Republican’s landmark school choice bill, the Alabama Accountability Act, will go into effect immediately, in spite of efforts by the Governor to delay it for two years.

The House of Representatives around lunch time voted 57-10 to non-concur with the Governor’s executive amendment to delay the Act’s implementation, then voted 59-6 to override his veto. The Senate voted 19-15 to concur with the House.

Governor Bentley immediately took to Twitter to voice his displeasure.

House members made a mistake by rejecting my executive amendment on the #AccountabilityAct.

— Gov.Robert Bentley (@GovernorBentley) May 20, 2013

This executive amendment was fiscally responsible. The Legislature rejecting my amendment is fiscally irresponsible.

— Gov.Robert Bentley (@GovernorBentley) May 20, 2013

The Governor has ratcheted up the rhetoric over the last few days, consistently calling the legislature “fiscally irresponsible” in both public appearances and in statements to the press. While rumors of tension between the Governor and legislative leadership have been overblown the last few years, this unexpected confrontation has put both sides of South Union Street on edge.

House Speaker Mike Hubbard downplayed the disagreement as nothing more than a difference of opinion over process, not vision.

“The Governor and the legislature have the same goal: eliminating failing schools and helping children get the best education possible in the state of Alabama. We simply have a difference of opinion in the way that is accomplished,” Hubbard said.

But many Republicans in the legislature feel like the Governor flip-flopped and left them in the fox hole by themselves. Meanwhile, many in the Capitol feel like the legislature should show more deference to the Governor’s leadership.

It is probably good timing for the legislative session to be coming to a close. Time and distance will give frayed nerves time to heal.

What else is going on?
1. Gun Bill Passes Legislature, Goes to Governor
2. IRS Protest to Take Place Tuesday in Birmingham
3. What to watch for on the final day of the 2013 session
4. Rubio Out-raising Paul 2 to 1
5. Shelby Sees Similarities Between Obama & Nixon Administrations

The final bill was the product of a compromise between the National Rifle Association, The Alabama Sheriffs’ Association and the Alabama District Attorneys’ Association.

“Achieving this compromise required a long journey with a lot of back and forth among law enforcement, business representatives and gun rights activists, but we finally found the right mix,” Rep. Ed Henry, the bill’s House sponsor, said.

“While not perfect, SB 286 is an important step in the right direction for the law-abiding gun owners in Alabama and residents of other states traveling to and through Alabama,” The National Rifle Association said in a release.

The Business Council of Alabama, however, remained unsupportive to the end.

BCA President & CEO Billy Canary said his organization, which represents the state’s business community, did not support the legislation because it would require businesses to allow employees to keep a gun in their car at work. Canary cited the Fifth Amendment and said the bill “erodes the constitutional property rights of businesses.”

But House Speaker Mike Hubbard said it was important to address the issues with Alabama’s gun laws now in light of the Obama Administration’s continued attempts to infringe on our Second Amendment rights.

“With President Obama dead set on limiting our right to bear arms, it was imperative for us to push legislation that would defend this important constitutional right for Alabamians,” Hubbard said.

The NRA said the bill, if signed by the Governor, “will restore and protect the rights of responsible gun owners and sportsmen in Alabama by reforming the state gun laws in the following ways:

• Allows those who possess a valid Alabama pistol permit to keep firearms stored in their vehicle while at work, as well as allowing those who possess a valid Alabama hunting license to store an unloaded rifle or shotgun in their vehicle while at work.
• Allows transportation of a handgun in a vehicle without an Alabama pistol permit as long as the handgun is unloaded, locked in a container and out of reach of the driver or passenger.
• Shifts the current “May Issue” concealed carry permit system to a “Shall Issue” permit system and requires that a sheriff must issue or deny the carry permit within thirty days.  Should someone be denied a permit, a written denial must be provided and that applicant would have an opportunity to appeal the denial.
• A permit to carry a concealed pistol shall be good for one to five years (to be decided by the applicant seeking the carry permit).
• Requires sheriffs to use the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) to conduct a background check on concealed pistol permit applicants.
• Allows for all other valid state-issued permits to carry a concealed firearm to be recognized in Alabama.
• Strengthens Alabama’s firearms preemption statute by reserving for the state legislature complete control over regulation and policy relating to firearms, ammunition and firearm accessories in order to ensure that such regulation is applied uniformly throughout the state.
• Extends the current Castle Doctrine to include places of business to ensure the right of self-defense does not end when you enter your business.

