Changes

In 1996, Hubbard worked in public relations to elect Republican [[Bob Riley]] to fill Alabama's 3rd congressional district seat in the [[United States House of Representatives]].<ref name=newrepublic/>  Two years later, Hubbard won his first term in the Alabama state House. In 2002, Riley was elected [[governor]] and thereafter made Representative Hubbard the state party chairman. Hubbard grew close to the governor and even named his younger son, "Riley."<ref name=corruptgop/>

In 1996, Hubbard worked in public relations to elect Republican [[Bob Riley]] to fill Alabama's 3rd congressional district seat in the [[United States House of Representatives]].<ref name=newrepublic/>  Two years later, Hubbard won his first term in the Alabama state House. In 2002, Riley was elected [[governor]] and thereafter made Representative Hubbard the state party chairman. Hubbard grew close to the governor and even named his younger son, "Riley."<ref name=corruptgop/>

To win the House majority, Hubbard employed a program called "A Republican Handshake with Alabama," which promised immigration controls, spending cuts, a state constitutional amendment defining conception as the beginning of human life, and new ethics legislation, which the GOP claimed was needed because of earlier felony convictions of [[Democratic Party|Democratic]] former Governor Don Siegelman. Along with the new Republican majority in the House, the GOP elected [[Robert Bentley]] to succeed Governor Riley, and the party acquired the majority in the state Senate. In a special session in December 2002, Hubbard' obtained passage of the pledged ethics reforms. Hubbard doubled the budget of the Speaker to nearly $900,000 and assumed an aggressive political stance.<ref>{{cite news|author=Joe Miller|title=How a Corrupt GOP Is Running Alabama Into the Ground|url=https://newrepublic.com/article/133660/corrupt-gop-running-alabama-ground|publisher=''The New Republic''|date=May 23, 2016|accessdate=November 3, 2017}}</ref>

To win the House majority, Hubbard employed a program called "A Republican Handshake with Alabama," which promised immigration controls, spending cuts, a state constitutional amendment defining conception as the beginning of human life, and new ethics legislation, which the GOP claimed was needed because of earlier felony convictions of [[Democratic Party|Democratic]] former Governor Don Siegelman. Along with the new Republican majority in the House, the GOP elected [[Robert Bentley]] to succeed Governor Riley, and the party acquired the majority in the state Senate. In a special session in December 2002, Hubbard' obtained passage of the pledged ethics reforms. Hubbard doubled the budget of the Speaker to nearly $900,000 and assumed an aggressive political stance.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://newrepublic.com/article/133660/corrupt-gop-running-alabama-ground

|author=Joe Miller|title=How a Corrupt GOP Is Running Alabama Into the Ground|publisher=''The New Republic''|date=May 23, 2016|accessdate=November 3, 2017}}</ref>

In May 2011, ''Governing Magazine''' named Hubbard one of seventeen "GOP Legislators to Watch" on a national level. The recipients of the honor were chosen on the basis of ambition, leadership, and political potential.<ref name=ballotpedia>{{cite web|url=https://ballotpedia.org/Mike_Hubbard|title=Mike Hubbard|publisher=Ballotpedia.org|accessdate=November 1, 2017}}</ref>

In May 2011, ''Governing Magazine''' named Hubbard one of seventeen "GOP Legislators to Watch" on a national level. The recipients of the honor were chosen on the basis of ambition, leadership, and political potential.<ref name=ballotpedia>{{cite web|url=https://ballotpedia.org/Mike_Hubbard|title=Mike Hubbard|publisher=Ballotpedia.org|accessdate=November 1, 2017}}</ref>In 2012, Hubbard wrote a book about the Republican surge in Alabama entitled ''Storming The State House: The Campaign That Liberated Alabama from 136 Years of Democrat Rule.''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.al.com/live/2012/06/four_revelations_from_alabama.html|title=Four revelations from ''Storming the State House''|author=George Talbot|date= June 20, 2012|publisher=''The Birmingham News''|accessdate=November 1, 2017}}</ref>  

