By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
Tea Party groups were not very successful in advancing many of their issues during the 2015 Legislative session. No Pro-Life bills passed in this session. The repeal Common Core effort was crushed again. A bill protecting Judges and ministers from having to perform marriages for same sex couples and a bill taking the State out of the marriage licensing function were both stopped. A bill allowing gun owners to ride around with their loaded guns in their automobiles without a concealed carry permit died from lack of action by the Alabama House of Representatives. Many conservative activists expressed their disappointment in the session and some even blamed Speaker of the Alabama House Mike Hubbard (R-Auburn) for their setbacks.
Rainy Day Patriots Co-Chair and Alabama Legislative Watchdogs Chair Ann Eubank told the Alabama Political Reporter: “After four years of playing nice with the leadership in Montgomery and getting nowhere, it’s time to take the gloves off and call it like it is. The rank and file legislators need to find their ‘courage’ to remove the Speaker of the House, Mike Hubbard, from power. How can a man who is facing a 23 charge criminal indictment continue to wield the power over our elected officials? In his own emails he admitted to taking money from at least one education company. He stacked the House Education Committee with pro-Common Core representatives, and will not even allow the repeal bill to come to the floor. I personally have seen him totally out of control, ‘demanding’ that our elected officials do his bidding, not the constituent’s wishes.”
Constitutional Conservatives Coordinator Deanna Frankowski told the Alabama Political Reporter that Republican politicians tell us what we want to hear when they are running for office; but then they got to Montgomery and don’t do any of the things they promised. “Its like a bad date.”
Frankowski said they didn’t pass any Pro-Life bills. They didn’t pass any laws protecting religious liberties. They didn’t repeal Common Core. It’s the same song and dance. They did not pass the gun bill to let you have a gun in your car, SB14, without a concealed carry permit. They did nothing to further conservative principles. Now they are considering raising taxes and legalizing gambling.
Frankowski said that the state should end earmarks and combine both the Education and General Fund budgets but can not support a tax increase until the legislature provides an accounting of the money that they have now. The State says that they don’t have enough money; but Jefferson County said the same thing. As did Bob Riley in 2003. We told them no and there was no doom. They made the cuts necessary to keep functioning and moved on.
Alabama Foundation for Limited Government President John Rice said on Facebook. “Alabama State Senator Gerald Allen has done great work getting his 2nd Amendment ‘Car Carry’ bill through committee and passed out of the Senate only to see it stonewalled in the House. SB14 is finally assigned to the House committee on Public Safety after eleven days of Speaker Mike Hubbard refusing to do his job. Mike Hubbard has absolutely ruined this Legislative Session trying to be King and it backfired on him and will end up costing our state millions of dollars for a special session and lost opportunities for economic growth. Sad fellow. I continue to receive calls from House and Senate members asking me such things as ‘When are the citizens going to do something?’ The BCA/Riley/Hubbard gang has tied the hands of liberty with its unprecedented financial control of elections. Sad that we are in control of the ‘Supermajority Guilty Party.’ Sad indeed.”
Eubank said, “Make no mistake when the next election season rolls around ‘we the people’ will remember (and I will remind them) those who did what the Speaker demanded. We will be ready to support any opponent with time, energy, and yes, ‘Money.’ Money is the name of the game in Alabama’s ‘Pay to Play’ Legislature. Right now the Business Community has it, next time we will too.”
Frankowski warned conservatives not to be confrontational with legislators. We need to work with these people for the next four years. We need to be able to sit down and negotiate to get our agenda passed. That won’t happen if people tune us out.
