7. State Rep. Jim Hill prefiles to create a second parole board
- State Representative Jim Hill (R-Moody) has prefiled a bill for the upcoming legislative session that would create an additional parole board to help the system deal with parole hearings more efficiently.
- Hill said that there’s a backlog that’s built up, especially because of the coronavirus pandemic, and this would help cut down on some of that. There are people awaiting parole hearings, and he “would like to see them have the hearings.”
6. Governor Kay Ivey sending money for PTSD relief
- More than $1.9 million of CARES Act funding in Alabama is going to be used for a PTSD relief program that will benefit soldiers who have been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, and it’ll be run by the non-profit organization Priority Soldier.
- Governor Kay Ivey said in announcing the grant, “Alabama will never leave a man or woman behind, especially those who have worn the uniform and continue to struggle to treat their PTSD during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
5. Study Group on Gambling Policy will release results soon
- The Study Group on Gambling Policy that Governor Kay Ivey put together at the beginning of this year has finally announced that they’ll be releasing their findings. It’s expected that they’ll release their full report on Friday.
- The group’s goal was to determine how having legal gambling through casinos and a lottery would impact Alabama. These findings will be especially important as it’s anticipated that legalizing gambling is likely to come up in the 2021 legislative session.
4. Tuberville campaigns in Georgia
- U.S. Senator-elect Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) went to Georgia to campaign for U.S. Senators Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) and David Perdue as the runoff election gets closer. During his speech, Tuberville focused on how important he believes it is that Republicans hang on to the United States Senate.
- Tuberville stated, “The way of life, the freedoms that we have, the liberties that we have that our forefathers…gave us we’re losing at a very fast pace.” He also emphasized that he, Loeffler and Perdue will stick together in the Senate, adding, “[W]e’re going to fight hard for every state.”
3. Rogers tests positive
- U.S. Representative Mike Rogers (R-Saks) has announced that he’s quarantining after testing positive for the coronavirus. He said he is “experiencing mild symptoms.”
- Despite the symptoms he’s experiencing, Rogers is “in good spirits and looking forward to getting back to work soon.” This comes just a couple of weeks after U.S. Representative Robert Aderholt (R-Haleyville) tested positive for the virus.
2. Moderna vaccine approved
- The advisory panel for the Food and Drug Administration has voted to endorse the coronavirus vaccine from Moderna. Dr. Hayley Gans of Stanford University Medical Center said, “The evidence that has been studied in great detail on this vaccine highly outweighs any of the issues we’ve.”
- It’s expected that the FDA will approve the vaccine for emergency use very soon, similar to how they’ve recently done with the Pfizer vaccine. The vaccine will be ready for use with health workers and nursing home residents getting the first doses.
1. Senator-elect Tuberville will consider joining Brooks
- U.S. Senator-elect Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) has expressed interest in joining U.S. Representative Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) in challenging the electoral votes on January 6, but he’s said that he still has to do some “due diligence.”
- Tuberville said that he wants “to do what’s best for President Trump and the people of Alabama and the people of this country.” He added that he’ll “probably meet with Mo Brooks and get his side of it.”
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