Special Feature

Citing his conservative, commonsense, businessman’s approach to government, State Representative Arnold Mooney (R – North Shelby) is seeking a second term as the representative for House District 43, which covers much of North Shelby County. “As a House member, I have stood up for the conservative beliefs, morals, and values that define Alabamians and the Alabama Republican Party, worked to ensure our state budgets spend within their means, and fought against the passage of tax increases on the citizens of our state,” Mooney said. “We have also successfully implemented several needed reforms that will ensure Alabama does not look back as we continue to move forward building a sound, job growth economy. More work remains to be done and I look forward to doing my part while serving a second term in Montgomery.”

Since taking office in 2014, Mooney sponsored and co-sponsored 22 bills that passed, several received national attention. National labor unions increased their efforts to organize industrial facilities across the southeast and experienced successes that included, Volkswagen in Tennessee and Golden Dragon in Wilcox County, prompted Mooney to sponsor and pass a constitutional amendment establishing Alabama as a “right-to-work” state. This provides non-union workers with blanket employment protections. Voters concurred and ratified Mooney’s constitutional amendment by a 70 percent to 30 percent margin on the 2016 election ballot. Mooney also sponsored and passed the “Health Care Rights of Conscience Act,” which provides civil and criminal immunity for Alabama health care workers who refuse to perform certain procedures, such as services relating to abortion, human cloning, human embryonic stem cell research, and sterilization, that violate their sincerely-held religious beliefs.

As the House Sponsor for the Closed Primary Run-off Bill, he was successful in securing its passage, thereby ending cross-over voting in Alabama, and ensuring integrity in our elections. By repeatedly sponsoring House legislation to end the practice of charging Lodging Tax on Meeting rooms for conventions, events and social occasions, Mooney is responsible for the Department of Revenue ending its anti-competitive assessment of the tax.

During the 2018 Session Mooney was the House Sponsor for the successful passage of the DUI-Inter Lock Bill that makes our roadways safer from drunk drivers by requiring more use of Interlock devices. He also sponsored the passage of the Freedom of Religious Liberty and Constitutional Display of the Ten Commandments Amendment which will be voted on in November and the Alabama Electronic Security Board of licensure Bill providing protection to Senior Citizens from high pressure sales tactics and unwanted security installations. Mooney was also the House Sponsor of legislation that has put a spotlight on and begun the favorable discussion of ending Civil Asset Forfeiture problems in Alabama. Learn more about him at www.arnoldmooney.com.

Special Feature

“It’s about doing the right thing, for the right reason, the right way, at the right time,” says Congressman Gary Palmer about his role and the role of his team in serving families in Alabama’s Sixth Congressional District (Jefferson, Shelby, Blount, Bibb, Chilton and Coosa Counties) in Washington, D.C.Palmer believes his first two terms in office have given him the opportunity to build credibility, gather information and drive solutions to issues like paying down the national debt by cutting spending, including eliminating improper payments, and a health care plan that is affordable and available.

“It’s a nuts and bolts effort from day one,” says Palmer who sees a third term in office as an opportunity to do even more for the people of Alabama and the nation. “I’m not interested in passing a bunch of bills, so I can come back and tell you how many bills I’ve passed. I’m interested in doing things that will really substantively improve the nations prospects…It won’t be breaking news, but it will have a big impact,” says Palmer.

When it comes to Palmer’s congressional accomplishments over the past four years, he points to his team in Washington, his team in the District, local mayors, and Congressional colleagues, many of whom serve as he does from a Christian perspective “It often surprises people when I tell them how many Christians there are in Congress. I am in a Bible study that meets very Wednesday morning and we rotate around to each other’s offices. And then I’ve got a group of guys, there are six of us, that meet on the mornings we are flying home. We meet at 6 a.m. to pray for one another and hold each other accountable, and that goes on all over on the House and on the Senate side,” explains Palmer. “People who are bearing one another’s burdens, praying for one another, and trying to live out their faith in a fairly hostile environment that does not always appreciate people who love the Lord and are trying as best they can to serve His purposes in their lives.” Learn more about Congressman Palmer’s faith and family at www.birminghamchristian.com/cover-story-gary-palmer.