2027 Session Preview & Our New Associate
October 13, 2026 Group Watch: News & Views from the State House
With elections coming in a few weeks and the 2027 regular session of the Alabama Legislature mere months away, political moves, policy discussions and previews of bills likely to be filed in 2027 are already making headlines. Read more on some of the most recent activity below.
And please join us in welcoming The Bloom Group’s newest associate, Stephen McNair. We’re thrilled to have him onboard, and you can learn more about the experience and expertise he brings our team below.
Residency Case Against Tuberville Is Dismissed
Last Friday, the Alabama Supreme Court ended the debate about Alabama gubernatorial candidate Tommy Tuberville’s residency status when it decided to uphold a lower court decision that dismissed the case brought earlier this year. The plaintiffs claimed Tuberville didn’t meet the residency requirements to run for governor, but the ruling from the Supreme Court states that, “the circuit court lacked subject-matter jurisdiction to consider the relators’ action and that it, therefore, properly dismissed the action.”
Read more about the case here, and read the entire Supreme Court decision, here.
Changes In Alabama’s Department of Finance
Since 2021, when Governor Kay Ivey appointed him as director of the Alabama Department of Finance, Bill Poole has been a major player in decisions concerning how and where the state allocates funds. Formerly an attorney, and then an Alabama legislator, Poole stepped down from his director position in late September.
Ivey praised Poole’s service, calling him “an outstanding public servant,” and stressed how his leadership improved the state’s finances and its overall economy in multiple ways, including handling the distribution of funds during the pandemic and helping create Innovate Alabama, a public-private partnership fueling business growth across the state.
The governor named Doryan Carlton, state budget officer in the Executive Budget Office, as Poole’s replacement. Carlton brings her 26 of experience in the budget office to the role.
And Poole may have left his state job, but he’s in no way retiring. He recently announced he’s joining Harrison Construction, a Tuscaloosa-based company, with the title of vice president of finance, legal and external affairs. And, he’s starting his own consulting firm, Poole Growth Strategies.
Read more here.
Bill to Eliminate Grocery Taxes Coming in 2027
Image via Unsplash by @nicotitto
After years of debate, The Alabama Legislature made changes to the state’s grocery tax structure in 2023. Legislation passed during that session began a phased reduction, moving from 4 percent down to 3 percent in 2023 and then down to 2 percent in September 2025, which remains the current level.
Now, Rep. Danny Garrett (R-Trussville) plans to file a bill to bring that number down to zero. He’s long championed eliminating taxes food; he was behind the original 2023 bill.
And the idea has proven popular across the political spectrum, with both Alabama gubernatorial candidates endorsing no state sales tax on most grocery items.
Read more here.
Flock Cameras Could Be On the Chopping Block
Amid privacy and abuse concerns, Alabama lawmakers will likely consider legislation addressing Flock cameras this session. The cameras — which read and capture vehicle license plates — have been on streets and highways nationwide for years and used to solve crimes, including child abduction cases.
But they’ve gained negative attention recently as some cases of misuse by law enforcement have come to light and have raised concerns about the camera’s constitutional status. Florida recently banned Flock cameras altogether, and multiple Alabama legislators have voiced support for a bill or bills addressing the cameras’ issues, if not an outright ban.
Read more here.
Budget & Revenue News Ahead of the 2027 Session
Recent reports show that the state’s 2026 fiscal year revenues have exceeded expecations, which could make the budgeting and allocation process smoother next session. But, as Legislative Services Agency Deputy Director Kirk Fulford explains in the below linked article, multiple factors impact the state’s General Fund and Education Trust Fund budgets, including some looming and neccessary costs like funds needed for SNAP and state health insurance programs.
Read more here.
The Bloom Group Welcomes New Associate
Stephen McNair, Ph.D. is a governmental affairs professional and serves as the Principal for the Delta Policy Group and as an Associate for The Bloom Group, Inc. McNair brings more than a decade of experience to The Bloom Group with a focus on legislative and policy initiatives at the local, state, and federal levels and economic development consulting.
Based in Mobile, he previously served as the Director of External and Governmental Affairs for the City of Mobile. McNair is the former owner of McNair Historic Preservation, Inc., a national consulting firm representing clients with a focus on economic development, government relations, and tax credit incentives. McNair received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Alabama, a master’s degree from Tulane University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Edinburgh.
“I’m excited to join The Bloom Group and look forward to bringing my experience to one of Alabama’s leading governmental relations firms,” said McNair. “I know how much relationships matter, and I’m ready to leverage existing ones and forge new ones for our clients while building on The Bloom Group’s reputation for integrity and results.”
McNair is a former member of the Southern Rail Commission and serves on the Board of the Community Foundation of South Alabama, Design Alabama, the Boy Scouts of America (Mobile Area Council), and the University of Alabama College of Arts & Sciences Leadership Board.
Tuberville Says The People Should Decide the Fate of an Alabama Lottery
Last week during a speaking engagement, Alabama Republican candidate for governor Tommy Tuberville said he’d sign off on a bill allowing a lottery in the state if the people of Alabama vote for one. In the last few legislative sessions, gambling bills, including a lottery bill, have failed in the Alabama Legislature, but Tuberville stressed he believes lawmakers should put the measure on the ballot and let Alabama residents decide. If they approve it, he says he’ll sign off on it.
Read more here.
Meet The Bloom Group: (left to right) John Guthrie Jr., Harris Sanderson, Stephanie Norrell, Hal Bloom (principal/founder), Allen Sanderson (principal), Sara Elizabeth Burnham (vice president), James Dupree Jr., John Floyd.