What else is going on?
1. IRS Protest to Take Place Tuesday in Birmingham
2. What to watch for on the final day of the 2013 session
3. Rubio Out-raising Paul 2 to 1
4. Shelby Sees Similarities Between Obama & Nixon Administrations
5. Alabama Should Push Forward with School Choice

The protest is a part of a national movement dubbed the “Rein in the IRS Rallies” by the national conservative grassroots organization Tea Party Patriots.

According to a press release sent out by a Birmingham Tea Party group known as the Rainy Day Patriots, they are protesting the IRS’s targeting of Tea Party organizations, which was recently revealed by IRS official Lois Lerner.

At least two Tea Party organizations in Alabama, the Mobile-based tea party group Common Sense Campaign and the Wetumpka Tea Party, are known to have been targets of IRS. The Rainy Day Patriots told Yellowhammer that the struggles those groups endured prompted them to forego attempts to attain tax exempt status.

“This IRS debacle is only the tip of the iceberg. In order to intimidate us into silence, we have been portrayed as somehow being dangerous which necessitated the need to be watched and neutralized,” the Rainy Day Patriots said in a statement. “We are thrilled to hear that the facts are finally being reported instead of the misinformation that has been disseminated. There are no greater patriotic and honest Americans than the members of the Tea Party.”

In addition to protesting the IRS, the Rainy Day Patriots say they are also protesting amnesty for illegal immigrants.

The protest is being held Tuesday, May 21, from noon-1:30 at the corner of Lakeshore Parkway and Tom Martin Drive in Birmingham. For more information visit RainyDayPatriots.org.

What else is going on?
1. What to watch for on the final day of the 2013 session
2. Rubio Out-raising Paul 2 to 1
3. Shelby Sees Similarities Between Obama & Nixon Administrations
4. Alabama Should Push Forward with School Choice
5. Scandals Engulf D.C.

Monday is the final day of the 2013 legislative session. Both budgets have already passed, which would normally indicate there could be a lot of action Monday. But Senate Democrats have been using every dilatory tactic in the book lately. Whether or not much work actually gets done depends on whether or not Senate Republicans can reach an accord with the Democrats.

Local bills will be up first when the Senate goes into session at 9 a.m. There are 84 local bills on the calendar. The Senate will likely spend the entire morning up to lunch getting through them. After that everything is up in the air. The ensuing special order calendar would probably contain about 50 bills. But if Democrats stall, the Senate may only get to a couple of them.

Here are a few things to look out for in the Senate:

1. Campaign finance reform
Senator Bryan Taylor’s campaign finance reform bill (SB445) would implement numerous changes to make Alabama’s campaign finance laws clearer and more enforceable — including removing the $500 cap on donations a corporation can give to a candidate.

Governor Bentley has said he will veto the bill if it allows any form of PAC to PAC transfers. As of right now it looks like this bill will probably go to conference committee where they will tweak it to the point it would be acceptable to the Governor.

2. Religious Liberty Act
This bill was a part of the House Republicans’ “We Dare Defend Our Rights” agenda, and would allow religiously affiliated or motivated employers to opt out of the ObamaCare contraceptive mandate. This is a bill that Senate Democrats may go out of their way to kill.

3. Spay/neuter bill
Rep. Patricia Todd’s Veterinary Practice Act (HB188) passed the House in early April after an organized lobbying effort by animal rights activists.

According to AL.com, “Under current Alabama law, only licensed veterinarians may hire other veterinarians and only a licensed Alabama veterinarian may be the owner of a veterinary practice. [The Veterinary Practice Act] would add an exemption to allow the non-profit clinics to hire veterinarians.”

