The Walker County legislative delegation said they expect many major items affecting area citizens to come up during the 2023 session, which opens today (Tuesday, March 7).
One major focus will be on allocating the second round of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, which is expected to be $1.1 billion. These are COVID-related federal funds that have specific usage requirements. It is expected Gov. Kay Ivey will call a special session inside the regular session to tackle that item.
“We will start with American Rescue Plan allocation,” Senate President Pro Tem Greg Reed (R-Jasper) told The Community Journal. “Much of these resources will show up in water and sewer projects, of which there have been several in Walker County and in my district that have benefited from the first round of these water/sewer grant funds, and there will be more in the next round.”
District 14 Rep. Tim Wadsworth (R-Arley) agreed water/sewer projects will get a large amount of those funds.
“We are looking to allocate $250 million for water and sewer projects,” he said. “That is in addition to the previous allocation of $250 million.”
District 13 Rep. Matt Woods (R-Jasper), as well as the other two delegates, said funding will also be used to continue broadband internet expansion across Alabama.
“We are already benefitting from both state and federal broadband grants that were recently awarded to expand service to over 2,100 new locations in our county,” Woods said. “It will be my goal to see additional resources secured for continued expansion in our rural communities. We live in a digital world where the opportunity for good paying jobs and access to education are at our fingertips. But that is only true if we have reliable high speed internet.”
Reed said a portion of the ARPA funds will go to offer additional grants on areas of programs for school-aged children who are not at grade level as a result of the pandemic. He said other programs like boys and girls clubs, as well as senior centers will have grant funding set aside.
“These will all be grants that can be applied for through the department of finance or ADECA (Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs).”
Woods and Wadsworth both mentioned ARPA funds possibly going to mental health initiatives.
“Additionally, I expect to see funds allocated to several mental health programs, which will help support the rise in mental health cases the state has seen since COVID-19,” Woods said. “We have the opportunity to address many critical needs with this tranche of funds, and I look forward to finding ways Walker County can benefit.”
Budgets and business incentives will prove to be big items in the regular session.
“We have surplus in both the education and the general fund budgets,” Reed said. “Alabama‘s economy has been very strong and as a result, we have budget resources available.”
The delegation is also hopeful to see the Alabama Jobs Act and Growing Alabama Act renewed again. Both are incentive bills for economic growth that were renewed in 2021 and are set to expire in July 2023.
“We will also be working on the renewal of the recruitment incentives used to attract industry to the state of Alabama,” Reed said. “These incentives have been used for different projects in our area, in particular, Yurozu was recruited as one of the first to utilize the new incentive package. Other projects have received incentives for economic growth and development, such as Heritage Landing off I-22 in east Walker County.”
Woods said he would like to see the incentives expanded to utilize additional tax credits for the purpose of industrial site procurement.
“That could be a tremendous help to our rural counties that need a funding mechanism to purchase and development new industrial sites,” Woods said. “Walker County is limited on ‘site-ready’ locations and the utilization of tax credits would be a game-changer for industrial development not only here but across the state.”
Wadsworth and Woods both also mentioned improving adoption laws and regulations.
“We are looking on streamlining adoption laws to make it easier for adoptions to occur,” Wadsworth said. “Last year, we increased the tax credit from $1,000 to $2,000 to help reduce the cost of adoptions.”
Woods said since the overturn of Rowe vs. Wade adoption agencies have indicated an uptick in clients.
“I want to see our state take the necessary steps to improve the fostering and adoption process by attracting and retaining good case workers and providing as many resources as possible to families who are stepping up to provide a loving home for these children,” he said.
Another key issue we face across Alabama is the rise in Fentanyl deaths. Woods has co-sponsored a bill with Rep. Matt Simpson (Daphne) that would impose minimum mandatory sentencing for fentanyl trafficking. Trafficking 1-2 grams will be mandatory minimum of three years in prison, 2-4 grams will be a mandatory minimum of 10 years, 4-8 grams will be mandatory minimum of 25 years, and 8 grams or more will be mandatory minimum of life in prison. Currently, there is no mandatory minimium prison sentence for trafficking fentanyl.
Woods said he is also working on a bill that to provide additional funds for every county in the state to address road and bridge projects.
“As we get the bill fine-tuned I will make the details available. This bill would not raise any taxes or fees and takes a common sense approach. Any time we can address a pressing need without raising taxes is a great scenario for our state,” he added.
Woods said he is excited to enter his first legislative session in Montgomery.
“I am truly honored to serve the good people of District 13,” he said. “I only made two promises while campaigning. The first was to work hard, and the second was to be engaged in the issues that are important to my district. As I start my first session, I intend to keep my word and do everything I can to help move Walker County forward.”
Wadsworth said he is pushing to provide each fire department with a $10,000 supplemental appropriation. He also said the state needs to shore up hospitals so those facilities remain open in rural areas of the state.
“There will be a lot of bills introduced, and our job as legislators is to prevent tax increases and the ability of agencies to increase fees. Defeating bad bills is just as important as passing bills. I look forward to serving the citizens of my district,” Wadsworth said.
Reed said the beginning of a new legislative session is always an exciting time.
“I am looking forward to the session,” he said. “I feel great about the state Senate. There are strong relationships with Republicans and Democrats, and it is a great privilege for me to serve as president pro tem of the Senate.”
