While the current priority of the Alabama Republican Party (ALGOP) is to win elections, there are discussions taking place to decide what the party’s agenda should be for the next legislative session.
Friday, ALGOP chairman John Wahl said on WVNN’s “The Yaffee Program” that promoting school choice, adoption reform and closed primaries would be atop his list of priorities when the legislature returns for the 2023 regular session.
“First priority is the general election, getting our Republicans elected,” Wahl said. “But legislatively, you know I’m a big fan of school choice. Obviously school choice is something near and dear to my heart. I think it’s something that will help the children across this state.”
The ALGOP chair asserted that school choice would easily pass easily the Alabama Senate, but will take some work to get it across the finish line in the legislature’s lower chamber.
“The Senate has actually been very good over the years,” noted Wahl. “They’ve been pretty quick to pass school choice legislation. So I think the battle is more in the House side than the Senate side to be honest.”
Adoption legislation is also a major priority for Wahl as it will become a major issue in light of the recent overturning of Roe v. Wade by the U.S. Supreme Court.
“Some adoption legislation — I would love to see that get passed,” he added. “Where we streamline adoptions, make them easier for people, bring the costs down … With the right legislation, I believe we could get adoptions where they were free and we could help mothers in need and families across Alabama where we could streamline that process.”
The other major issue Wahl discussed was closed primaries, but admitted that the party was not likely expend time debating the topic until the midterm elections concluded.
“The party members feel very strongly about closed primaries. So that’s something that I’m going to definitely be working on this next legislative session,” he continued.
He emphasized that ALGOP would always seek to reduce the size and scope of government.
“The Republican Party is working hard to fight for people’s rights and freedoms, and we are always actively and vigilantly trying to stop big government,” finished Wahl.
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” Weekdays 9-11am on WVNN. You can follow him on Twitter @Yaffee
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