for years. We’ve just been playing it in other states. So it’s time we kept that money in-state and helped out the children of the state of Alabama,” Brown told reporters. The measure faces a short window to win final approval with just seven meeting days remaining in the legislative session. Brown said he hoped for a vote in the final week of March when lawmakers return from spring break. House Speaker Mac McCutcheon said he first wants assurances that supporters have the needed 63 votes for passage before bogging down one of the final legislative days with the lengthy debate. He asked members to spend spring break talking with constituents and colleagues to determine the level of support. “We’ve got to see where the votes are,” McCutcheon said. Lottery proceeds would be used primarily to provide scholarships to help families pay a portion of tuition at two and four-year colleges. The two-year scholarships would be capped at $2,500 or less. The amount of the four-year scholarships would be determined based on lottery proceeds and the number of eligible recipients. The Legislative Services Agency estimated a lottery would generate $198 million to $285 million annually after paying prizes and expenses. Rep. Neil Rafferty, a Democrat from Birmingham, told Brown he wanted to make sure low-income families are receiving an equitable share of the benefits from lottery proceeds. “It is usually not wealthy people that are participating in the lottery. If we are going to do the lottery, we ought to do it right, and I would want equity in that,” Rafferty said. The committee approval came after a brief public hearing in which two opponents spoke against the proposal. Joe Godfrey, executive director of the Alabama Citizens Action Program, told the committee lottery benefits will be fueled by tickets bought by low-income Alabamians. “Wealthy people don’t buy lottery tickets. This is coming out of the pockets of the poor,” Godfrey said. If approved by three-fifths of lawmakers, the lottery proposal would go before voters in November. The House lottery bill advanced as a separate proposal that would allow a lottery and eight casinos with table games has so far stalled in the Alabama Senate amid longstanding divisions over which sites and entities would hold the casino licenses. Alabama is just one of five states — along with Nevada, Utah, Alaska, and Hawaii — without a state lottery. State voters in 1999 rejected a lottery proposed by then-Gov. Don Siegelman. Since then, efforts to create a state lottery or allow casinos have failed under a fatal mix of conservative opposition to legalized gambling and turf wars over who could operate lucrative electronic gambling machines. “We’ve been talking about this ever since 1999. It’s time for the citizens of this state to decide whether they want a lottery or not,” Rep. Berry Forte, a Democrat from Eufaula, said during the committee debate. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Vote delayed on controversial gun bill
In a committee room filled to the brim with law enforcement officers from across the state, the Senate Judiciary Committee met today to take up a controversial bill from Sen. Gerald Allen (R-Tuscaloosa), which would allow Alabamians to carry a firearm in their vehicle without a concealed carry permit. Before taking up Allen’s bill, the committee renewed discussion on SB67, which would set an interest rate cap of 10 percent on lawsuit lending. The vast majority of opposition centered around Democrats’ insistence that the bill should also address payday lending, which has wreaked havoc on low-income Alabamians. Despite that, the bill garnered a favorable report by a 7 to 4 margin. The next bill up for debate was SB108, which would increase the age of youthful offenders to 23 or 25, depending on the situation, and allow judges the discretion to expunge youthful offender records. The only opposition to the bill came from Sen. Larry Stutts (R-Franklin), who saw no need to increase the age threshold for youthful offenders. “A regular criminal conviction is a lifetime sentence,” said Sen. Hank Sanders (D-Selma) in opposition to Stutts’ statements. “It follows you in getting work, it follows you in voting, it’s a lifetime conviction.” The bill gained a favorable report, as did SB69, which provides standing committees with the right to subpoena documents from state agencies and their contractors. A brief public hearing was held for SB114, a bill sponsored by Rep. Paul Sanford (R-Huntsville) to regulate “fantasy contests” and provide regulations therein and give oversight of the contests to the Attorney General’s Consumer Affairs Division. Joe Godfrey, Executive Director of the Alabama Citizen’s Action Program (ALCAP), and Eric Johnston, an anti-gaming lawyer in the state, both spoke in opposition to the allowance of such games in Alabama. “The argument is that this is not gambling, this is just a game of skill,” Godfrey said. “This is gambling and we need to not legalize this type of gambling in Alabama.” Sen. Vivian Figures (D-Democrat) seemed to chastise the duo for their opposition to the games, even asking Godfrey if he was opposed to church bingo. “The thing about this is that people can already play this in Alabama but Alabama is not getting any money from it,” Figures said. “To me, this bill is about putting it in place so we can reap some of the benefits. God gave all of us free will, so it’s up to us individually to choose.” The bill received a favorable report by a 10 to 2 margin. Next on the agenda was the main event in the eyes of those in attendance, the public hearing for Allen’s guns bill. “If you are for this bill, then you support the Second Amendment,” Allen said before turning discussion over to the public. “If you are not for this bill, then you support gun control.” At that, the over-sized crowd launched into boos and moans. “I sure do support gun control,” Figures shouted out over the hiss of the crowd. Bobby Timmons of the Alabama Sheriffs Association and Barry Cleveland of the Alabama Gun Rights Network both rose to oppose the measure, as well as Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones and Demopolis Police Chief Tommy Reese. “The only thing we’re saying is every time we turn around an officer is being killed just because he’s wearing a badge,” Timmons said. “What is a life worth?” Cleveland opposed the bill on the grounds that it allowed citizens to carry “long guns,” such as an AR15, in vehicles. He noted that if the legislation only allowed for pistols he would be in support of it. Both officers noted the precarious situation law enforcement would be in if every car stopped might be carrying a weapon, with Reese even recounting a time he was fired at by a fleeing offender. “Stand with all of the officers around this state,” Reese said. “Please stand with us, don’t take this from the sheriffs.” Two proponents also spoke up – Eddie Fulmer, president of the gun rights group Bama Carry, and Sonny Brasfield, executive director of the Association of County Commissions of Alabama (ACCA). “The right we want instated is the one taken away from us by your predecessors,” Fulmer said to the committee. “I’m asking you to do what we elected you for and stand with the people.” Once the public hearing was over, Figures called out Fulmer for what she said were “threatening” statements. In response, the crowd offered up a cry of support. Figures continued saying “bring it on,” which brought all of the officers to their feet to give her a standing ovation. “We don’t pay you what you deserve,” Figures said, thanking the officers in attendance. The committee did not move for a vote on the bill and will likely take it up again next week.
