ACCUSATION
Bentley has received at least $10,000 in campaign contributions from the AEA.

THE TRUTH
Dr. Bentley has never hidden that he received a $10,000 contribution from the Alabama Education Association. Dr. Bentley votes with the AEA when they are right and against them when they are wrong. Dr. Bentley has been featured in the AEA journal several times during his 8 years in the legislature as someone has voted against them on their legislative priorities. Dr. Bentley has taken less special interest money than any other candidate still in the race for Governor and has actually taken much less AEA money over his career than Bradley Byrne. No special interest, especially the AEA, controls Dr. Bentley or influences his vote. Dr. Bentley has served his country, his state and his patients with honesty and integrity. He is a conservative reformer who has never and will never let a special interest tell him what to do.

ACCUSATION
In the Legislature, Bentley voted to continue full salary and benefits for teachers convicted of serious crimes, including sexual abuse of students. Bentley voted in 2004 to support a measure that allowed tenured teachers to continuing receiving benefits throughout the firing process. As a result, one teacher who seduced a 14-year-old student and was sentenced to a 10-year prison term continued to collect her salary long after going to jail. [HB42, 2004RS]

THE TRUTH
Dr. Bentley was actually one of the co-sponsors of the law that prevents teachers who are convicted of a felony from receiving pay and benefits. The bill that was referenced in the Bradley Byrne's attack ad was supported by every GOP House Member, including Mike Hubbard, the Chairman of the Alabama Republican Party and Gov. Bob Riley. The Birmingham News points out the many falsehoods in this claim at: http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2010/06/alabama_gop_governors_runoff_b.html

ACCUSATION
Dr. Bentley is the only Republican in the House that opposed charter schools.

THE TRUTH
Dr. Bentley's stance on charter schools is clear and has been documented publicly. Dr. Bentley has been praised as having put forth the best compromise on charter schools by his fellow Republicans including Cam Ward who wrote for Political Parlor that: "Ironically the best compromise to the issue was offered by Rep. Robert Bentley. He suggested implementing a pilot program for charter schools in Alabama where certain select areas would be allowed to create the schools. Then it could be determined how effective they were before moving forward and having them locate all across the state. "

ACCUSATION
Bentley supported, and sometimes co-sponsored, more than $100 million in tax increases pushed by Paul Hubbert and voted against tax cuts that the liberal labor union opposed. Bucking his fellow House Republicans, Bentley voted to support a bill that levied approximately $100 million in new taxes on Alabama businesses of all sizes. He even co-sponsored a bill drafted by AEA that placed state taxes on businesses not even operating in Alabama. Bentley also joined Democrats in blocking a substantial small business tax deduction that his Republican "colleagues" offered on the House floor. [HB350, 2008RS; HB768, 2008RS; HB350, 2008RS]

THE TRUTH
Dr. Bentley did NOT vote for a $100 million tax increase. Dr. Robert Bentley is a friend to business and was the only candidate in the last session to author and pass a law, the Alabama Reemployment Act of 2010, which cut taxes for businesses that hire unemployed workers and creates 5,000 new jobs without increasing government spending. The legislation cited in Byrne's false attack was designed to close a loophole used by some large corporations to avoid paying the same taxes that Alabama small businesses must pay.  Most Republicans voted with Dr. Bentley to close that loophole. Bradley Byrne has voted to raise property taxes by 30%, raise the income tax by more than $573 million, and raise the state sales tax (HB1, RC 276 6/7/03).

ACCUSATION
Robert Bentley is pro-gambling.

THE TRUTH
Dr. Robert Bentley has been a consistent NO vote against gambling during his entire 8 years in the legislature. He has always refused to accept any money from gambling interests and he was featured in an April 2010 article in the Alabama Baptist as a legislator who is against gambling. Unfortunately, gambling exists in Alabama today in the form of dog racetracks, card bingo and Indian casinos. Dr. Bentley is against all forms of gambling and supports an amendment to the Alabama Constitution which would ban ALL gambling in Alabama. Dr. Bentley believes the only way to ban all gambling in this state is to have a clean up or down vote of the people to pass a Constitutional amendment to ban gambling in all its forms. History has shown us that Alabamians will come together to defeat any gambling vote just as we did in the 1999 lottery vote.  Without a constitutional amendment, dog tracks, card bingo and Indian casinos will be here to stay. Dr. Bentley has faith that Alabamians will vote to rid our state of all gambling. Bradley Byrne refused to oppose the so-called "Bingo for Books" gambling expansion bill in 2004 (SB381) and has taken over $30,000 in gambling money for his campaign despite his pledge not to take any gambling money.

ACCUSATION
Dr. Bentley lied about his military service.

THE TRUTH
Dr. Robert Bentley is very proud of his record in the military. He served his country and healed troops wounded in Vietnam as a hospital commander during the Vietnam War just as his ad says. Despite attacks from Bradley Byrne about his military record, prominent veterans across the state have come to Dr. Bentley defense. Ray Yeatman, President of the Vietnam Veterans of America – Tuscaloosa Chapter was invited to review Bentley's military records and he issued the following statement: "I have reviewed Dr. Robert Bentley's military records and television commercial and can say unequivocally that the representation of Dr. Bentley's military service in his television commercial is 100% truthful and accurate." Bradley Byrne never served in the military and should be ashamed of himself for attacking Dr. Bentley's military service.

ACCUSATION
Dr. Bentley voted to increase his salary by 62% and is still taking a salary as a legislator despite record unemployment.

THE TRUTH
Dr. Bentley voted against the 62% salary increase and now refuses to take a salary as a legislator. (HJR 29 RC 15 2007) Dr. Bentley has pledged to not take a salary as governor until Alabama reaches full employment.