House GOP Caucus Unveils “Standing Tall For Alabama” Agenda

HOUSE GOP CAUCUS UNVEILS “STANDING TALL FOR ALABAMA” AGENDA FOCUSING ON CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS, CRT BAN, AND OTHER MEASURES

Members of the House Republican Caucus leadership and agenda committee held a news conference on Wednesday as they unveiled the 2022 “Standing Tall for Alabama” legislative agenda, which includes measures that secure constitutional gun rights, block extremist doctrines from being taught in public school classrooms, protect first responders from attack, cut taxes for small businesses and farmers, and further expand broadband access in rural Alabama.

“Our 2022 ‘Standing Tall for Alabama’ agenda is a broad-based plan that positively affects every Alabamian and makes our state an even better place to live, work, worship, and raise a family,” House Majority Leader Nathaniel Ledbetter (R – Rainsville) said. “While other bills will certainly be introduced, debated, and voted upon during the 2022 session, Republican House members have unanimously pledged to prioritize and pass through our chamber the measures that are included in our agenda.”

State Rep. Randall Shedd (R – Fairview) chaired the Caucus platform committee, which solicited Republican lawmakers to submit bills for consideration and recommended the items included in the agenda. The full Caucus membership ratified the recommendations at a recent meeting.

“I believe the platform committee crafted a document that truly reflects the needs, issues, and concerns that matter most to our fellow Alabamians,” Shedd said. “It is an ambitious but achievable agenda that is firmly rooted in constitutional principles, conservative policies, and commonsense philosophy.”

Both Ledbetter and Shedd offered their thanks to members of the House Republican Caucus agenda committee, each of whom devoted substantial hours to creating a platform that serves the best interests of citizens across the state.

In addition to Shedd, the state representatives serving on the Republican agenda committee included Alan Baker (R – Brewton), Chip Brown (R – Hollinger’s Island), Danny Garrett (R – Trussville), Joe Lovvorn (R – Auburn), Pronecy Robertson (R – Mount Hope), Scott Stadthagen (R – Hartselle), Allen Treadaway (R – Morris), Ritchie Whorton (R – Owens Cross Roads), Margie Wilcox (R – Mobile), and Debbie Wood (R – Valley).

The full agenda includes the following measures:

ALABAMA HOUSE REPUBLICAN CAUCUS
“STANDING TALL FOR ALABAMA” LEGISLATIVE AGENDA

STANDING TALL FOR CONSTITUTIONAL FREEDOMS AND AMERICAN VALUES

• The Alabama House Republican Caucus will pass “Constitutional Carry” legislation that fully embraces the tenets of the Second Amendment and allows law-abiding Alabamians to carry firearms without first having to pay a gun tax in the form of permit fees for their already guaranteed right.

• The Alabama House Republican Caucus will protect state law enforcement officers from enforcing unconstitutional, anti-Second Amendment, federal executive orders that are signed and issued by the Biden administration.

• The Alabama House Republican Caucus will approve legislation to ban Critical Race Theory and other extremist social doctrines from being taught in the state’s taxpayer-funded, public school classrooms.

STANDING TALL FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT AND FIRST RESPONDERS

• The Alabama House Republican Caucus will once again pass “The Alabama Anti-Riot Act,” which creates new and stricter punishments for those who lead or participate in riots, such as the uprising that occurred in downtown Birmingham in 2020 and resulted in widespread damage and burglaries in multiple businesses and the vandalization of public property.

• The Alabama House Republican Caucus will pass the “First Responder Protection Act,” which creates the new felony crimes of Assault Against a First Responder in the first and second degrees.

STANDING TALL FOR THE UNBORN

• The Alabama House Republican Caucus has already enacted the nations strongest pro-life law and will begin the process to streamline, clarify and improve the adoption process so foster care and adoption agencies may more easily move children into permanent families and forever homes.
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• The Alabama House Republican Caucus will pass a resolution urging the U.S. Supreme Court to rule constitutional the Mississippi pro-life law that bans abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

STANDING TALL FOR HONEST ELECTIONS

• The Alabama House Republican Caucus will oppose any efforts by Alabama Democrats to erode the state’s election integrity, voter identification, absentee ballot security laws.

STANDING TALL FOR SMALL BUSINESS AND ALABAMA FARMERS

• The Alabama House Republican Caucus will pass a historic tax cut that exempts the first $40,000 of business personal property from taxation in order to recognize the important role that small businesses and farms play in our state’s economy.

STANDING TALL FOR TEACHERS AND PUBLIC EMPLOYEES

• The Alabama House Republican Caucus will pass pay raises for active public education workers and state employees in order to recognize their service and allow them to better withstand the inflation that has occurred in the nation’s economy under Joe Biden and congressional Democrats.

• The Alabama House Republican Caucus will pass a longevity bonus based upon years of service for retired teachers, support personnel, and retired state employees in order to recognize their decades of contributions. The bill will also authorize city and county governments participating in RSA to offer similar bonuses to their retirees if they wish.

STANDING TALL FOR RURAL ALABAMA

• The Alabama House Republican Caucus will prioritize the initiative to build, improve, and expand high-speed Internet service in rural Alabama, which will improve education, attract economic development, expand access to healthcare through tele-medicine services, and provide new opportunities to impoverished areas of our state.

• The Alabama House Republican Caucus will pass legislation appropriating historic funding for broadband expansion in rural regions of the state.

STANDING TALL FOR OUR MILITARY AND VETERANS

• The Alabama House Republican Caucus will approve a package of bills recommended by the Military Stability Commission and designed to make Alabama the nation’s friendliest state for service members, dependents, and veterans. The package will also help Alabama preserve and expand the military bases and infrastructure located throughout the state.