Despite public outcry, House committee green lights liquor sales, lottery vote
In an overfilled room, the House Committee on Economic Development and Tourism met Wednesday to discuss two alcohol-related bills, one of which was carried over until next week’s meeting, and a bill that would put the issue of a state lottery up for a vote. HB83, a bill that would allow wineries to obtain permits to operate an additional “on-site tasting room,” was held so lawmakers could clear up unspecified issues with the legislation. Next on the agenda was HB46, a bill brought forth by Rep. Alan Boothe (R-Troy) to allow Alabama distilleries to sell one fifth of liquor to an individual customer each day. The bill had originally stated that only one fifth could be sold per year, but Rep. Alan Harper (R-Northport) added an amendment to change “year” to “day.” The amendment was approved and the committee began hearing feedback from the public. Joe Godfrey, executive director of the Alabama Citizen’s Action Program (ALCAP), spoke first in opposition to the bill. “You’re dealing here with an addictive and mind-altering drug,” Godfrey said. “Alcohol destroys lives, it destroys families. Every time we expand alcohol sales, you’re increasing the number of people who use alcohol, you’re increasing the amount that they drink.” Next to speak was John Sharp, owner of John Emerald Distilling Co. in Opelika, who was in support of the measure. “This bill, obviously, would help us compete with the large out-of-state distilleries,” Sharp said, noting the vast array of spirits being shipped in from Tennessee, Kentucky and elsewhere. “We’re not going to affect the amount of alcohol actually consumed in Alabama.” The committee voted and gave the bill a favorable report. The next item on the commission’s agenda was Harper’s lottery bill, HB13, the senate version of which did not reach a vote in this morning’s committee hearing. The bill only requests that residents be allowed to vote on whether or not a lottery should be allowed in Alabama, where the proceeds would go will be decided by the full Legislature at a later date. “Our vote today is on our citizen’s right to vote on a constitutional amendment,” Harper said. “It’s important that we hear the opinions of our citizens. You can never go wrong in doing that.” Harper also assured those in attendance that he and others had worked alongside the Alabama Law Institute to ensure the legislation left no room for casino-style gambling in the state. The opposition to Harper’s bill was widespread during the following public hearing, started first by Godfrey, who condemned the bill for preying on low-income families and claimed it “makes the government a bookie.” Rep. Rich Wingo (R-Tuscaloosa) also spoke out against the bill, saying that the creation of a lottery would only cost the state more in Medicaid costs “because instead of buying glasses for Junior, Medicaid will do it.” Rep. Arnold Mooney (R-Birmingham) spoke out against the bill. “I believe as a federalist, we were elected to come here and make decisions,” Mooney said. “Money spent on a lottery is money pulled from small business. We can’t grow our economy in that manner.” In all, nine people spoke out against the bill with only one person in support of it, Mac McArthur of the Alabama State Employees Association. “I don’t know how you could possibly draft a cleaner bill to get the issue before the people,” McArthur said. The committee began taking a vote when Rep. Ritchie Whorton (R-Scottsboro) asked for a role call vote. Because the vote had already begun, the committee continued and gave the bill a favorable report.
