On Tuesday, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey addressed a packed joint meeting of the State Legislature in the Old House Chambers in Alabama’s historic Capitol Building. This was Gov. Ivey’s sixth State of the State address and the first since winning re-election in a landslide last November.
Ivey extolled the strength of the Alabama economy and the strength of the state’s budgets.
“Alabama is thriving,” Ivey said. “Alabama’s budgets are strong, and that is not by chance.”
“We can be very proud of the fact that during my time as governor, we have never used the word proration,” Ivey added.
The state has $3 billion in surplus left over from the 2022 fiscal year. Ivey promised to use that for tax rebates.
“This is the people’s money,” Ivey said. “It is only fair that we give a share of this money back to the people of Alabama.”
Ivey also wants to dole out $200 million in government handouts to Alabama businesses.
“I am also proposing we invest even more into our locally owned businesses – the ones engrained into the DNA of our communities – through a $200 million grant program known as our Main Street Program,” Ivey said. “These competitive grants will help revitalize our small cities and towns. When folks think of main streets, they should think of rural Alabama!”
In the aftermath of the Great Recession, the state increased and modernized its incentive program to lure new jobs and industry. Even though state unemployment has dropped to well below three percent and there is a worker shortage across the state, Ivey wants the legislature to renew these incentives.
“I am proud of the successful track record we have had in recruiting business and industry to both the rural parts of Alabama and the larger cities,” Ivey said. “Since I’ve been governor, more than $42 billion have been invested in our state, which has created some 78,000 new jobs. For most of those, we can thank the Alabama Jobs Act. And any good coach knows when you have a play that’s working; the team needs to keep running it. Today, we have to look ahead and create an economic development strategy for the 2030s. I assured you we would have a winning game plan here at home, and tonight, I am calling on you to get behind our playbook for economic success, what I am calling The Game Plan. We will ensure stability and growth by renewing and improving the Alabama Jobs Act and the Growing Alabama Act.”
In addition, the state has over a billion dollars in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars it needs to appropriate.
“We are, once again, tasked with allocating our taxpayers’ dollars that are part of the second round of the American Rescue Plan Act from Congress,” Ivey said. “This is not “free money,” and we must invest these one-time funds wisely. Last year, thanks to you, members of the Alabama Legislature, we put these dollars to work, meeting some of Alabama’s biggest challenges. I commit to the people of Alabama we will once again take a smart approach and put it towards major and needed endeavors like expanding broadband access, improving our water and sewer infrastructure, and investing in our health care – including telemedicine.”
Ivey has called a special session beginning on Wednesday for the Legislature to focus on appropriating that $billion in ARPA funds.
“This evening, I am calling a Special Session of the Alabama Legislature to begin tomorrow so that we can urgently address these endeavors,” Ivey said.
Tuesday was the first day of the 2023 Alabama Regular Legislative Session, but since Ivey has called a special session, day 2 of the regular session will not begin until Tuesday, March 21. The Alabama Constitution limits the Legislature to just thirty legislative days in a regular session.
“I predict that we will have a busy and production session,” Ivey said.
Ivey emphasized education in her speech.
“Everything we do today is for a better tomorrow for these children and all who call Alabama home,” Gov. Ivey said. “We must make sure that Alabama provides a quality education for each of these children no matter where they live.”
The governor wants to mandate kindergarten, so that compulsory education begins at kindergarten rather than the first grade.
“It’s also past time we require our students to complete kindergarten,” Ivey said. “I call on you to adopt legislation to ensure our students are ready for the first grade. Our first-grade teachers should be preparing those students for the second grade, not simply catching them up to be on a first-grade level.”
The mandatory kindergarten bill, HB43, has been introduced by State Rep. Pebblin Warren.
Ivey also announced plans to build a healthcare magnet school, the Alabama School for Healthcare Science, so that future high school graduates are ready for a career in the healthcare sector. That magnet school will be sited in Demopolis in Marengo County.
“Improving our children’s educational outcome will be my top priority and will continue to be over the next four years,” Ivey said.
The governor expressed confidence that her previous efforts of plowing money into pre-K classrooms, math coaches, reading coaches, and other programs will eventually yield fruit, and she wants to throw even more money at these efforts. Ivey also promised state support for the Saban Center – a STEM school in Tuscaloosa that is a partnership between Tuscaloosa and Nick and Terry Saban.
Ivey also said that her goal was to have the highest starting pay for teachers in the Southeast before this term ended. Ivey voiced support for school choice but stopped short of giving every parent the freedom to decide where and how to educate their children.
“I am proposing we provide startup funds for Charter Schools and make needed reforms to the governance of the Charter School Commission in order to create better accountability,” Ivey said.
Ivey promised to help businesses by cutting government red tape.
“Tomorrow, I will issue an executive order to cut red tape so that our businesses can thrive,” Ivey said
“I am proud Alabama has one of the strongest pro-life laws in America, but our work is not done.”
The Alabama School of Healthcare Science to address the shortage of healthcare workers
“While education is number one, nothing is more important that the safety of our children,” Ivey said. “Ensuring safety in our schools also means caring for the mental health of our young people.”
Ivey endorsed spending more money on school security to protect students and stronger drug laws on those who traffic fentanyl.
“Urging legislators to pass House Bill one so I can sign it into law as soon as possible so we can keep dangerous drug dealers behind bars and keep them there,” Ivey said.
HB1 is sponsored by State Rep. Matt Simpson.
“In this state, we have and will always back the blue, and that includes our correction officers,” Ivey said, vowing to “make raising their pay and benefits a priority.”
“Let’s work together, and let’s go to work,” Ivey urged legislators. “The people of Alabama deserve our very best.”
Ivey is the longest-serving woman governor in state history and the fifth Republican governor since 1987. The GOP has held the governor’s office continuously since 2003. Ivey grew up in rural Wilcox County and graduated from Auburn University. Ivey has decades of experience in state government, including eight years as State Treasurer and over six years as Lieutenant Governor.
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