Alabama House GOP Takes AEA Money, Documents Reveal
Leave a CommentThe Alabama Education Association (AEA) and other previously secret donors to the Alabama House Republican Conference have been revealed in documents obtained by the Center for Public Integrity (CPI).
CPI received the typically undisclosed documents from Rachel Adams, communications director for Speaker of the House Mike Hubbard.
“[W]hen the Center for Public Integrity asked Rachel Adams … for a copy of the group’s most recent tax form, she provided a version that is typically only delivered to the Internal Revenue Service and includes contributor names and contribution amounts,” the organization reported.
Among the 16 reported donors is the Alabama Education Association (AEA), which donated $5,000 to the conference. Alabama Republicans have condemned the AEA repeatedly since obtaining a supermajority in the state for the first time in over 100 years. Most recently, the Alabama Republican Party challenged at least three candidates’ access to the party ballot for taking money from the teachers union.
Other donations include $5,000 from former Democrat Lt. Gov. Steve Windom’s lobbying firm, Steve Windom, LLC; $15,000 from Alabama Wholesale Beer Association PAC; $5,000 from Alabama Power Co.; and $5,000 from Trial Trust.
A full list of donors is included below. The Alabama House Republican Conference received $100,000 from corporate, trade and other political organizations according to the report.
| Name: | Location: | Amount: |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama Wholesale Beer Association PAC | Montgomery, Ala. | $15,000 |
| FedEx Corp. PAC | Memphis, Tenn. | $10,000 |
| Eli Lilly & Co. PAC | Indianapolis, Ind. | $7,500 |
| Alabama Education Association | Montgomery, Ala. | $5,000 |
| Alabama Power Co. | Birmingham, Ala. | $5,000 |
| Alabama Retail Association | Montgomery, Ala. | $5,000 |
| Alfa Mutual Insurance Co. | Montgomery, Ala. | $5,000 |
| Blue Cross and Blue Shielf of Alabama | Birmingham, Ala. | $5,000 |
| FGA PAC | Montgomery, Ala. | $5,000 |
| Franklin PAC | Montgomery, Ala. | $5,000 |
| Future PAC | Montgomery, Ala. | $5,000 |
| JM Family Enterprises Inc. | Deerfield Beach, Fla. | $5,000 |
| Manufacture Alabama | Montgomery, Ala. | $5,000 |
| Medical Association of the State of Alabama | Montgomery, Ala. | $5,000 |
| Steve Windom, LLC | Montgomery, Ala. | $5,000 |
| Trial Trust | Montgomery, Ala. | $5,000 |
| Pfizer Inc. | New York, N.Y. | $2,500 |
Source: Alabama House Republican Conference’s 2012 tax return; Center for Public Integrity review of voluntary corporate filings.
Sweet Home Politics reached out to Speaker Hubbard’s Office but had not received a statement at of the time of publication.