Senator Cam Ward

State Sen. Cam Ward of Alabaster will be in Washington on July 15 to speak to a congressional subcommittee about making changes in prisons.

Ward is chairman of Alabama's new Prison Reform Task Force. The House Judiciary Committee's crime subcommittee invited him to speak at a hearing on prison reform, and Ward accepted.

Gov. Robert Bentley has announced an attempt to overhaul the state's severely overcrowded prison system.

Bentley said Tuesday the state's prisons are filled to nearly twice their collective capacity. The Justice Reinvestment Initiative, a partnership between the Pew Charitable Trusts and the Department of Justice, will examine the system and suggest reforms.

The review comes after a series of stark criticisms. The Department of Justice has called conditions unconstitutional at Alabama's only prison for women.

Gov. Robert Bentley says he's against switching back to the electric chair to resume executions in Alabama.

Speaking in Shelby County on Monday, Bentley said he's personally opposed to the idea of resuming electrocutions.

A key legislator on prison issues, state Sen. Cam Ward, says giving up the state's current method of lethal injection involves too many legal hurdles.

The state attorney general's office says executions are at a standstill because the prison system has run out of one of the three drugs used in its lethal injection system.

Two Republican legislators have the backing of Gov. Robert Bentley in pursuing a bill to strengthen Alabama's open meetings law.

The bill introduced by Rep. Mike Hill of Columbiana and Sen. Cam Ward of Alabaster says Alabama's Open Meetings Act applies to the Legislature, legislative committees, and committees and subcommittees of governmental bodies that exchange information among a quorum of members.

Republican state Sen. Cam Ward of Alabaster and Republican Rep. Jack Williams of Vestavia Hills say they will seek re-election to the Legislature rather than running for the 6th Congressional District.

Ward and Williams were among several Alabama politicians who said they were considering the 6th District race after Republican incumbent Spencer Bachus of Birmingham announced Monday that he would not seek re-election next year.

Ward and Williams said Wednesday they were honored by the encouragement they received, but now is not the time to go to Washington.

Possible U.S. House candidates are coming forward following Rep. Spencer Bachus' decision against seeking re-election for Alabama's 6th District congressional seat.

Republican state Sen. Slade Blackwell of Mountain Brooks says he is considering the opportunity to run for the position, and his final decision will be based on his family.

Walker County minister Stan Cooke says people are encouraging him to switch from the GOP lieutenant governor's race to a House campaign. But he is leaning toward staying with the lieutenant governor's campaign.

Alabama lawmakers have passed bills that would make it easier to criminally charge people who abuse, neglect or financially exploit the elderly.

The sponsors say they expect the governor to sign one of the bills into law once the two slightly different versions are reconciled.

The Senate sponsor, Republican Sen. Cam Ward of Alabaster, says only one word in the measure that passed the Senate is different from the House-passed version sponsored by Republican Rep. Paul DeMarco of Homewood.