Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter appoints House Members to serve on a study commission evaluating Alabama’s labor force participation
Alabama has the lowest unemployment rate in state history. There are job openings all over the state that businesses and governments cannot fill, yet the state has one of the country’s worst labor force participation rates. That Alabamians are choosing to stay home rather than join the booming economy has increasingly perplexed state leaders. “Despite having one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country and a record number of Alabamians working, the percentage of Alabamians participating in the labor force is lower than almost any other state,” Governor Kay Ivey wrote recently. “While we are increasing that by the tens of thousands, we have to change this statistic. Getting folks off the sidelines and into the labor force is my next priority.” On Monday, Speaker of the House Nathaniel Ledbetter announced members of the Alabama House of Representatives that will serve on an ad hoc committee studying Alabama’s labor force participation rates and identifying barriers to workforce entry. “Alabama is witnessing record-breaking economic growth and historically low unemployment rates,” Ledbetter said. “Despite these numbers, in Alabama, there are roughly 140,000 job openings and, at the same time, 48,834 unemployed workers across our state. That means we are lacking nearly 100,000 workers over 16 years old, which puts our labor force participation rate at a mere 57 percent—one of the lowest rates in the entire country.” The House members appointed to serve on the study commission will be Rep. Reed Ingram (R–Pike Road), who will serve as the Chairman of the Committee. Rep. Danny Garrett (R–Trussville); Rep. Donna Givens (R–Robersdale); House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels (D–Huntsville); Rep. James Lomax (R–Huntsville); Rep. Barbara Drummond (D–Mobile); Rep. Mike Kirkland (R–Scottsboro); Rep. Bill Lamb (R–Tuscaloosa); Rep. Kelvin Lawrence (D–Hayneville); Rep. Curtis Travis (D–Tuscaloosa); Rep. Chris Pringle (R–Mobile); Rep. Matt Woods (R–Jasper); Rep. Wes Kitchens (R–Guntersville); Rep. Jim Carns (R–Birmingham); and House Majority Leader Scott Stadthagen (R–Hartselle). “Over the coming months, it will be imperative for this group to build on the progress of, and collaborate with, existing entities such as the Lt. Governor’s Commission on 21st Century Workforce, the Alabama Community College System, Alabama higher-education institutions, and essential stakeholders across the private sector,” Ledbetter said. The study commission is expected to address areas including extending adequate childcare to families, examining the correlation between productivity growth and labor output, ensuring wages and salaries are competitive, addressing workforce housing concerns, and offering improved and more expansive mental health programs and services to citizens. “An insufficiency of resources such as these creates barriers to workforce entry as much as an absence of quality education,” Ledbetter postulated. The study commission is slated to host their first meeting on Thursday, October 5, at 10:00 a.m. in room 617 of the Alabama State House. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Nathaniel Ledbetter announces House members who will serve on labor force participation study
With unemployment still sitting at a record low of 2.1%, the state is looking for ways to increase the number of Alabamians in the workforce. Speaker of the House Nathaniel Ledbetter announced on Monday key House members that will serve on an ad hoc committee studying Alabama’s labor force participation rates and identifying barriers to workforce entry. In July, Gov. Kay Ivey said labor force participation was a top priority. “Despite having one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country and a record number of Alabamians working, the percentage of Alabamians participating in the labor force is lower than almost any other state,” Gov. Ivey wrote in an op-ed. “While we are increasing that by the tens of thousands, we have to change this statistic. Getting folks off the sidelines and into the labor force is my next priority.” In September, Alabama Department of Labor Secretary Fitzgerald Washington announced that Alabama’s Labor Force Participation Rate (LFPR) rose only slightly in August to 57.0%. This is up from last August’s rate of 56.9%. “Alabama is witnessing record-breaking economic growth and historically low unemployment rates,” Ledbetter said in a press release. “Despite these numbers, in Alabama, there are roughly 