January 24, 2022 Group Watch: ALDOT Announces $40M worth of 2022 Infrastructure Projects

Governor Kay Ivey and the Alabama Department of Transportation announced the allocation of more than $40 million in funding for city and county infrastructure projects. The funding for road and bridge infrastructure across the state was made available by the Alabama Transportation Rehabilitation and Improvement Program-II. This program places a minimum of $30 million aside for projects of local interest in the state highway system and utilizes funds generated from ALDOT’s share of new gas tax revenue. Of the 32 projects, which total $40.31 million in state transportation funding, 17 were from cities and counties putting forward $11.89 million in local funds. Local governments are not required to match funds to meet program eligibility. The state has reportedly awarded more than $100 million in state transportation funds since the program’s inception in 2019.

January 24, 2022 Group Watch: Manufacture Alabama Endorses AL Supreme Court Candidates

Manufacture Alabama announced Alabama Supreme Court endorsements for candidate Greg Cook and incumbent Associate Justice Kelli Wise. According to George Clark, president of Manufacture Alabama, Wise and Cook both embody the kind of honorable leaders we need on the Alabama Supreme Court. Clark says they are committed to the rule of law and will serve to follow the law rather than create it. Wise was first elected to the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals in 2000 becoming the youngest woman ever elected to sit on an Alabama Supreme Court of Alabama in 2010. As an attorney, Cook has gained the respect of clients, other attorneys and judges taking on new roles demonstrating his commitment to the justice system in Alabama. He has served on the Jefferson County Republican Steering Committee, Executive Committee and as legal counsel to the Jefferson County GOP. Cook has also served in the Alabama Republican Party for almost 15 years including the last four years as general counsel for the party.

January 24, 2022 Group Watch: Pennsylvania Company Investing $25M in Manufacturing Facility

HarbisonWalker International announced plans to invest $25 million to convert its closed property near Birmingham into “Alabama One,” an advanced refractories manufacturing hub for steelmakers in the Southeast. Construction on the AL 1 facility in Fairfield is scheduled to begin during the first quarter of 2022, and the 100,000-square-foot facility is expected to open before the end of the year. Refractories are ceramic materials designed to withstand extreme high temperatures, in excess of 1,000-degrees F. More heat resistant than metals, refractories are used to line the surfaces found inside furnaces and ovens in industrial settings. The company expects to hire 50 highly trained technicians, including welders, electricians and mechanics.

January 24, 2022 Group Watch: Gov Ivey Awards Grants for Community Development

Governor Kay Ivey has awarded $18.2 million to provide improvements in more than 50 Alabama towns, cities and counties through Community Develop Block Grants. The grant awards ranged from $12,000 to $500,000, and the funds will enable local governments to provide public water service to households, repair damaged streets and roads and improve sewer systems, drainage and more. This grant program is awarded annually on a competitive basis in several categories: small city (population 2,999 or less), large city (3,000 or more), county and community enhancement.

January 17, 2022 Group Watch: News & Views from the State House

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 Alabama. She outlined the actions she wants the legislature to take on this topic. (And rumors of an early special session to tackle it are already in the air.)

Ivey also touched on her plans to expand outdoor recreation opportunities, and in doing so, boost tourism. She called for a pay raise for state workers as well. Read more on her remarks below and click on the “Read here” link to access the full speech.

As things really get underway in the coming weeks, look for gambling legislation to return and bills related to the creation of an Alabama Space Guard.

We’ve got more info on all this and more in this issue of Group Watch. And watch your inbox all session long for more Group Watch and the #alpolitics news you need to know.

The House and Senate return for day three of the 2022 regular session on Tuesday at 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., respectively.

January 17, 2022 Group Watch: Tweet of the Week

@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

January 17, 2022 Group Watch: 2022 Session Starts & Gov Ivey Outlines Where AL is Now

• American Rescue Plan Act $$: Alabama has approximately $1.7 billion in ARPA money that requires appropriation, and Ivey wants to make allocating these funds an early priority for the legislature. The state received $2.1 billion in ARPA money last year, and $400 million of it has been authorized towards a $1.3 billion plan to construct two large state prisons in Escambia and Elmore counties. Governor Ivey called on legislators to use the ARPA money to meet some of Alabama’s biggest challenges such as statewide broadband connectivity, water and sewer infrastructure, and to invest funds into hospitals, nursing homes, and other health care initiatives.
• Budgets: The governor said that her budgets will include fully funding rainy day accounts, pay down debts and make investments that will pay long-term dividends to the state.
• Tourism: Ivey expressed a strong commitment to further expand outdoor recreation and developments in our hospitality industry. Boosting tourism is eligible for the federal relief money and key legislators seem committed to such initiatives.
• Pay Raises: Governor Ivey proposes a 4-percent pay hike for state workers and educators and a non-specific one-time bonus for state retirees. The governor pointed to the challenges facing state workers and educators during the height of COVID, where the public witnessed firsthand the obstacles faced by teachers and others.
• Education: Ivey vowed to implement the Alabama Literacy Act during the upcoming spring semester and push for early learning opportunities.
• Healthcare: The governor is proposing to add two new mental health crisis centers in Alabama, as well as other health services.
• Special Session?: Although the governor did not address a special session in her speech, political insiders say there are rumors of one being called early this week and shared this possible schedule: On January 18, adjourn until February 1. Start the special session on January 19 with public hearing on ARPA funds the same day. Vote on a bill on January 20.

January 17, 2022 Group Watch: Get Ready for Gambling Legislation, Again

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 the Poarch Creek Indians, are running ads that  emphasize jobs created by passage of such a bill would generate more than $700 million annually and that encourage voters to contact their state lawmakers.

January 17, 2022 Group Watch: State Starts 2022 Session with Revenue Windfall

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 noted that the rate of increase was not sustainable and advised lawmakers to spend it carefully. One place some of the money may go is to the state worker and educator pay raise that Ivey called for in her state-of-the-state speech.

January 17, 2022 Group Watch: New Rail Project to Announced

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 corridor will also link mega economic development sites in Etowah, Shelby, Washington and Mobile counties, each totaling more than 1,000 acres. A fourth location in Jefferson County will see the development of a 104-acre site with up to 1 million square feet of warehouse space. The A-USA Corridor is a public-private partnership, with Norfolk Southern funding more than 50-percent of the project. Alabama is investing $5 million in the project, with the remainder coming from federal Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and safety Improvements Program grants through the Alabama Department of Transportation, in partnership with Norfolk Southern.