Word is that this is one of the bill’s Senate Republicans and Democrats have both agreed to bring to the floor for a vote.

4. Voter registration deadline
Rep. Wes Long’s bill to move the voter registration deadline from ten days before an election to seventeen days before an election has sparked the usual cries from Democrats that Republicans are working to suppress the votes of minorities. On the other side, the Alabama Association of the Boards of Registrars is on fire about this bill, and have been pushing hard for its passage. The changes would have to be approved by the Department of Justice under the Voting Rights Act. The bill passed the House in late April.

5. Confirmations
There are a pile of confirmations that the Senate has not yet been able to get to. If Democrats slow Senate business to a crawl on Monday, dozens of appointments could go unconfirmed. Some boards and commissions could potentially not have enough members to have a quorum. Governor Bentley has indicated that he would consider calling a special session if that was the case.

Down in the House, Governor Bentley’s executive amendment to the Accountability Act will be the main thing to watch. As of a little before midnight on Sunday, the vote count on the amendment was very close. Democrats are planning to vote with the Governor. Most Republicans — with a few, mostly expected exceptions — are sticking to their guns.

Here are a couple of other bills to lookout for:

1. Drug testing for welfare recipients
Senator Trip Pittman’s bill would require drug testing for welfare recipients with a history of drug abuse. The bill passed the Senate in late April and shouldn’t have any problems getting through the House.

2. Omnibus Gun Bill
After being debated, tweaked and sent to conference committee, the Senate passed the NRA-backed omnibus gun bill the first week in May. The House will be taking it up today and should pass it with no problem.

What else is going on?
1. Rubio Out-raising Paul 2 to 1
2. Shelby Sees Similarities Between Obama & Nixon Administrations
3. Alabama Should Push Forward with School Choice
4. Scandals Engulf D.C.
5. Rumors & Rumblings

Doug Stafford, a top Paul aide, told the Washington Examiner last week that Senator Paul raised $1.5 million in the first fourt months of the year. That is a brisk pace of $12,500 a day.

Paul has picked up a lot of his father’s small-dollar donors from the libertarian wing of the Republican Party. His fundraising efforts have also benefited from his increased national profile, which came as a result of his 13-hour filibuster of the Obama Administration’s drone policies.

A Gallup poll showed Paul’s filibuster had a profound effect on public opinion across demographic and ideological lines. “Support for targeting American citizens suspected of being terrorists abroad dropped 13 points among Republicans, 17 points among Democrats, and a whopping 23 points among Independents,” Business Insider pointed out — further proof that the younger Paul is moving the needle in ways his father never did.

But Paul struggles, in much the same way his father did, to pull in large dollar donations. That is where his Senate colleague Marco Rubio has separated himself to this point from his potential 2016 rival.

According to The Run 2016, a blog devoted entirely to the 2016 presidential race, “Rubio raised $2.3 million during just the first three months of the year.” That’s a blistering pace of $25,555 a day, giving Rubio an almost 2-1 advantage over Paul in three-fourths the time.

“Many top GOP fundraisers believe Rubio will be the undisputed fundraising king for the 2016 GOP nomination, because of his unique ability to raise both small-dollar grassroots money and nail down the big checks from mega-donors,” The Run 2016′s David Catanese wrote.

There’s a lot of time between now and 2016, but Rubio’s proving early that he’s the fundraiser to beat.

In other fundraising news, the National Republican Senatorial Committee outraised the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee in the month of April, bringing in $3.56 million to the Democrats’ $3.54 million.

According to the Washington Post, “It’s the first month the NRSC has won this cycle, though the difference was small. The NRSC said it ended the period with about $7 million in the bank, while the DSCC ended with $8.6 million in the bank.”

Before we can fully turn our attention to the 2016 presidential race, we’ll be watching this cycle to see if Republicans can win six seats and regain control of the Senate.