140,000 job openings and, at the same time, 48,834 unemployed workers across our state. That means we are lacking nearly 100,000 workers over 16 years old, which puts our labor force participation rate at a mere 57 percent—one of the lowest rates in the entire country.” “Yet again, we are announcing record-breaking economic statistics this month,” said Secretary Washington. “While our labor force participation rate remained unchanged, we are continuing to work with marginalized groups to get them into our labor force.” The House Members serving on the study commission will be Rep. Reed Ingram (R–Pike Road) – Chairman; Rep. Danny Garrett (R–Trussville); Rep. Donna Givens (R–Robersdale); Rep. Anthony Daniels (D–Huntsville); Rep. James Lomax (R–Huntsville); Rep. Barbara Drummond (D–Mobile); Rep. Mike Kirkland (R–Scottsboro); Rep. Bill Lamb (R–Tuscaloosa); Rep. Kelvin Lawrence (D–Hayneville); Rep. Curtis Travis (D–Tuscaloosa); Rep. Chris Pringle (R–Mobile); Rep. Matt Woods (R–Jasper); Rep. Wes Kitchens (R–Guntersville); Rep. Jim Carns (R–Birmingham); Rep. Scott Stadthagen (R–Hartselle). “Over the coming months, it will be imperative for this group to build on the progress of, and collaborate with, existing entities such as the Lt. Governor’s Commission on 21st Century Workforce, the Alabama Community College System, Alabama higher-education institutions, and essential stakeholders across the private sector,” stated Ledbetter. Some specific areas the study commission will address are extending adequate childcare to families, examining the correlation between productivity growth and labor output, ensuring wages and salaries are competitive, addressing workforce housing concerns, and offering improved and more expansive mental health programs and services. “An insufficiency of resources such as these creates barriers to workforce entry as much as an absence of quality education,” Ledbetter concluded.
Hearing on voting machine lawsuit is today
A judge will hear a motion to dismiss a lawsuit challenging the use of vote counting machines today in Montgomery at 9:00 a.m. The lawsuit was originally brought by Republican primary candidate Lindy Blanchard and State Rep. Tommy Hanes. The candidates had originally sought to bar the use of the vote tabulation machines in the May 24 Republican primary. Both Hanes and Blanchard lost in the primary. Hanes, the incumbent, lost to challenger Republican Mike Kirkland 3,707 48.4% to 3,950 51.6%. Kirkland is unopposed in the general election. Blanchard finished second to incumbent Gov. Kay Ivey, but the popular incumbent received 54.8% of the vote in the primary, besting Blanchard and seven other primary opponents combined to avoid a Republican primary runoff. No incumbent governor in Alabama has lost their party primary since George C. Wallace beat incumbent Gov. Albert Brewer in the 1970 Democratic primary. Three incumbents have lost general elections. Failing to block the machine tabulation of both the primary and primary runoff votes, the lawsuit is now just challenging the use and accuracy of the machines in general. Blanchard has left the lawsuit, which is being supported by My Pillow founder and CEO Mike Lindell. Former Gov. Don Siegelman has taken Blanchard’s place in the lawsuit. Siegelman, the last Democratic governor in Alabama history, maintains that he actually won the 2002 general election to then-Congressman Bob Riley. The Republican Party has won the last five gubernatorial elections, and incumbent Gov. Kay Ivey is expected to win re-election on November 8. The Alabama chapter of the ultra-MAGA group Focus On America (FOA) is continuing to support the lawsuit. Supporters and members of the group are being asked to attend Tuesday’s hearing to show support. Signs will not be allowed in the courtroom. Secretary of State John H. Merrill has maintained that the vote counting machines, which do not connect to the internet, are both safe and accurate. Merrill said in a statement after meeting with Lindell, “Every Alabamian should be proud that Alabama was recognized as the gold standard for election administration for the first time in our state’s history by the Concerned Women for American Legislative Action Committee. We will continue to work with those like Mr. Lindell and other concerned citizens to provide complete transparency.” Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall has filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit citing a lack of grounds. If the motion to dismiss is denied, the case could move forward to the trial stage in the coming weeks. Merrill maintains that replacing the vote tabulation machines with hand counts by poll workers, like Russia and some countries still use, will slow the vote counting down and add an opportunity for potential fraud as well as mistakes by the human vote counters. To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Several Alabama legislators lose to primary challengers
