Rumors & Rumblings

“Rumors and Rumblings” is a weekly feature that runs each Wednesday. It includes short nuggets of information that we glean from conversations throughout the week. Have a tip? Send it here. All sources remain confidential.

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1.House Republicans To Release Agenda
State House insiders say the House Republican caucus will release their 2013 legislative agenda on Thursday morning headlined by the slogan “We Dare Defend Our Rights,” which also happens to be the Alabama state motto.

Yellowhammer has learned that in addition to the promised payback of the Alabama Trust Fund, conservatives can also expect a heavy dose of legislation aimed at pushing back against the federal government. Included in the agenda will be a pro-life bill known as “The Women’s Health and Safety Act,” which will heavily regulate the Alabama abortion industry, and the “Alabama Firearms Protection Amendment” which will amend the Alabama constitution to further protect Alabamians’ right to bear arms.

2. ALGOP Election May be Breaking for Fridy
Matt Fridy and Bill Armistead are continuing to try to wrangle votes for the upcoming ALGOP election, but a distinct advantage seems to be emerging for Fridy. “The vote count has really moved in Matt’s favor over the last two weeks,” a long-time ALGOP executive committee member who has not yet committed to either candidate told Yellowhammer on Tuesday. Fridy has been crisscrossing the state over the last few weeks and says he plans to continue right up until the election. His efforts are being boosted by Gov. Robert Bentley and Lt. Gov. Kay Ivey who are both making phone calls on encouraging committee members to support his candidacy.

3. PSC Primary?
In the wake of the PSC dust up, fresh rumors are emerging that at least one candidate is already positioning himself to run in the Republican primary against Associatie Commissioner Terry Dunn. “Expect an announcement in the coming weeks,” one Montgomery insider told Yellowhammer. “I can’t believe I’m saying this about the PSC, but this race will really be one to watch in 2014.”

4. Judicial Musical Chairs
Gov. Robert Bentley announced yesterday that Tuscaloosa County Circuit Judge Scott Donaldson will now be appointed to the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals. Donaldson will fill the seat left open by Judge Tommy Bryan who was elected to the Alabama Supreme Court. Donaldson is one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet and immensely qualified for the appointment.

A committee will now be formed and tasked with submitting to Governor Bentley three potential candidates to fill Donaldson’s seat. Names in the rumor mill currently include Tuscaloosa County District Attorney Tommy Smith, prominent Tuscaloosa attorney Robert Spence, and former Chief Justice/Bentley Chief of Staff Chuck Malone. More names will likely emerge.

5. Montgomery Staff
Yellowhammer has learned that Spears Griffin will be brought in to run the office of newly appointed PSC Associate Commissioner Jeremy Oden. Griffin comes over from Bentley’s finance department. “Wise move by Oden to get someone in there with a background in both the private sector and the Finance Department,” one Montgomery insider said.

Clay Loftin has joined Attorney General Luther Strange’s staff as Director of Constituent Affairs. He returns to Alabama after a stint in D.C. with the Republican National Committee where he was a Junior Research Analyst in the RNC’s research department. Prior to that Loftin interned at the Alabama House of Representatives and was Campaign Manager for Autauga County District Judge Joy Booth.

6. Sessions Traversing the State
U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions is on the move across Alabama today with a packed schedule of media lined up. Confirmed appearances include The Matt Murphy Show, the Birmingham News Editorial Board, FOX 6, the Dan Morris Show and the Montgomery Advertiser Editorial Board. Sessions appeared on Greta Van Susteren’s Fox News show several nights ago where he vowed to do everything he could to keep current Obama Chief of Staff Jack Lew from becoming Treasury Secretary. Sessions said during the Fox interview that Lew’s 2011 testimony before the Senate Budget Committee “represents the most colossal, fantastical financial misrepresentation…in history.”