What else is going on?
1. Shelby Sees Similarities Between Obama & Nixon Administrations
2. Alabama Should Push Forward with School Choice
3. Scandals Engulf D.C.
4. Rumors & Rumblings
5. Luther Strange weighs actions over IRS-tea party

Senator Richard Shelby said today in an interview with Now This News that he sees a lot of similarities between the Obama Administration and the Nixon Administration. “It reminds me of the old dark days we’ve had around here,” Shelby said. “I was hoping we would never go back to this.”

Here are some other notable quotes from the interview, which can be viewed in its entirety in the video above.

On the IRS:

“If laws were broken, and they probably were, then people ought to be prosecuted.”

“My feeling is it probably came from higher up. Did it come directly from the White House? I don’t know, but we should find out.”

When asked if this is a low point for the Obama White House, Shelby said, “Absolutely. I think a lot of things have come together — a lot of things we feared.”

On Benghazi:

“We knew something was wrong about Libya… They were trying to sell a narrative to the American people that was not true. And the Administration got caught on it.”

On similarities between the Obama and Nixon Administrations:

“Now we have found out that they have used the IRS inappropriately… and they’re attacking the AP… There are a lot things wrong with this Administration… A lot of the American people are just now beginning to find it out.”

“Using the IRS, missusing the Attorney General’s office, not telling the truth to the American people about Libya… That’s what wrecked the Nixon Administration, and that’s what I believe is going to wreck this Administration. “

On Obama’s legacy:

“I don’t see a great legacy. He might see that he’s building one. I think historians will look at it differently.”

[Details from Yellowhammer's exclusive interview with Senator Shelby will be posted next week. Stay Tuned.]

What else is going on?
1. Alabama Should Push Forward with School Choice
2. Scandals Engulf D.C.
3. Rumors & Rumblings
4. Luther Strange weighs actions over IRS-tea party scandal
5. Campaign finance reform to get a shot on last day of session

The Governor’s executive amendment would immediately put into effect the portion of the Accountability Act that gives schools the flexibility to opt out of certain rules and regulations, but would delay for two years the ability of parents with children in failing schools to get a tax credit to help send their children to a non-failing public or private school. It would also delay for two years a scholarship program set up for children from low income families to do the same.

The amendment sent shockwaves through GOP circles and set the Governor’s team in motion working to frame the debate as an issue of fiscal responsibility.

The Governor’s argument is that the Accountability Act jeopardizes the state’s ability to pay back $423 million to the state’s rainy day fund by September of 2015, as is constitutionally mandated after the passage of Amendment 1 last year. “To be fiscally conservative Republicans,” the governor said, “We’ve got to pay our debts.”

It’s a compelling, easy-to-explain argument. While the overwhelming majority of Alabamians support school choice, it takes longer to explain the importance of what the Accountability Act will do than it does to simply say “we need to be fiscally responsible.”

That, in short, is what has put the Governor in such a strong position as he communicates his message on this issue around the state.

But it’s not that simple.

The Governor’s position is based entirely on the premise that the Accountability Act will jeopardize the state’s ability to pay back the rainy day fund. That premise is rejected by both the House and Senate budget chairmen, as well as one of the Senate’s chief budget hawks, Senator Scott Beason.

After spending most of Thursday digging into the nuances of the education budget with members of the Governor’s staff and the House and Senate budget chairmen, I’ve come to the conclusion that fiscal responsibility and the Accountability Act are simply not mutually exclusive.

Will there be a greater chance we will pay off the rainy day fund on time if the Accountability Act is delayed? Absolutely. Any time you take a line item out of the budget it makes it easier to pay the bills. However, I have not seen definitive evidence that the state’s ability to pay back the trust fund on time is in jeopardy should the Accountability Act be fully implemented.

But the question I have not been able to answer is, when did the Governor have the revelation that the Accountability Act is fiscally irresponsible? Was it fiscally irresponsible when he signed it in March? If so, why did he sign it? If not, what has changed?

Governor Bentley also believes that allowing the flexibility portion of the bill to go into effect immediately would give failing schools a window of opportunity to improve. But what truly makes this bill work — the very reason it got its name — is the accountability that comes with failing schools realizing if they don’t shape up, their students will leave. People respond to incentives. That’s the free market at work!

