Kay Ivey announces Innovate Alabama’s small business grant program
Today, Gov. Kay Ivey announced that the Alabama Innovation Corporation (Innovate Alabama) opened applications for the Innovate Alabama Supplemental Grant Program. Alabama-based recipients of Phase I and Phase II Federal Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grants are eligible to apply for up to $250,000 in supplemental funding. Innovate Alabama is Alabama’s first statewide public-private partnership focused on entrepreneurship, technology, and innovation. The Board of Directors was appointed in December 2021. Their goal is to implement the initiatives and recommendations set forth in the Alabama Innovation Commission’s report. “The Innovate Alabama Supplemental Grant Program is the latest way our state is creating an attractive business environment for pioneering ideas that will change our world,” stated Ivey. “Alabamians have the grit, determination, and creativity to make these ideas a reality, and with Innovate Alabama’s supplemental funding, these small businesses will take their ideas from concept to commercialization.” According to a 2021 report by the U.S. Small Business Administration, Alabama is now among 20 states that have implemented supplemental grants for both Phase I and Phase II SBIR/STTR winners. “Accessible capital is routinely among the greatest needs of our state’s entrepreneurs,” said Alabama Director of Finance and Alabama Innovation Corporation Chair Bill Poole. “Innovate Alabama wants to bridge connections and resources like this grant program to support these innovative small businesses generating transformative research and technology.” “The Innovate Alabama Supplemental Grant Program is the product of intentional collaboration between Alabama’s innovation ecosystem and my colleagues in the Alabama Legislature,” said state Sen. Greg Reed, President Pro Tempore of the Alabama State Senate and Vice-Chair of the Alabama Innovation Corporation. “We passed legislation last year to pave the way for this program, and I am proud to see it come to fruition.” Eligible applicants have an active Phase I or Phase II SBIR or STTR grant. Phase I recipients are eligible to apply for 50% of their award up to $100,000. Phase II recipients are eligible to apply for 50% of their award up to $250,000. Innovate Alabama Supplemental Grant Program awards are non-dilutive, meaning businesses receive the money without giving up shares of their company. “Small businesses that have secured SBIR/STTR grants from federal agencies benefit from their technologies already having been subject to scientific review from experts,” stated Dr. Michael Chambers, Associate Vice President for Research at the University of South Alabama and Alabama Innovation Corporation Board Member. “Alabama’s supplemental funding program is an excellent way for our state to grow our economy by investing in local technologies that may have global impacts.” The application for the first round of funding opened on July 1. Applicants are strongly encouraged to apply by 5:00 p.m. on August 1, 2022. Award notifications for the first round of funding begin August 22. To learn more and apply, visit innovatealabama.org/programs.
Poarch Band of Creek Indians acquires Fortis Industries, Inc.
The Poarch Band of Creek Indians (PBCI) announced today it purchased Fortis Industries, Inc., a Huntsville, Alabama based company. Fortis Industries will remain a standalone business and operate under the direction of Ecke Holding Company, dba PCI Federal Services (PCIFS) – a division of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians. The change in ownership took place on July 8, 2022. “PCI Federal Services continues to expand our Government Contracting Services footprint and Fortis Industries brings an exciting addition to our growing Federal Agency support initiatives. We are thrilled to add them to our portfolio of companies,” said Stephanie A. Bryan, Chairwoman and CEO of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians. Chairwoman Bryan continued, “We are particularly excited to continue advancing our growth in the Huntsville area as well as Alabama as a whole.” The Poarch Band of Creek Indians is the only federally recognized tribe in Alabama. The Poarch Creek Indians are descendants of a segment of the original Creek Nation that once covered almost all of Alabama and Georgia. Fortis Industries, Inc. is a Veteran-Owned Small Business headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama. They offer services for the Department of Defense (DoD) and other Federal Government Agencies. Clients include the General Services Administration (GSA), Department of the Navy, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and Department of the Army, among others. “We could not ask for a better partner to join than the Poarch Band of Creek Indians in our effort to provide superior facility services to the U.S. Government. This acquisition enables our Alabama-based organizations to grow and expand our capabilities across the federal government while creating employee and community opportunities,” said Josh Hancock, CEO of Fortis Industries. Josh Hancock (CEO), Casey Palmer (COO), and Brett Holt (CFO) will remain in their existing leadership roles. Fortis Industries’ professionals, clients, and partner firms will see no change in business operations.