At least six members of the Alabama Legislature lost to primary challengers on Tuesday, according to unofficial returns, and several races are yet to be decided. In one of the tightest races, Republican Sen. Tom Whatley of Auburn is trailing challenger Jay Hovey by four votes, according to unofficial returns. Provisional ballots will be counted next week. Hovey is a member of the Auburn City Council. In the House of Representatives, Rep. Will Dismukes of Prattville lost to challenger Jerry Starnes. His defeat came after a series of political and legal troubles. Dismukes had faced calls for his resignation in 2020 after participating in a celebration marking the birthday of Nathan Bedford Forrest — the Confederate general who was also an early Ku Klux Klan leader. He also faced a theft charge related to a dispute with a former employer. Other incumbent defeats, according to unofficial returns, included: — Republican Rep. Joe Faust of Fairhope, a 20-year veteran of the House was defeated by Jennifer Fidler. — Republican Rep. Dickie Drake of Leeds was defeated by Susan DuBose. — Republican Rep. Tommy Hanes of Bryant was defeated by Mike Kirkland. — Republican Rep. Proncey Robertson of Mount Hope was defeated by Ernie Yarbrough. — Democratic Rep. Ralph Howard of Greensboro was defeated by Curtis Travis. Republican Rep. Gill Isbell of Gadsden is trailing challenger Mack Butler, who previously served in the Legislature. But the race is caught in a mix-up where some voters got ballots with the wrong House district. Secretary of State John Merrill said they did not know how many voters were affected. Democratic Rep. Rod Scott of Fairfield was forced into a runoff with a challenger. In another notable contest, House Rules Chair Mike Jones, one of the most influential members in the House of Representatives, appears to have lost to Coffee County Commissioner Josh Carnley in his bid to join the Alabama Senate. Unofficial returns showed Carnley avoiding a runoff with Jones by a margin of about 50 votes. The two are seeking the GOP nomination for the state Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Jimmy Holley. Former longtime state Sen. Hank Sanders of Selma will go to a runoff with Robert L. Stewart for the Democratic nomination for District 23. Sanders represented the district from 1982 to 2018. His daughter, Sen. Malika Sanders-Fortier, won the seat in 2018 but is leaving the state Senate to run for governor. Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
Alabama Farmers Federation announces more endorsements for House candidates
Thursday, The Alabama Farmers Federation (ALFA) announced another round of endorsements for candidates seeking election to the Alabama House of Representatives, Yellowhammer News reported. FarmPAC, ALFA’s political arm, helps determine who to endorse. ALFA is Alabama’s largest farm organization representing agricultural and associate members in all 67 Alabama counties. FarmPAC has endorsed the following candidates. Mark Shirey for House District 100 Brock Colvin for House District 26 Jennifer Fidler for House District 94 Mike Kirkland for House District 23 Shirey is an optometrist in West Mobile. He was president of the Alabama Optometric Association and coordinated with state leadership to write legislation for expanded access to eye care services across Alabama. Colvin is a fifth-generation resident of Marshall County and graduated from the University of Alabama with a double major in finance and economics. “My background in finance gives me the skill I will need to roll up my sleeves and protect our tax dollars,” Colvin stated. “We are taxed enough. I will work for lower taxes and better fiscal responsibility out of state government.” Fidler, a Silverhill native, attended Auburn University, where she obtained a degree in Ornamental Horticulture in 1992. She served on the City of Fairhope Planning Commission from 2007 to 2017. With over 25 years of leadership in local government, Fidler retired in 2018 from public service. Kirkland was born and raised in Jackson county. “I am proud of being a part of our community, and now is the time to do even more,” said Kirkland. “I want to serve the great people of Jackson County and be their voice in Montgomery.” ALFA began announcing state legislative endorsements last October. The primary election will take place on May 24, 2022.