Without that accountability, we’re leaving this all in the hands of the same education establishment that has fiercely defended the status quo for decades — the same people who made the phrase “thank God for Mississippi” commonplace among Alabamians who were thankful that, hey, at least our state’s education system isn’t ranked 50th.

Why would we wait two years and lose another wave of students who aren’t ready for college or to enter the job market? What do we say to that tenth grader who would lose her last opportunity to get the education she deserves before graduating? Sorry?

“We only have one constituency when it comes to education in Alabama and that’s the children,” Sen. Del Marsh said in a statement. “For too long, students in failing schools have been stuck with the status quo and denied the opportunities they deserve.”

Every parent deserves a choice, and every child deserves a chance.

I have a great deal of respect for Governor Bentley and admire that he always does what he believes in his heart is right, on this issue and many others. And we could go in circles all day, as I have over the last 24 hours, debating who’s right or wrong about the budget projections.

The truth is, both sides in this debate are genuinely working hard toward the same goal — they just differ slightly on the path to get there.

But we can’t waste any more time. There are children in failing schools today, and we need to go get them.

Right.

Now.

[Yellowhammer will break down the political angles to all of this in an article to come.]

What else is going on?
1. Scandals Engulf D.C.
2. Rumors & Rumblings
3. Luther Strange weighs actions over IRS-tea party scandal
4. Campaign finance reform to get a shot on the last day of sessions
5. Media bias laid bare

White House Press Sec. Jay Carney

It’s mass chaos in Washington, D.C. right now.

Literally one third of congressional committees are currently tied up in investigating the Obama administration.

None of this is going away any time soon.

From Benghazi to the IRS to the DOJ, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney has the toughest job in the country right now trying to defend the indefensible. He was visibly flustered toward the end of an hour long beat down at the hands of the White House press corp during which he fielded about sixty questions.

The revelation that the Department of Justice secretly obtained phone records of AP reporters seems to have been the tipping point for the press, who have been in Obama’s pocket since the moment he set foot on the national stage — until now. POLITICO posted a story last night titled “D.C. turns on Obama” that pretty much sums it up.

The more info that comes out on these stories, the more D.C. insiders are expecting resignations from major department officials and White House staff.

On the campaign front, it appears the scandals are already affecting Democrat candidate recruitment. The Dems this week lost a top South Dakota Senate recruit who they were hoping could retain Sen. Tim Johnson’s seat when he retires in 2014.

It will only get worse. The NRSC and NRCC will be slamming potential candidates with these scandals from here on out.

The scandals have become so numerous and overwhelming that one of the top Democrats in the House, Rep. Steny Hoyer, actually lost track of which one he was talking about during a meeting with reporters on Tuesday.

Yahoo!’s Chris Moody reports:

“At Rep. Steny Hoyer’s weekly meeting with reporters on Tuesday, the Maryland Democrat was asked if he was concerned about the DOJ seizing phone records from Associated Press journalists working in the House press gallery in the Capitol building. Hoyer’s answer was well-delivered: Articulate, clear, firm and precise. One problem: He responded to the wrong scandal.”

He was asked about the DOJ targeting the AP, but launched into an answer about the IRS targeting conservatives.

One senior GOP aide in D.C. gave Yellowhammer his perspective via email Wednesday morning.

“The sudden change in the political dynamic in Washington since the middle of last week is striking. The common thread between the Benghazi response, IRS & Tea Party, and AP stories is the potential misuse of government power. The feeling is that the full truth has yet to come to light, and Republicans are pushing hard now on the specifics. There will be more investigation and oversight. Even if the individual problems are not of the President’s direct making, he is ultimately responsible — yet his response has been very weak. He looks isolated, passive, and out of his league. Where is the leadership? He certainly falls well short of Truman’s ‘the buck stops here’ mentality.”

With two more weeks to go before the Memorial Day recess, Democrats are just trying to keep their heads above water.