In 2013, Alabama Republicans approved House Bill 56, which authorized police to stop, search, and arrest those believed to be illegal immigrants, but the measure was soon declared unconstitutional by the federal courts.<ref>{{cite news|name=David Noriega|title=Alabama's Draconian Anti-Immigrant Law Dies With A Whimper|url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/davidnoriega/alabamas-draconian-anti-immigrant-law-dies-with-a-whimper|accessdate=May 21, 2016|work=Buzzfeed.com|date=November 3, 2014}}</ref>  Hubbard also pushed to passage voter identification laws and the closing of driver's license offices in the poorest counties in the state.<ref name=corruptgop/>

In 2013, Alabama Republicans approved House Bill 56, which authorized police to stop, search, and arrest those believed to be illegal immigrants, but the measure was soon declared unconstitutional by the federal courts.<ref>{{cite news|name=David Noriega|title=Alabama's Draconian Anti-Immigrant Law Dies With A Whimper|url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/davidnoriega/alabamas-draconian-anti-immigrant-law-dies-with-a-whimper|accessdate=May 21, 2016|work=Buzzfeed.com|date=November 3, 2014}}</ref>  Hubbard also pushed to passage voter identification laws and the closing of driver's license offices in the poorest counties in the state.<ref name=corruptgop/>

In 2012, Speaker Hubbard voted to require school districts to schedule a longer summer break for public school pupils. That same year he voted to exclude [[insurance]] policies from covering elective [[abortion]]s. In 2013, he voted to establish health care standards for abortuaries  in Alabama. In 2014, he supported the bill to prohibit abortion after the detection of the heartbeat of the unborn child. He voted to display the [[Ten Commandments]] on public property, a measure which passed the House, 77-19. He supported drug testing for certain recipients of the public welfare system. In 2015, Hubbard supported legislation affirming the use of electrocution in executions. He voted to establish public [[charter school]]s in Alabama, a measure which passed the House, 58-41. He supported the bill to permit the home schooled to participate in athletic events at public schools, a measure approved by the full House, 52-43. He supported the increase in the cigarette tax;  the legislation passed the House, 52-46. He voted against requiring animal shelters to compile monthly reports, a measure which the House disapproved, 28-67. In 2016, Hubbard voted to increase funding for new prison facilities, legislation which  cleared the House, 52-33. He co-sponsored legislation to forbid the sale of fetal tissue or to permit its use in research, and in his final House vote opposed dilation abortions in Alabama.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://votesmart.org/candidate/key-votes/15923/mike-hubbard|title=Mike Hubbard's Voting Records|publisher=Project Vote Smart|accessdate=November 3, 2017}}</ref>

In 2012, Speaker Hubbard voted to require school districts to schedule a longer summer break for public school pupils. That same year he voted to exclude [[insurance]] policies from covering elective [[abortion]]s. In 2013, he voted to establish health care standards for abortuaries  in Alabama. In 2014, he supported the bill to prohibit abortion after the detection of the heartbeat of the unborn child. He voted to display the [[Ten Commandments]] on public property, a measure which passed the House, 77-19. He supported drug testing for certain recipients of the public welfare system. In 2015, Hubbard supported legislation affirming the use of electrocution in executions. He voted to establish public [[charter school]]s in Alabama, a measure which passed the House, 58-41. He supported the bill to permit the home schooled to participate in athletic events at public schools, a measure approved by the full House, 52-43. He supported the increase in the cigarette tax;  the legislation passed the House, 52-46. He voted against requiring animal shelters to compile monthly reports, a measure which the House disapproved, 28-67. In 2016, Hubbard voted to increase funding for new prison facilities, legislation which  cleared the House, 52-33. He co-sponsored legislation to forbid the sale of fetal tissue or to permit its use in research, and in his final House vote opposed dilation abortions in Alabama.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://votesmart.org/candidate/key-votes/15923/mike-hubbard|title=Mike Hubbard's Voting Records|publisher=Project Vote Smart|accessdate=November 3, 2017}}</ref>