Here we go again. The 2022 regular session of the Alabama Legislature convened last Tuesday. Governor Ivey kicked the legislative season off with her annual “state of the state” address. Much of the news she shared was positive, and there was a focus on ways to best use the American Rescue Plan Act funds coming to
@GovernorKayIvey January 14 Congrats, @ALEAprotects, on receiving this national honor from @COPSOffice! As I stated during State of the State, ALEA is leading the nation in offering sensory-inclusive training to our officers. I’m excited to see it’s already helping our community. @kulturec #alpolitics
The Alabama Legislature returned to Montgomery last week for the start of the 2022 regular session. In an hour-long televised speech, Governor Kay Ivey addressed the state of the state. Here are a few of her main points: American Rescue Plan Act $$: Alabama has approximately $1.7 billion in ARPA money that
A push is underway for a comprehensive gaming bill during the 2022 legislative session. New ads highlighting the economic impact of approving a comprehensive gambling and lottery bill are running primetime across the state. The Alabama Track Owners Association, a partnership of owners of the four greyhound racing tracks, including
As the legislature figures out how to allocate ARPA funds, state finance folks shared that Alabama collected record-high revenue in 2021. The General Fund was up 11.4 percent, reaching $3 billion. The Education Trust Fund has hit $8.6 billion, representing a 16.4-percent hike over the previous year. It’s great news, but officials
Governor Ivey has announced the creation of the A-USA Corridor, a proposed $231.6 million program of rail projects to upgrade economic development infrastructure in central and southern Alabama. The first phase involves a $71.6 million initiative to link the Port of Mobile with the McCalla Intermodal Facility near Birmingham. This 280-mile rail
A 2021 law that allows college athletes to make money off their name, image and likeness (NIL) is likely to be repealed in the coming weeks. A bill was approved by a House committee last week to do just that. The move is not intended to take things back to the days when college athletes were prohibited from earning
Members of the Alabama House Republican Caucus elected State Rep. Wes Kitchens of Arab to serve as the majority party’s vice chair. His election as vice chair makes him one of few freshman legislators in state history to hold the prominent leadership position. This leadership position was formerly held
During an address to the Alabama Association of County Commissioners, Lt. Governor Will Ainsworth mentioned that creating an Alabama Space Guard was among priorities to be taken up during the 2022 legislative session. Ainsworth said a Space Guard unit within the Alabama National Guard would provide much-needed support for the
Alabama Department of Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield was the recipient of Manufacture Alabama’s “Friend of the Industry” award at the association’s annual Legislative Reception and Dinner in Montgomery. Manufacture Alabama is the state’s only trade association solely focused on representing the interests of the industry. The award recognizes public officials,
