• State lawmakers from the budget-writing committees met in Montgomery Tuesday for the first of two days of budget hearings.
• State Sen. Arthur Orr and Rep. Bill Poole presided as the Joint Budget Committee heard fiscal reports and requests from Early Childhood, K-12, post-secondary, higher education, and mental health.
• State Superintendent Eric Mackey is asking the Legislature to fund 240 new teacher positions for 4th through 6th grades. That's where it's needed because those are the largest class sizes, he said.
• He's also asking for $22 million for school security. That money would go toward school resource officers, mental health counselors, cameras and access point monitoring, locks and new emergency response technology.
• Mental Health Commissioner Lynn Beshear is asking for a total budget increase of almost $40 million she says is desperately needed for the state to provide adequate mental health care.
• Alabama Community College System Chancellor Jimmy Baker asked for a $56 million budget increase to fund workforce development programs, building maintenance and other system needs.

• Well, I mean, it's your tax dollars.
• The state is projected to have lots more tax-generated revenue to spend on the Education Trust Fund budget this year. That's thanks to significant economic growth and improvements in how the state collects sales taxes.
• As fun as that might seem for state lawmakers, there's also no shortage of state agencies asking for that money.
• The $22 million for school security would be a brand new line item in the budget, not just a one-time pot of money like last year.
• Beshear told lawmakers Alabama is dead last nationally in the availability of behavioral health providers - one per every 1,260 people.

• Budget hearings continue TODAY at the State House, where lawmakers will hear from General Fund agencies.
• Human Resources, Senior Services, ALEA, Corrections, Public Health and Medicaid are all on tap for today beginning at 9:00.
• There won't be as much new money to go around for the General Fund this year, but that doesn't mean the needs and requests won't be there.
• Read about all this and see the Budget presentations for yourself in a thorough story from ADN's Caroline Beck and Mary Sell.

• Here's some news: The Democratic National Committee has called a hearing to mediate complaints over the Alabama Democratic Party's election of officers.
• Last July, the re-election of Alabama Democratic Party Chairwoman Nancy Worley came with lots of controversy and complaints over the voting process.
• Two official complaints were eventually filed with the DNC, including an exhaustive seven-page brief from party member Ralph Young claiming the voting procedure was out of step with the national party's racial and gender diversity standards.
• In a letter to Worley and the complainants, DNC Credentials Committee co-chairs Karen Carter Peterson and John Currie said the stories of the parties were in conflict and that an evidentiary hearing would be set for February 11 in Washington, D.C. to mediate the matter.
• If a resolution is not reached, the Credentials Committee will vote on the issue at its meeting on February 14.
• Worley has not yet responded to a request for comment.
• Read the full story and see the DNC's letter for yourself HERE.

• A judge has ordered mediation in the defamation lawsuit filed against former Gov. Robert Bentley by his former law enforcement chief.
• Montgomery Circuit Judge Greg Griffin has ordered the two sides to attempt mediation.
• Spencer Collier sued Bentley in 2016 contending that the governor wrongfully fired him as ALEA Secretary and then tried to discredit him with a sham state investigation. Bentley had contended Collier was dismissed for cause.
• A day after being fired, Collier publicly accused the governor of having an inappropriate relationship with adviser Rebekah Mason. Bentley's wife filed for divorce in August 2015 and Bentley resigned in April 2017.
• Griffin appointed mediators to work with the two sides. The case is scheduled to go to trial in September.
• Read the full story from Mike Cason HERE.