Bill Poole appointed to serve as state finance director
Gov. Kay Ivey announced that she has appointed Rep. Bill Poole to serve as Alabama’s finance director, effective August 1. Current director Kelly Butler is retiring. He announced his retirement in June, stating it was due to complications of Lou Gehrig’s disease. Ivey stated, “Bill Poole is one of the most gifted public servants Alabama has seen in many years, and his exceptional leadership qualities, and the respect he commands on both sides of the aisle in the Alabama Legislature, makes him uniquely qualified to serve as Alabama’s next finance director. His detailed focus on education funding demonstrates a depth of knowledge in our state’s budget process that few can match and his passion for advancing good public policy gives him an added platform to help me and my administration continue to seek out new solutions to solving many of Alabama’s long-neglected challenges. I’m more than pleased he agreed, once again, to serve our state in this new role, and I know he will do a bang-up job.” Poole is a member of the Alabama House of Representatives and has served as the House Ways and Means education chairman. He also serves as chairman of Innovate Alabama, a statewide commission charged with developing a long-term strategy to expand Alabama’s economy. Poole was first elected to House District 63 in 2010. He graduated from the University of Alabama and the University of Alabama School of Law. He has worked in private practice since 2004. “I am deeply thankful to Governor Kay Ivey for offering to me the opportunity to serve as finance director for the state of Alabama,” Rep. Poole commented. “My service in the Alabama House of Representatives has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I extend my sincere thanks to the citizens of House District 63 and the entire Tuscaloosa community for electing and trusting me, and I have always worked hard to honor that trust and fulfill my responsibilities at the highest standard. I also extend my sincere thanks to my colleagues in the Alabama House of Representatives, and particularly my colleagues on the House Ways and Means Education Committee.” “I am excited to accept this new role and embrace this new challenge, and I will continue to do my very best on behalf of the state of Alabama,” Poole continued. “As the governor and others have said, Kelly Butler set a high bar for dedicated service, integrity, and transparency during his 30-plus years of public service. “I am grateful to have Kelly’s full support going forward, which will help ensure a smooth transition.” Poole helped to pass Rebuild Alabama, which in two years, has appropriated $295 million to the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) projects on the state highway system. He was also the Alabama Incentives Modernization Act sponsor, a law that aimed to make the state more attractive to tech-based companies and entrepreneurs. He currently serves as chair of the Tuscaloosa County Legislation Committee. Speaker of the House Mac McCutcheon released a statement, “Rep. Bill Poole’s tremendous success as the House education budget chairman is evidenced in successive years of record classroom spending, expanded programs on both the K-12 and higher ed levels, and improved academic measures. Universally respected and trusted by his colleagues on both sides of the aisle, Chairman Poole has proven to be a responsible and pragmatic steward of taxpayer dollars. “The same skills and talents that allowed him to enjoy great success as a committee chairman and lawmaker will also serve him well as state finance director,” he continued. “Though the House will miss his leadership, Gov. Ivey was right to recognize that Bill Poole is the right man for the right job at the right time, and Alabama will benefit greatly from his service.”
Finance director: Alabama to use nearly all of virus relief
Alabama will spend nearly all of its $1.8 billion in federal coronavirus relief funds after a flurry of last-minute grants and reimbursements before the end-of-year deadline, the state finance director said Wednesday. State records show that about $818 million of the state’s $1.8 million allocation is so far unspent ahead of a Dec. 30 deadline to use the money or send it back to Washington. Finance Director Kelly Butler told reporters the state is working through a backlog of reimbursement requests from local governments that should take the remaining relief dollars down to $10 million by the Dec. 30 deadline. “I’m highly confident that we will get substantially all the money spent by the deadline,” Butler said. He gave no indications that the federal government might extend the deadline — instead, they are putting the “pedal to the metal” to get the money out the door by Dec. 30. The largest allocations by the state have included $300 million to shore up the state’s unemployment trust fund after unemployment claims skyrocketed during the pandemic, as well as a $200 million grant program to support small businesses, nonprofits, and faith-based organizations in Alabama that have been impacted by COVID-19. Butler said in mid-December the finance department will do a final tally of what is remaining and seek reallocation if needed to different areas. More than 80 organizations, including advocacy groups for low-income families and people with disabilities, sent Republican Gov. Kay Ivey a letter in November expressing concern that the relief money would go unused when the state faces so many needs. The groups noted Alabama was one of the poorest states in the country, with 800,000 residents living in poverty “before this pandemic devastated the economy.” Butler said the department had received thousands of suggestions for the money, “all of which have a lot of merit.” But he said there were strict guidelines from the U.S. Treasury Department on how the money can be used. “There is a perception out there that this money can solve everybody’s problem and can be used for anything that people want it to be used for. And the reality is the Treasury guidance, particularly the audit guidance, does not allow us to do everything everybody wants us to do.” Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Kay Ivey proposes $1 billion school bond issue
Ivey first announced the project in her State of the State address on Tuesday night.
Former Congressman Jo Bonner appointed senior adviser to Gov. Kay Ivey
With more than a decade of experience in politics as a former Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Republican Jo Bonner is
Personnel note: Kelly Butler named Alabama’s Acting Director of Finance
Governor Kay Ivey on Tuesday named Kelly Butler as Acting Director of the Alabama Department of Finance. Butler began his career with the Alabama Department of Revenue more than thirty years ago. He later worked for the Legislative Fiscal Office before joining the Alabama Department of Finance as Assistant State Budget Officer in 2012. Since that time, Butler has served as State Budget Officer and most recently as Assistant Finance Director for Fiscal Operations. As Assistant Finance Director, Butler will oversee the State Comptroller’s Office, the State Purchasing Division, the State Debt Management Division, and the State Business Systems Division. “Kelly Butler has more than two decades of experience working with the state’s budgets and more than three decades experience as a fiscal analyst. I know he will do an excellent job leading the Alabama Department of Finance during this interim period,” Ivey said. “I appreciate him stepping up as acting director and his commitment to my administration.” In addition to his new duties, Butler will continue his work on building the governor’s budget proposals leading up to the 2019 Legislative Session. “I am honored that Governor Ivey has asked me to lead the Department of Finance. The department has many talented employees who work hard to provide excellent services to other state agencies and to the people of Alabama. I look forward to working with them to continue those excellent services,” Butler said. Butler’s appointment is effective on Wednesday, August 15, 2018. He will replace outgoing Director of Finance Clinton Carter whose last day is August 14, 2018. He will serve in this position until a thorough search for a permanent Finance Director can be conducted.