What else is going on?
1. Rumors & Rumblings
2. Luther Strange weighs actions over IRS-tea party scandal
3. Campaign finance reform to get a shot on last day of session
4. Media bias laid bare
5. Roby Makes Her Move

“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.

Wiregrass Senate Maneuvering

Two weeks ago in Rumors & Rumblings we discussed rumors that Dothan Young Republicans Chairman Brandon Shoupe is considering a run for State Senate in District 29. Since that post we’ve had a flood of calls about the potential candidates who could unseat Sen. Harri Anne Smith.

Some Dothan-area political insiders told Yellowhammer that while Shoupe has a big future ahead of him, his name recognition in the community may not have quite reached the the point where he would a viable candidate to take on Smith.

Dothan businessman George Flowers, who was beaten by Smith in 2010, is said to still be mulling over whether or not to run in 2014.

But the potential candidate who is garnering some early enthusiasm from the wiregrass Republican faithful is Houston County Commissioner Melinda McClendon.

“She took on four candidates in the primary and won without a runoff,” a Dothan-area Republican told Yellowhammer. “She would be a formidable candidate. George Flowers would probably give some consideration to jumping in behind her rather than running himself. That’s how highly we all think of her.”

Smith has not yet announced her intentions for 2014. She has one of the poorest attendance records in the Senate and speculation around the State House is that she’s at least considering leaving the legislature after this term — her fourth.

“Smith and [Jimmy] Holley (R-Elba) are big buddies,” a lobbyist told Yellowhammer Monday morning. “They’re both thinking about hanging it up after this quadrennium.”

If they were both to leave, the wiregrass area senate delegation would look drastically different in 2015 after a decade and a half of stability.

Another Republican eyeing secretary of state

Former Montgomery County Probate Judge Reese McKinney is making the rounds, testing the waters for a possible run for Secretary of State. Joe Reed’s Democrat political machine unseated McKinney in his bid for a third term in 2012. He was one of the last remaining Republicans in a deep blue county.

McKinney is highly thought of in Republican circles. he would start with an established electoral and fundraising base. He raised half a million dollars for a probate judge’s race. That makes him a formidable candidate in a lower ballot statewide race like Secretary of State. McKinney’s niece is U.S. Representative Martha Roby, so he would likely benefit some from her network as well.

Crenshaw County Probate Judge, and new Republican, Jim Perdue is said to still be angling for a potential run, too. And State Representative John Merrill remains the only official entrant into the race. Merrill has been beating the bushes statewide working to shore up early support.

Top Tax & Spender eyeing mayoral race?

The legislature’s top tax & spender, Democrat Rep. Joe Hubbard, has found himself in a tough spot. With Montgomery’s population shrinking, his House district will be eliminated in 2014.

A lot of folks in Montgomery have speculated that Hubbard might make a run at Rep. Jay Love’s seat. Hubbard has taken numerous opportunities to take shots at Rep. Love at the mic on the House floor since the new district lines were revealed.

But one insider told Yellowhammer over the weekend that Hubbard is now weighing a possible run for mayor of Montgomery instead.

“He knows he can’t beat Representative Love,” the insider said. “Jay has too much money and his name ID is too high. That’s made him take a look at mayor. But to be honest, that’s just about as crazy as taking on Love.”

On the flip side, sources say Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange is not going to seek reelection, so it will likely be an open seat.

One more day to go

All eyes will be on the Senate on the final day of the 2013 legislative session. Here are a few things that insiders are watching:

1. With both budgets already passed, there is no longer a need to pass a Budget Isolation Resolution before tackling a bill. But when it gets right down to it, how much work actually gets done on Monday will depend on whether or not Senate Rs and Ds come to an agreement to work together. Lobbyists will be pressuring both sides to work things out, but it won’t be easy.

There are almost 100 local bills and sixty confirmations pending in the Senate. How did it get to that point? Without getting too far down into the weeds, Senate Republicans made a decision early in the session with regard to Sunset bills that spread them out over weeks rather than just hammering through them in a few days. It’s debatable whether that was a good or bad idea, but it prevented them from pursuing the regular order of business which is designed to make the process work.

