Government

Medicaid Reform Plan

There’s a new player in town for the 2016 Alabama Medicaid budget battle. It brings to the table a game plan, years of friendly relations with the other players and a multi-million-dollar stake. The question is whether a reform idea, even backed with that history and funding, is enough to influence the entrenched model of politicians and advocates arguing over too little money, too much need and no fundamental change. The player is Alabama Medicaid’s regional care organization plan, a managed care-style approach intended to deal with illnesses before they are emergencies and designed to both slow the growth in costs and improve health outcomes. Read more:

by Liz Harris

NYTimes: Unlike in many places, the life span for Birmingham’s poor is growing.

A story in The New York Times reported an optimistic message from new research about American life spans: The right mix of steps to improve habits and public health could help people live longer, regardless of how much money they make. One of the places this seems to be happening is Birmingham. Read the April 11 New York Times report here.

by Liz Harris

2016 Legislative Update

The long-anticipated rewrite of Alabama’s tenure and job evaluation law for teachers and school administrators was introduced in the Legislature last week. It would require regular evaluations of teachers and tie part of their performance rating to student growth. But it does not include the controversial proposal to tie teacher bonuses to student test scores,

by Virginia Martin

Lobbying rises in the states amid federal gridlock

Special interests outnumber state lawmakers 6-to-1. Read the full report here from The Center for Public Integrity. 

by Maggie Andrews

It’s Not Just AEA Anymore. Alabama Legislators Draw National Lobbying Attention

Across the country, national companies and causes, from Uber to pharmaceutical manufacturers, are turning their lobbying power onto state legislatures where they seek a better chance of influencing decisions than in Washington. The Alabama Legislature, now in session in Montgomery, is no stranger to this new attention. From 2010 through 2014, Alabama’s 140 senators and representatives were the focus of six times that many entities pushing their messages and protecting their interests in Montgomery. These are findings of a just-released study by the Center for Public Integrity, a national government watchdog group.

by Liz Harris

Ronnie Dixon, 2020 general election

Jefferson County Board of Education Place 1: Ronnie Dixon 62 Residence: Pinson Political experience: Elected to Jefferson County Board of Education, 2016; Jefferson County constable 2012 – 2016; also ran for Jefferson County Commission, 2010 and Jefferson County GOP executive committee, 2010. Professional experience: City manager, city of Clay, 2012-present; Dixon Properties Inc. 1993-present; TSC Inc.

by Maggie Andrews

Jim Williams, PARCA and a Scorecard on Improving Alabama Government

For nearly three decades, Jim Williams applied the force of factual, objective research to the partisan, political reality of Alabama state and local governments. So did he move that boulder of problems that Alabama governments create, deal with – or avoid? Until last month, Williams – officially James W. Williams Jr. – had been the first and only executive director of Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama. PARCA, as it is known, was created by former Alabama Gov. Albert Brewer in 1988 with the mission of improving how the public’s business gets done. Williams retired at the end of September from the executive director job but will continue to do some research for the organization.

by Maggie Andrews

Study: Alabama’s Government Integrity Ranks Among Best in a Bad Lot

Alabama scored a D+ on its report card from the State Integrity Investigation, but the near-failing 67.3 grade was enough to rank the state seventh-best in the country on measures of transparency, accountability and ethics in its government. The ranking is much higher than might have been expected as Alabama’s powerful speaker of the House, Rep. Mike Hubbard, faces 23 felony ethics charges alleging he used his office to benefit clients of one of his private companies and illegally lobbied the executive branch on their behalf. Not to mention the dozens of Alabama officials, employees, contractors and others convicted in state corruption-related cases in the past decade.

by Maggie Andrews

Sound Familiar? Jeffco’s $5 Million-Plus Financial Software Not Working Right

Jefferson County officials vowed not to make the same mistakes with a new financial software purchase that were made by a previous commission, which spent nearly $20 million for a system that was eventually scrapped. But the current commission now faces problems with its $5 million-plus replacement — a system the county needs to help comply with a non-discrimination court decree.

by Maggie Andrews

State Integrity 2015 FAQs

What is the State Integrity Investigation? The State Integrity Investigation is a data-driven assessment of state laws and practices that deter corruption and promote accountability and transparency by the Center for Public Integrity and Global Integrity. This is the second time the project has run; the first go-round was published in March 2012. For more

by Maggie Andrews