Category: Alabama Legislature
Lawmakers Cautious of ‘Uncertain Environment’ for 2022 Budgets
MONTGOMERY — Passing the state’s two budgets is the Legislature’s only constitutionally required action each year. But in a COVID-19-altered session that will be anything but regular, even the most basic of tasks could prove to be a challenge.
“Realistically, hopefully we can keep the budgets on the fast track, but when you look at the budgets and the work that needs to be done, it’s probably middle to end of March, preferably the first of April, before we could get budgets out,” Speaker Mac McCutcheon, R-Monrovia, said.
Both Rep. Bill Poole, R-Tuscaloosa, the education budget committee chairman in the House, and Sen. Greg Albritton, the Senate’s General Fund committee chairman, have said lawmakers will be cautious in their 2022 spending plans.
Albritton said the General Fund’s December revenue growth was essentially flat compared to December 2019.
“I’m not suggesting level funding at this point, but I’m just concerned with the growth we’ve grown accustomed to and what we’re seeing now,” Albritton said. Read more.
Read more on the upcoming legislative session.
Alabama’s 2021 Session Starts With Two-Week Focus
MONTGOMERY — Alabama lawmakers on Tuesday kickoff a legislative session like none they’ve seen before.
COVID-19 protocols are limiting public access to the State House, the number of committees that can meet at a given time and, some say, the amount of bills lawmakers will be able to consider.
This year’s schedule is largely tentative, as leaders acknowledge a virus outbreak could disrupt the session at any time. For now, leaders are planning to meet the first two weeks of February to pass essential bills, then take a week-long break to reassess their COVID-19 protocols and priorities.
Lawmakers are expected to focus on bills to: clarify that federal COVID relief funds received by Alabamians and their businesses aren’t subject to state taxes; provide entities with liability protection from COVID-related lawsuits; and revise, revamp and expand economic incentives offered to businesses. Read more.
Read the pre-session interview with Gov. Kay Ivey, Ivey Wants 2% Pay Raise for Teachers and State Employees, and more on the upcoming legislative session.
Long-Awaited Incentives Package Filed Ahead of Session
Legislation filed to renew and revamp state tax incentives for Alabama businesses includes new credits for women- and minority-owned enterprises, increasing the cap on one of the state’s “backbone” incentives and giving a break to automakers who will ship vehicles out of the Port of Mobile.
House Bill 192, expected to be a high priority for passage when the 2021 legislative session begins next week, was pre-filed Thursday. Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield this week discussed some of the details with Alabama Daily News.
“The bill reestablishes and builds on the success of Alabama’s performance-driven incentive tools,” Canfield said. “And those are specifically being addressed in the Alabama Jobs Act, the Growing Alabama Credit and the Alabama Port Credit.” Read more.
More stories on legislative budget hearings held before the session starts Tuesday.
Ivey Wants 2% Pay Raise for Teachers and State Employees
Law Enforcement Agencies Ask for Increased State Funding; General Fund Budget Looks OK
Mental Health Services in Schools Improving, More Help Needed
Lawmakers Discuss Education Pay Raises, a Focus on Literacy and Learning Loss
Ivey Wants 2% Pay Raise for Teachers and State Employees
MONTGOMERY — Gov. Kay Ivey said she wants to give pay raises to state employees and teachers in the next budget year. In an interview Thursday with Alabama Daily News, Ivey said her state budget proposals, which are set to be presented to lawmakers next week, will include the pay raises in both the General Fund and Education Trust Fund budgets.
Read more.
Law Enforcement Agencies Ask for Increased State Funding; General Fund Budget Looks OK
MONTGOMERY — The outlook for the state’s current General Fund budget is good, according to state lawmakers meeting this week for budget hearings.
Rep. Steve Clouse, R-Ozark, who chairs the General Fund budget committee in the House of Representatives, said he did not expect any large COVID-19-caused cuts in the current budget as lawmakers begin to craft next year’s budget in the upcoming legislative session.
Lawmakers on Wednesday heard from law enforcement agency heads who were asking for budget increases to pay for more personnel and mitigating issues brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more.
Lawmakers Discuss Education Pay Raises, a Focus on Literacy and Learning Loss
MONTGOMERY — Pay raises for teachers are possible in next year’s state education budget, as are more school nurses, a greater focus on literacy and catching students up from learning loss left over from the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s according to spending proposals discussed by state education leaders and lawmakers at budget hearings in the State House Tuesday. Read more.
Opinions Vary on Possible Special Session, but Outstanding Issues Are Plenty
MONTGOMERY — Hundreds of proposed bills, including high-priority prison and economic development proposals, died when the coronavirus outbreak upended the Alabama Legislature’s 2020 regular session. Now, when the House and Senate will return to Montgomery for a special session and what topics they’ll address are still up in the air.
Some Senate leaders, frustrated by the final days of the condensed session, say they don’t see a reason to return to Montgomery this year. But others said there is business left to handle, including extending a job creation tax credit that in recent years has helped lure companies like Toyota-Mazda, Amazon, Google and Shipt to Alabama. The Alabama Jobs Act, the state’s primary industrial recruitment statute, is expiring at the end of the year. Read more.
ALDOT Considering Allowing Police Cameras, Plate Readers
The Alabama Department of Transportation is considering allowing law enforcement agencies access to ALDOT rights-of-way and structures to install license plate readers and other surveillance equipment.
At least one Alabama lawmaker said legislation may be needed to regulate the use of the devices and information they collect.
Tony Harris, government relations manager for ALDOT, told Alabama Daily News the proposed rules are a result of recent requests from multiple police agencies.
Read more.
Lawmakers Approve Ivey’s $1.8B Coronavirus Spending Plan
Alabama’s elected leaders have approved a plan to spend $1.8 billion in federal coronavirus relief money, despite Senate leaders saying they were left out of the process before their vote Monday.
“Some meetings took place in our absence that we weren’t involved in and I thought that was inappropriate,” Senate Pro Tem Del Marsh, R-Anniston, told reporters.
House Speaker Mac McCutcheon, R-Monrovia, said House members were worried about slowing down the process of passing the state budgets and getting relief funds to those who needed them immediately, but there was no nefarious intent behind their meetings with Ivey last week.
“The House was willing to step up and bring suggestions to the governor,” McCutcheon said Monday, “We were not working against the Senate. We were not working in secret. We were just doing our job as the House body.”
Ivey said in an emailed statement Monday that her “friendly” amendment to the budget was to ensure CAREs Act funding was made available immediately to those who needed it the most.
Read more.
Related Story:
Ivey Signs State Budgets Into Law
Ivey Signs State Budgets Into Law
MONTGOMERY — Gov. Kay Ivey signed into law the state’s two budgets Monday after a unique and at some points tense final weeks of the 2020 regular legislative session.
“I appreciate the hard work of the Legislature during an unprecedented regular session,” Ivey said in an emailed statement.
“While we have yet to know the full impact of COVID-19 on our state, these budgets will ensure continuity of government, while being fiscally responsible. There is more work to be done, and I look forward to working with the Legislature in the days ahead.”
A $7.2 billion Education Trust Fund budget was approved, as well as a $2.3 billion General Fund budget, both for fiscal year 2021, which begins in October. Read more.
