By Brian Lyman | Editor
“Maybe there's better news than we anticipate. Maybe there's worse, but projections for fiscal year ‘28 are not pleasant.” - State Finance Officer Bill Poole on potential premium increases
The Public Education Employee Health Insurance Plan board unanimously approved a plan to ask the Legislature for a $222 million increase for fiscal year 2028 at its quarterly meeting on Sept. 1, 2026, in the RSA tower in Montgomery, Alabama. (Anna Barrett/Alabama Reflector)
HEALTHCARE
By Anna Barrett
The state boards overseeing health insurance plans for education and state employees Tuesday took steps to address deficits caused by rising healthcare costs. The Public Education Employees Health Insurance Plan voted to request an extra $222 million from the Legislature next year. The State Employees Insurance Board recommended the first premium increase for state employees in 11 years. However, potentially difficult budgets may complicate their plans.
U.S. Sen. and Republican gubernatorial nominee Tommy Tuberville speaking at the Alabama Republican Party's Summer Dinner on July 31, 2026, at the Renaissance Hotel in Montgomery, Alabama. (Anna Barrett/Alabama Reflector)
ELECTIONS 2026
By Andrea Tinker
In an op-ed published Tuesday on Alabama Political Reporter, Republican gubernatorial nominee Tommy Tuberville said he would work to give communities power over having data centers and put the facilities in the state’s highest property tax bracket. The move came after Tuberville spent weeks touting data centers and denouncing their critics. Tuberville’s campaign did not provide details on his approach, which could require constitutional amendments the governor has no direct role in.
A natural gas meter with a pipe on a wall. (Bill Oxford/Getty Images)
ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT
By Ralph Chapoco
The Alabama Public Service Commission Tuesday voted to lower the rate of return for Spire Alabama, a natural gas energy company serving about 500,000 in Alabama. The cut, a rare step for the state utility regulator, came after the company and the Alabama Attorney General’s Office failed to reach an agreement earlier this year. The commission did approve Spire imposing a new monthly fee on customers.
ICYMI
USPS whistleblower predicts ‘catastrophic’ effect on elections under Trump vote-by-mail order | Jacob Fischler, DC Bureau
Nine justices on the Supreme Court or 13? Numbers battle revived in Congress | Ashley Murray, DC Bureau
SNAP cuts could lead to kids losing free breakfast and lunch | Kevin Hardy, Stateline
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