The result is that House messages, committee reports, confirmations and local bills all got backed up to the point that there are a ton of them left and barely any time left to pass them.

As a result, Democrats now have a pretty significant amount of leverage. It will be interesting to see how both Republicans and Democrats respond to the pressure that will be on them to get some work done on the final day.

2. Anybody who has a bill left that they’re trying to pass is concerned with the governor saying he may send the Accountability Act back for a third go-round. That would burn a lot of time in both houses.

3. Sen. Bryan Taylor’s campaign finance reform bill will likely be sent to conference committee where it will be tweaked before final passage in both Houses. The PAC to PAC transfer tweaks are one portion of the bill that is expected to be taken out. The AEA hates this bill with a passion and will be maneuvering to block it if at all possible.

4. The Omnibus Gun bill has one more hurdle to clear before heading to the Governor. The House should get it out with no problem. There are only about forty bills on the House calendar, roughly ten of which are local bills. The House appears to be in pretty good shape to sprint to the finish line.

Richard Shelby one-on-one

Yellowhammer spent some time late last week with Senator Richard Shelby discussing his economic vision for the state of Alabama. Be on the lookout in the next few days for an exclusive write up of our conversation.

What else is going on?
1. Luther Strange weighs actions over IRS-tea party scandal
2. Campaign finance reform to get a shot on last day of session
3. Media bias laid bare
4. Roby Makes Her Move
5. IRS Admits to Targeting Conservative Groups

“This situation demands full accountability from the IRS and procedures to ensure that safeguards are put in place so that this type of egregious abuse of the public trust does not occur again,” Strange said in the release. “It only makes sense for the President to appoint a special prosecutor to fairly and impartially investigate these troubling allegations to determine who directed these activities and if anyone in or associated with the White House knew of these activities and failed to stop them.”

An al.com story by George Talbot on Monday had revealed two groups, the Mobile-based tea party group Common Sense Campaign and the Wetumpka Tea Party, were targets of IRS. In a follow-up interview with Yellowhammer, Strange said that inspired his query and explained that he was in the fact-finding stages to see if any laws had been broken.

“The more that comes out about this unfolding scandal – the fact that two Alabama groups are known to be targeted, it just occurred to me it could really be far-reaching in our state,” Strange said. “I don’t even know how many groups that are interested in good government here in Alabama, whether they’re related to the tea party or not. My goal is to find out.”

“I plan to get that information together and get it to hopefully what will be a special prosecutor, but if not, to the law enforcement authorities in D.C. and make sure we get to the bottom of it,” he added.

The Alabama AG stopped short of saying his office was considering any action against the federal government on these groups’ behalf. Instead, he emphasized “coordination and cooperation” with federal law enforcement.

“The basic rule in law enforcement is coordination and cooperation between different law enforcement agencies,” he said. “So if laws have been broken, I would hope that whatever authority has jurisdiction would cooperate with us to help get to the bottom of it.”

He did however underscore the serious nature of these revelations.

“It’s one of the most frightening things I’ve encountered in my time in office,” he said. “You know, the awesome power of the federal government targeting people for their political beliefs is extraordinarily troubling. I’m going to be very interested to see how widespread it is. I think that’s something that will be helpful in whatever direction this goes in. If we got a significant number in Alabama, you can be sure that they’ll be a significant number in other states as well.”

He said any groups that felt they were unjustly targeted by the IRS should contact his office at 334-242-7300.

Jeff Poor is the media reporter for the Washington, D.C.-based Daily Caller. He is also a columnist for Mobile-based Lagniappe and a Yellowhammer contributor. He is a graduate of both Auburn University and the University of South Alabama.

What else is going on?
1. Campaign finance reform to get a shot on last day of
2. Media bias laid bare
3. Roby Makes Her Move
4. IRS Admits to Targeting Conservative Groups
5. Barry Mask: From Aubie, to Legislator, to CEO