Will Sellers: The quest for stable government
Ninety years ago, Portugal was the poster child for instability. New governments came and went roughly every 6 months. Change seemed the only constant, which created a vacuum of leadership tailor-made for military intervention. Out of the confusion and the void of effective leadership emerged one Antonio Salazar; he would govern Portugal for 36 years. American Secretary of State Dean Acheson remarked that Salazar was the closest thing in the 20th century to the philosopher-king outlined in Plato’s “Republic”. That was high praise, indeed, but was it accurate? Having a benevolent dictator who could act immediately and unilaterally, without the niceties of a parliament, plebiscite, or consent seems on the surface to be a good thing. But, finding that one individual who possessed the necessary qualifications to consistently act unselfishly and only in the national interest, was a challenge. And 90 years ago in Portugal, if there was one thing the country needed, it was an educated man of action who could stabilize the economy and plan for the future. Once Portugal became a republic and removed its king, diverse political parties diluted any chance to have a majority to govern parliament, much less the country. The lack of any cohesive governing coalition in the 1930s was a recipe for disaster, and Portugal was fast approaching a crisis. Rather than turn to a national hero or military junta, Portugal found an academic – an economist no less – and made him prime minister. This meritocratic approach would have made Plato proud and certainly bolstered the prospects for economists everywhere yearning to work in government. But Salazar not only worked in government, he became the government. To remain truly independent and balance uncertainties in the world economy, Salazar knew he needed to control the state budget without making concessions to lenders that might have hampered Portugal’s sovereignty. As perhaps only an economist could do, he tamed government finances and stabilized the economy. His austere solutions were accepted because they yielded results. The country took a deep breath, accepted Salazar’s prescriptions, and achieved equilibrium. Having proved himself with Portugal’s finances, Salazar began to consolidate power, a process that culminated in making him a dictator. This gradual shift, beginning with competency to manage the economy, ended in a form of autocracy that was neither fascist nor communist. Salazar’s theory of government was unusual and unique for the times. The Portuguese, like people everywhere, were looking for simple results: food, shelter, and prospects for improvement. Salazar provided this, and his success at meeting these needs allowed him to develop a dictatorship that was camouflaged as a philosopher-king. For some reason, there is a certain allure to having a single person in authority make decisions based on the best interests of the governed. Since Biblical times, citizens yearn for a leader who can solve problems quickly and efficiently. Political factions seem to stand in the way of good government and of a system that truly meets the needs of its people. When frustration is high, it is common for citizens to examine the existing system of government and consider new ways to solve problems. In Portugal, Salazar was the true meeting of the man and the moment. But it is dangerous to use the example of his initial success to validate his other beliefs in government and how a modern state should create a future for its people. Salazar did not believe in democracy and thought the expression of the people’s will in the form of an elected parliament was misplaced. He distrusted the people and believed in the rule of an elite class, which he advocated in public. His vision of government consisted solely of himself as an anointed prime minister who was better educated and more capable of understanding the needs of his people. It was he who would act and make decisions for the country. While Salazar did have the trappings of a parliament and tolerated unions and other interest groups, the power of government rested with him. He might listen to various groups and have them consider solutions to problems, but implementing a plan was exclusively his domain. In essence, he was an autonomous and unaccountable high school principal. For a while, this system worked. The consistency of having a singular ruler, educated as he was and truly solving problems, created a legitimacy if not an aura of infallibility, but it could not last. Once the crisis of World War II subsided and war profits ceased, Portugal was left with the many inefficiencies of a bloated bureaucracy and a state that relied increasingly on suppression of any innovative ideas. At some point, Portugal leveled off and economic growth slowed. The rule of a single man, increasingly unwilling to embrace new ideas, retarded Portugal’s entry into a global economy. The idea of a philosopher-king can be sustained for only so long before the inevitability of change and the tendency of the autocrat to stay in power gradually stagnates institutions that advance prosperity. Forms of government that rely on peoples’ elected representatives to govern may seem inefficient and frustrate immediate action in a crisis. But the lack of immediate solutions, while annoying at the time, eventually validates a government that deliberates and considers effective change. Thoughtful government creates a vibrant future based on human action as innovation and experiments in democracy find more and better ways to advance society. In times of crisis, an individual like Salazar seems like a satisfactory solution, but over time, the wisdom of a single point of failure in the person of a dictator is ill-advised. Removing government from the people and trusting an elite ruler limits effectiveness to a personality. Democratic institutions and systems of government that diffuse power and trust people to make decisions provide greater stability and continuity. Kings, be they philosophers or otherwise, can never provide the continuity needed to sustain development, growth, and the security needs of a modern state. Will Sellers is a graduate of Hillsdale College and an Associate Justice on
Grants to benefit Alabama domestic violence victims
