John Sharp | jsharp@al.com

Alabama's 54th governor takes office

Kay Ivey, in her second term as lieutenant governor, was sworn in as the 54th governor of Alabama on April 10, following the resignation of Robert Bentley amid scandal. Ivey, who also previously served two terms as state treasurer, became the second female governor in Alabama and promised that her administration would be open, transparent, and honest.

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'Steady the ship'

Ivey's message since taking office is that she is a governor who wants to "steady the ship" of Alabama following Bentley's resignation. She has continued with that message throughout her first 100 days and has not made a decision on her political future in 2018. Meanwhile, a host of GOP candidates have signed on to run for governor next year.

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Jon Mason ouster

Jon Mason, husband of ex-Gov. Robert Bentley's alleged mistress Rebekah Caldwell Mason and a central figure in a scandal that eventually brought down the former governor, was removed from his state job during Ivey's first day in office.

Mason had been the director of the Governor's Office of Faith-Based and Volunteer Services since 2011, and was earning an annual salary of $91,400.

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Julie Bennett

Judicial override

On her first day on the job, the new governor signed a bill into law that gives juries, not judges, the final say on whether to impose the death penalty in capital murder cases. Alabama had been the only state that allows a judge to override a jury's recommendation when sentencing capital murder cases.

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Rural Development

On Ivey's second day on the job, she abolished the Alabama Office of Rural Development. The announcement upset its former director, Ron Sparks, who accused the new governor of playing politics. Ivey, in a statement, said her decision to close an office wasn't personal. It was opened in 2011 during the Bentley administration.

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Senate election

On April 18, Ivey authorized a special election for the U.S. Senate seat once held by Jeff Sessions. The move upended current Sen. Luther Strange's brief tenure in office. Strange had been appointed as the new Senator in February by former Gov. Robert Bentley. Now, he's in a campaign to fend off 10 GOP challengers ahead of the Aug. 15 primary. The general election is set for Dec. 12.

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Gas tax

Ivey backed an increase to the state's portion of the gasoline tax in April, but the Alabama Legislature opted not to move forward with it. Ivey argued that the increase would spark much-needed infrastructure improvement in Alabama. State lawmakers haven't increased the fuel tax since 1992.

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Health questions

The governor hasn't committed to running for office in 2018, and speculation has surfaced about the 72-year-old being in questionable health. Her office said in May that a 2015 health scare was the result of high altitude sickness and not a stroke.

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Bicentennial kickoff

Ivey kicked off the state's three-year bicentennial celebration on May 5 along Mobile's waterfront. Said Ivey in her statements: "My fellow Alabamians, you are the reason for our sweet home Alabama ... Our people are as sweet as our iced tea, and our future is as bright as the sun over the Gulf."

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Adoption law and California travel ban

The governor signed legislation on May 4 that allows adoption agencies in Alabama to follow faith-based policies, such as not placing children with gay couples. California state officials countered in June by placing Alabama on its state's travel ban list. Said Ivey: "We in Alabama pass laws that affect our people and are good for us, and California does the same thing. So we'll leave it at that."

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I-65 widening

In a meeting with Shelby County officials and Alabama Department of Transportation Director John Cooper in May, Ivey requested the widening of I-65 in north Shelby County. The 3.5-mile project, estimated to cost between $50 million to $60 million, will begin in early 2018.

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Protecting Confederate monuments

New Orleans made national headlines in May for a city-backed effort to remove four monuments to Confederate-era figures. In Alabama, the state Legislature and Ivey's office did its part to protect the state's monuments. Ivey signed legislation on May 24 prohibiting local governments from removing historical monuments on public property that have been in place for 40 years or longer.

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Death penalty

As governor, Ivey has the power to commute the death sentence of an inmate to life or grant a reprieve to delay an execution. But since taking office, two inmates have been put to death: Tommy Arthur, on May 25 for a 1982 murder-for-hire plot, and Robert Melson on June 8 for the 1994 slayings of three Popeye's restaurant workers in Gadsden. Ivey also signed a bill into law on May 26 that aims to shorten the duration in which death row inmates can appeal their cases.



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Alabama Supreme Court

Ivey appointed conservative Will Sellers of the Montgomery law firm Balch & Bingham to the Alabama Supreme Court in late May. Sellers was appointed to fill the vacancy left following the resignation of former Chief Justice Roy Moore. In April, Ivey named Lyn Stuart as chief justice.

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Trump and infrastructure

Ivey was one of eight governors to visit with President Donald Trump on June 8 in Washington, D.C. The subject of their meeting was on infrastructure, and the new governor pledged to work with the Alabama Legislature soon so the state can be ready to back any new massive federal infrastructure program.

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First emergency

Ivey oversaw her first weather-related emergency in late June when Tropical Depression Cindy arrived to the Gulf Coast, causing flooding and storms throughout the state. The biggest tragedy from the storm was the death of 10-year-old Nolan McCabe of St. Louis, who was struck by a log during a storm surge in Fort Morgan. Said Ivey: "We regret that so much, and our prayers and our thoughts are certainly with his family in this especially difficult time."

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Prison expansion

Ivey could soon call a special session to deal with the state's prisons overcrowding, and the new governor has tossed her support behind a massive building plan that has been pushed by some Alabama lawmakers. How to deal with the state's beleaguered prisons could be a defining issue for Ivey in her first year as governor.

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Mental health shake-up

The governor fired Alabama Mental Health Commissioner Jim Perdue on June 30. A week later, she named Montgomery resident Lynn Beshear to head up the state agency. Said Perdue on his firing: "I had no inkling this was going to happen."

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An extra day off - July 3

Ivey announced on June 28 that all non-essential state employees would be given July 3 off as a paid holiday. Auditor Jim Zeigler, who is considering a run for governor in 2018, accused Ivey of playing "dramatic politics" by announcing the day off with such short notice.

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Disbanding Bentley task forces

On July 14, the governor disbanded 18 task forces, commissions and councils that former Gov. Robert Bentley set up.

“I believe strongly that my role is to make decisions and lead, not kick the can down the road. I am choosing to tackle some of the issues that have previously been sent before a task force,” Ivey said in a statement.

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Lobbyists ban

Ivey signed an executive order on July 13 that banned officials in the executive branch from appointing lobbyists to serve on state boards or commissions. The governor said more than 100 registered lobbyists were serving on state boards or commissions.