DEVELOPING: Alabama’s most conservative lawmaker is running for Speaker of the House

ENTERPRISE, Ala. — The state representative Yellowhammer ranked as “Alabama’s most conservative legislator” has thrown his hat in the ring to become the next Speaker of the House. Former Speaker Mike Hubbard was removed from office last month after being convicted on 12 felony counts of public corruption.

In a letter sent to his colleagues Wednesday evening, Moore said under his leadership the House would deliver on Republicans’ 2010 campaign promise to give the people of Alabama “the conservative representation they have so long deserved.”

Moore specifically mentioned tax cuts, legislation to push back against federal regulations, and pro-gun and pro-life bills among the issues that would be included in his legislative priorities.

My ideas for caucus priorities include tax cuts for small businesses and working families, a constitutional amendment to protect Alabama gun owners from being placed into the FBI database, a program to incentivize state agency leadership to cut wasteful spending from their departments, and legislation and compacts to protect our industries and resources such as farming and coal mining from the punitive effects of federal regulation. And every caucus agenda should include legislation to protect our state’s unborn children.

I believe we need leadership who will embrace and advance a conservative agenda that unapologetically puts working Alabamians first. That can be done by unleashing the untapped potential of this caucus, every member of which is intimately familiar with the challenges of their Districts and the issues that resonate with their constituents. I also believe we need leadership whose motives are entirely above reproach. And we need a steady spokesman who can sell our collective ideas to the people of this state.

One of the most frequently expressed complaints against the former House Speaker was that he centralized power in his office, an issue Moore said he would address by “unleashing the untapped potential” of the full GOP caucus, “every member of which is intimately familiar with the challenges of their Districts and the issues that resonate with their constituents.”

“I also believe we need leadership whose motives are entirely above reproach,” he continued. “And we need a steady spokesman who can sell our collective ideas to the people of this state.”

Yellowhammer’s brief profile of Moore for the “most conservative Alabama legislators” feature outlined his private sector and legislative experience:

Representative Barry Moore is an entrepreneur’s entrepreneur. He’s a founder or investor in multiple successful businesses, most notably Barry Moore Industries, a commercial waste management company based in Enterprise. Every vote he casts in the legislature is informed by his extensive private sector experience.
If it’s about smaller government, lower taxes, less spending or decreased government regulation, Moore’s going to be with you 100 percent of the time.

With Ft. Rucker located in his district, Moore has also been a leading advocate for military families. He shepherded a bill that made it easier for active duty military personnel to get in-state tuition, and a similar bill making it easier for military spouses to get business licenses. He also sponsored a bill that would’ve reduced unemployment benefits for certain persons receiving pension payments.

The vote that most illustrates Moore’s rock-ribbed conservatism occurred during the 2011 session. A bill to extend unemployment benefits was passed overwhelmingly in the House by a vote of 94-1. The one “no” vote? Barry Moore.

The American Conservative Union also ranked him the third most conservative House member during the 2015 legislative sessions.

The Speaker’s race could ultimately become a battle over the fiscal and ideological direction of the House.

Other leading contenders, Rep. Steve Clouse (R-Ozark) and Rep. Mac McCutcheon (R-Capshaw), are both well liked among their colleagues but vocally pushed tax hikes during recent legislative sessions. Conservative State Reps. Lynn Greer (R-Rogersville) and Phil Williams (R-Huntsville) and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Mike Jones (R-Andalusia) have also expressed their desire to become Speaker, creating a crowded field that may take some time to whittle itself down before House Republicans tap a new leader.

“In recent weeks I have seen some good men step up and express their desire to fill the leadership void at the top of the People’s House,” Moore wrote in his letter to his colleagues. “I have heard a lot of talk about who will be the most fair and even-handed, or who will maintain the status quo or shake things up, and I have listened to discussions about where we have been and what brought us to this point — with low morale, a damaged brand, and no leader.

“What I have not heard, however, is a clear vision for where we are going to go from here. It is my belief that we must establish a vision to move forward, and the clarity of that vision depends upon our unwavering commitment to conservative principles and values.”

A handful of past Yellowhammer articles on Moore can be found below, along with a campaign ad that shows him speaking at a Tea Party rally in Enterprise during the 2010 election cycle.

1. Moore: Abolish state income tax, move to consumption tax — ‘It’s the only tax illegals pay’
2. Alabama lawmaker will introduce bill to incentivize govt. bureaucrats to make cuts
3. Top 7 most conservative Alabama legislators