Combating domestic violence and protecting victims in southwest Alabama is the focus of the distribution of state funds. Republican Gov. Kay Ivey announced $131,000 in grants are being distributed to a trio of agencies that will be aimed at supporting efforts to arrest and prosecute domestic violence offenders while training officers on how to respond to those calls. “Domestic violence has no place in society because of the harm done to victims,” Ivey said in the release. “These grants will help provide funds necessary to ensure those who commit these offenses are punished and those who are victims have a safe place to turn.” Funding, according to the release, will be used to ensure victims of domestic violence are given resources to help them elude the often-violent situations. According to the release, the funds will be distributed through the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs, with funding streaming from the U.S. Department of Justice. “ADECA joins Governor Ivey in supporting these agencies and the services they provide to help victims and to assist in prosecuting abusers,” ADECA Director Kenneth Boswell said in the release. According to the release, the Family Counseling Center of Mobile Inc. is set to receive $44,558 to support its community outreach initiatives. The funds will be used to promote awareness of domestic violence in Clarke, Mobile, and Washington counties. The funding will also be used by the counseling center to train law enforcement agencies, medical personnel, and other advocates to benefit victims. The Lighthouse, which is the Baldwin Family Violence Shelter, is scheduled to receive $33,000 the organization will use to establish the Lighthouse Court Advocacy Program. The program, according to the release, aids domestic violence victims as they navigate through the legal system as offenders are being prosecuted. The agency, according to the release, serves Baldwin, Conecuh, Escambia, and Monroe counties. It has a crisis hotline and a shelter. In Escambia County, the county commission will receive $53,200, according to the release, that will be used to fund the county’s domestic violence crime unit. The law enforcement arm works with victim service organizations while investigating and prosecuting domestic violence cases. Republished with the permission of The Center Square.
John Merrill: Redistricting controversies
Recently, the implementation of the newly drawn state legislative district lines has become a point of conversation in large part due to a lack of required performance by a very small number of county registrars in four Alabama counties. I want every Alabamian to know that while these mistakes were human errors, and everyone makes mistakes, I do not, have not, and will not ever accept human error as a sufficient excuse for poor performance and the lack of accomplishment of an assigned task. It is appropriate to let the people in our state know that in 2017, I formed a task force that studied the position and requirements of serving as a registrar in Alabama. This task force consisted of all stakeholders who work with the registrars, including, but not limited to, registrars, probate judges, circuit clerks, legislators, and sheriffs, as well as community interest groups from around the state. Over a period of six months, this task force developed comprehensive legislation to evaluate, assess, and implement changes to the responsibility of the position of registrar in Alabama. I asked State Senator Jimmy Holley and State Representative Alan Baker to sponsor this legislation, which would have dramatically changed the registrar appointment process and increased transparency and accountability from the people who hold the position throughout the state. Senate Bill 137 would have allowed the Secretary of State to provide an updated job description with more stringent minimum qualifications, demographic and county population considerations, required registrar trainings and assessments on an annual basis, clarified that the registrars serve at the pleasure of their appointing authority, and prevented registrars from reappointment if removed for cause, as well as several other significant measures. Unfortunately, there were several people, including members of the task force, as well as individuals who were opposed to the changes, who voiced their personal concerns to the members of the legislature. This resulted in the failure of this comprehensive piece of legislation. To be clear, the Secretary of State’s Office has no direct involvement in legislative reapportionment. According to the Constitutions of the United States and Alabama, that responsibility lies with the members of the Alabama Legislature. Our office facilitates the process by ensuring that the registrars receive the new district maps, which are prepared by the Alabama Legislature and provided to us by the Office of Legislative Reapportionment, in a timely manner. In November of 2021, we distributed maps to the County Boards of Registrars to ensure they had this important information as soon as possible to begin their important work. Currently, many counties are using paper maps to redraw district lines, which can often lead to human error when redrawing district boundaries. We anticipated that some counties might have difficulty assigning the new district lines, so beginning in late 2021, the Secretary of State’s Office made Geographic Information System (GIS) technology available to each county not currently using such mapping technology to reassign individuals who had been relocated based on legislative and congressional reapportionment. The use of GIS technology enables registrars to more accurately implement the new district maps approved by the Alabama Legislature. The Secretary of State’s Office offered to cover the licensing costs for the counties to use GIS. Unfortunately, no county accepted our offer to provide GIS, with many counties citing recurring financial obligations and initial workload concerns. It is our recommendation that the Alabama Legislature reexamine the current Board of Registrar system, as well as consider providing funding to ensure that boundary lines are drawn appropriately, even if that means engaging outside vendors. This would not be an unduly burdensome expense because reapportionment occurs only once a decade. With that being said, those registrars who have proven themselves unable to adequately perform their duties must face consequences. In the county where the most egregious dereliction of duties occurred, I sought and received the resignation of all three registrars involved. We have the power to correct this and future issues but only with the collaboration of the Alabama Legislature, county officials, and the Secretary of State’s Office. John Merrill has been the Secretary of State for Alabama since 2015.