Shelby County to vote on Sunday alcohol sales on March 1
Residents in one of Alabama’s most populous counties will decide whether to allow Sunday alcohol sales. Shelby County is set to vote on the alcohol referendum during the primary election on March 1. The county is one of the largest in the state with more than 200,000 residents just south of Birmingham. Baptist leader Joe Godfrey tells WBMA-TV that the Alabama Citizens Action Program will work with area clergymen to defeat the measure. But business managers and some elected leaders say Sunday sales are needed to help generate revenue. Pelham City Council President Rick Hayes says the lack of Sunday sales affects economic growth. And restaurant manager Jessica McKay of The Coal Yard in Helena says the venue could open for business on Sundays if voters approve the referendum. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Influence of churches, once dominant, now waning in South
Prayers said and the closing hymn sung, tea-drinking churchgoers fill Marble City Grill for Sunday lunch. But hard on their heels comes the afternoon crowd: craft beer-drinking, NFL-watching football fans. Such a scene would have been impossible just months ago because Sunday alcohol sales were long illegal in Sylacauga, hometown of both the actor who played TV’s Gomer Pyle and the white marble used to construct the U.S. Supreme Court building. While the central Alabama city of 12,700 has only one hospital, four public schools and 21 red lights, the chamber of commerce directory lists 78 churches. Yet few were surprised when residents voted overwhelmingly in September to legalize Sunday alcohol sales. Churches lacked either the heart or influence to stop it. That shift is part of a broad pattern across the South: Churches are losing their grip on a region where they could long set community standards with a pulpit-pounding sermon or, more subtly, a sideward glance toward someone walking into a liquor store. In metro Atlanta, youth sports teams regularly practice and play games on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights — times that were strictly off-limits a generation ago because they conflicted with church worship services. In Mississippi, dozens of businesses display anti-discrimination stickers distributed by a gay rights group rather than worry about a church-based backlash. “It doesn’t matter who wants to buy a house,” said real estate agent Diana Britt, who drives around Jackson, Mississippi, in a work vehicle decorated with one of the stickers. “If they want to buy a house, I’ll sell them a house.” Church-based crusaders against gambling also are on a losing streak as all but two Southern states, Alabama and Mississippi, have lotteries. And, perhaps most tellingly, a recent survey by the Pew Research Center showed 19 percent of Southerners don’t identify with any organized religion. That’s fewer “nones” than in other regions, but the number is up 6 percentage points in the South since 2007. The South is still the Bible Belt, and that same Pew survey found that church affiliation remains stronger in the states of the old Confederacy than anywhere else in the United States. Seventy-six percent of Southerners call themselves Christians, and political advertisements often show candidates in or near church. Religious conservatives remain a powerful force in many Southern statehouses. Still, the same South that often holds itself apart from the rest of the country is becoming more like other U.S. regions when it comes to organized religion, said Jessica Martinez, a senior researcher in religion and public life at Pew. And while race divides many things in the South, the trend is evident among blacks, whites and Hispanic adults, she said. “We’ve seen this sort of broader shift throughout the country as a whole with fewer people identifying as being part of the religious base,” she said. “In the South you see a pattern very similar to what we are seeing in other regions.” Thomas Fuller, a religion professor at Baptist-affiliated Samford University near Birmingham, said there’s no single reason churches are losing the cultural wallop they once packed. Migration into the region and the Internet are but two factors chipping away at a society that seemed much more isolated just a generation ago, he said. “The South is not nearly as homogeneous, is far more diverse culturally now than it’s ever been,” said Fuller. “In a way you’re a little hard-pressed now to talk about Southern culture in a singular fashion. It’s not nearly as one-dimensional anymore or easy to describe.” In Sylacauga, 45 miles southeast of Birmingham, Mayor Doug Murphree said the push for Sunday alcohol sales was linked to attracting new businesses. “We’re not really trying to promote drinking in Sylacauga. But if you look at a big chain restaurant like Ruby Tuesday or O’Charley’s, they’re open on Sunday and a big part of their business is alcohol,” said the mayor. Murphree, who attends a Baptist church, said he met with members of the local ministerial association before the citywide vote to explain the city’s economic situation and the need for Sunday alcohol sales. Pastors listened, and by and large they didn’t preach against it. “They said they were not going to try to block us,” he said. So now, Marble City Grill can sell alcohol after 1 p.m. on Sunday just two blocks up North Broadway Avenue from the white-columned First Baptist Church of Sylacauga. “Things have changed,” said Julie Smith, who owns the restaurant with her husband. “We’ve been open 10 years and at first we had people who wouldn’t come because we sold alcohol. They come now.” Around corner from the restaurant, Dee Walker said he’s attracting a larger crowd every Sunday afternoon at his craft beer and wine shop, The Fermenter’s Market at The Rex, named for the old hotel in which it is located. Walker grew up in neighboring Clay County, the last dry county in Alabama, and recalls the petition drives and fire-and-brimstone sermons anytime someone mentioned legalizing alcohol sales. Southern churches no longer have that kind of influence in many places, Walker said. “You’ve got some diminishing populations when it comes to the religious opposition,” said Walker, standing behind a bar with 36 taps for craft beer. Walker said his customers include church deacons and elders; a Baptist layman quoted Scripture while drinking a hoppy brown ale on a recent weekday afternoon. Joe Godfrey, a Southern Baptist minister and head of a group that calls itself “Alabama’s Moral Compass,” recalls a time when churches were the center of Southern society. “I can remember when schools looking to schedule an event would call the local churches to see if they had anything … that might conflict with the school’s tentative plans. If so, the school would find a different date to hold their event. That is no longer true,” said Godfrey, executive director of Alabama Citizens Action Program. “Today, churches try to find a time to schedule their events when ball teams, schools and civic clubs
