Politics

Ala. House votes to give teachers 2 percent raise

Submitted by MyFoxAL Web Staff on Thursday, April 11th, 10:46 am

MONTGOMERY, AL (AP) -The Alabama House has voted to give public school teachers a 2 percent pay raise, less than the 5 percent raise supported by Democratic lawmakers.

The vote came Wednesday night as the House was debating bills related to the proposed $5.7 million education budget.

House members voted 62-37 against a proposed amendment by Democratic Rep. Richard Lindsey of Centre to increase the raise from 2 to 5 percent.

Education budget committee chairman Republican Rep. Jay Love of Montgomery says the state couldn't afford a 5 percent raise, partly because of money borrowed last year from the education budget and given to the General Fund.

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Ala. lawmakers introduce bill to restrict unmanned drones

Submitted by Alan Collins, Fox 6 News Reporter

Wednesday, April 3rd, 2013, 5:14pm

Ala. lawmakers introduce bill to restrict unmanned drones

BIRMINGHAM, AL (WBRC)- Alabama lawmakers concerned about unmanned drones are looking to limit their use by law enforcement in Alabama.

A bill has been introduced in the state legislature regulating and restricting their use by law enforcement and other government agencies.

Last year the Gadsden Police Department unveiled their unmanned drones. At that time, Gadsden Captain Regina May touted the use of the drones especially in making drug busts.

She said the drones can also be used "also for intelligence and surveillance, in areas where it's hard to get there and see with your own eyes, without being observed."

Howevere, some Alabama lawmakers have concerns with the drones.

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Ala. governor unveils new 'Made in Alabama' logo

Submitted by MyFoxAL Web Staff on Tuesday, March 19th, 4:54 pm

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - Gov. Robert Bentley and leaders of the Alabama Department of Commerce have unveiled a "Made in Alabama" logo that the governor says will be used to help tell Alabama's story to potential economic development clients.

The governor showed off the "Made in Alabama" logo printed on a red background at a news conference Tuesday on the state Capitol steps in Montgomery.

He says the logo's purpose is to ensure officials looking to establish a new business or expand an existing one know about Alabama. The governor says he's proud to tell the world about products made in Alabama.

Bentley also released a report from the Alabama Department of Commerce showing that 38,000 new jobs had been created in Alabama since he took office in January, 2011.

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Lawsuit filed by AEA to stop signing of flexibility bill

Submitted by MyFoxAL Web Staff on Tuesday, March 5th, 11:36 am

BIRMINGHAM, AL (WBRC)- Governor Bentley's press office says a lawsuit has been filed by the AEA to attempt to stop the signing of House Bill 84, the school accountability and flexibility bill.

Jeremy King with the press office says the Governor plans to sign the bill on Tuesday afternoon. He says the Governor feels the bill is necessary to give parents an alternative to a failing school.

AEA Executive Secretary Henry Mabry has sent a newsletter to members to ask Governor Bentley to veto the bill, which he says was rammed through the Legislature by Republicans. State School Superintendent Tommy Bice and Alabama School Board Head Sally Howell have both asked Governor Bentley to amend the bill and send it back to the Legislature.

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Ala. House panel votes 'no' on medical marijuana

Submitted by MyFoxAL Web Staff on Wednesday, February 6th, 6:49 pm

MONTGOMERY, AL (AP)- An Alabama House committee has defeated a bill that would have legalized the sale of medical marijuana.

The committee voted 12-2 against the bill by Democratic Rep, Patricia Todd of Birmingham.

Todd told committee members that marijuana can ease the pain of
people suffering from cancer or other diseases. She said the image of
someone toking on a joint is not always accurate with medical marijuana
which is often taken in pill form or in food. To illustrate the
different ways to take marijuana, Todd brought committee members
brownies, but assured them they contained no marijuana.

Committee members had little to say before voting to kill the bill.
Todd said marijuana is safer than other pain reducing drugs like
morphine.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Fiscal cliff deal: What will it mean for you?

Submitted by MyFoxAL Web Staff on Saturday, January 5th, 3:00 pm

By Mark Trumbull | Content provided by CSMonitor.com

Your taxes are probably going up, but not as much as they would have without a "fiscal cliff" deal.

That's the short summary of what's in store for US households now that a fiscal bargain between the White House and Congress has been reached.

The welcome news for personal pocketbooks is that most Americans will see no change in their income-tax rates.

But the amount of taxes paid will still rise, for two major reasons: First, workers will owe 2 percent more of their paychecks to the government in 2013 because Congress is allowing a temporary payroll-tax cut to expire. Second, tax rates are rising for households that earn more than $450,000.

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