Lawsuit aims to cleanse federal regulations hampering washing machines, dishwashers
Twelve attorneys general filed an opening brief Friday in a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for changes made this year to energy and water efficiency standards for dishwashers and washing machines. “These arbitrary washing machine regulations are unlawful, ineffective, and absolutely ridiculous,” Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, co-leader of a suit in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals against the DOE and Secretary Jennifer Granholm, said in a statement. “They should be hung out to dry as soon as possible.” The DOE regulates energy efficiency and water conservation in products through the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA). In 2020, new rules were implemented after consumers complained dishwashers and washing machines ran poorly because of DOE regulations. Previous regulations required appliances to run slower to be more energy efficient. However, no energy was saved as consumers often ran their machines twice to attain adequate cleaning results. In February, the DOE instituted the “Energy Conservation Program: Product Classes for Residential Dishwashers, Residential Clothes Washers, and Consumer Clothes Dryers.” It replaced the 2020 regulations with new rules requiring shorter wash times for washing machines and mandated cycle times for dishwashers be 60 minutes or less. “This is a prime example of the administrative state acting with too much power,” Missouri Republican Attorney General Eric Schmitt said in a statement. “The Department of Energy shouldn’t be able to dictate what laundry machines people buy, and they really shouldn’t enact such insane emissions standards that Missourians have to run their dishwashers twice.” In addition to Missouri and Arizona, the attorney generals in Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Montana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah joined the suit. The 83-page legal brief filed today argues the DOE rule violates the EPCA and is arbitrary and capricious. The plaintiffs contend the DOE failed to adequately explain the change in policy and supply enough rationale for the department’s refusal to create specific standards for performance classes. The attorneys general stated the DOE doesn’t understand its own authority. “… DOE can never create a new class with lower efficiency standards not withstanding Congress’s explicit grant of authority to adopt new classes with ‘higher or lower efficiency standards. That tyranny-of-mediocrity construction violates the underlying statute, and the 2022 rule should therefore be set aside.” Republished with the permission of The Center Square.
Biden administration: Docs must offer abortion if mom’s life at risk
The Biden administration on Monday told hospitals that they “must” provide abortion services if the life of the mother is at risk, saying federal law on emergency treatment guidelines preempts state laws in jurisdictions that now ban the procedure without any exceptions following the Supreme Court’s decision to end a constitutional right to abortion. The Department of Health and Human Services cited requirements on medical facilities in the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA). The law requires medical facilities to determine whether a person seeking treatment may be in labor or whether they face an emergency health situation — or one that could develop into an emergency — and to provide treatment. “If a physician believes that a pregnant patient presenting at an emergency department is experiencing an emergency medical condition as defined by EMTALA, and that abortion is the stabilizing treatment necessary to resolve that condition, the physician must provide that treatment,” the agency’s guidance states. “When a state law prohibits abortion and does not include an exception for the life of the pregnant person — or draws the exception more narrowly than EMTALA’s emergency medical condition definition — that state law is preempted.” The department said emergency conditions include “ectopic pregnancy, complications of pregnancy loss, or emergent hypertensive disorders, such as preeclampsia with severe features.” “It is critical that providers know that a physician or other qualified medical personnel’s professional and legal duty to provide stabilizing medical treatment to a patient who presents to the emergency department and is found to have an emergency medical condition preempts any directly conflicting state law or mandate that might otherwise prohibit such treatment,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra wrote in a letter to health care providers. The department says its guidance doesn’t reflect new policy, but merely reminds doctors and providers of their existing obligations under federal law. “Under federal law, providers in emergency situations are required to provide stabilizing care to someone with an emergency medical condition, including abortion care if necessary, regardless of the state where they live,” said Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure. “CMS will do everything within our authority to ensure that patients get the care they need.” Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
