ATF PAYBACK

After a vote of the people on September 18, money will now be taken out of the Alabama Trust Fund to prop up the state General Fund. The constitutional amendment provided no means to repay the money that will be borrowed. However, the legislature made good on its promise to pay back the ATF by passing the People’s Trust Act. This bill was the first bill passed in the 2013 legislative session and will require the state to pay back the $437.5 million by 2026.

ALABAMA ACCOUNTABILITY ACT

This historic bill provides tax credits to families with students in consistently failing schools to attend a non-failing public or private school. It also gives flexibility to local school boards so they can tailor their programs to the needs of their students.
I was proud to support this legislation, but I will also work to make sure our successful schools are protected and able to continue bringing up our next generation of leaders.

GENERAL FUND BUDGET

Setting the state on a sound, conservative fiscal path is one of our top priorities in the Senate. General Fund Budget Chairman, Senator Arthur Orr, has done a great job this year in crafting a General Fund budget that makes sure essential services are provided while streamlining and making cuts wherever possible. The $1.75 billion General Fund budget for fiscal year 2014 has passed the Senate and will now be sent to the House for review. Of particular note is the legislative branch’s budget, which has been cut $12.9 million. If we are going to ask other state agencies and branches of government to live within their means, we have to lead by example.

GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY

The effort to make state government more efficient will continue to be a priority. Two major successes to streamline government include public safety and the state IT department:

Law Enforcement: Senate Bill 108 consolidates over 20 public safety agencies down to seven agencies. This will end up saving the state an estimated $26-$30 million per year. It establishes the Alabama State Law Enforcement Agency and a Secretary of Law Enforcement to oversee state-level law enforcement functions. Breaking down these barriers between agencies will go along way toward eliminating redundancies and making our law enforcement agencies more efficient and responsive.

Information Technology: There is currently no coordination between state agencies for Information Technology (IT). The state is losing millions of dollars each year because of this lack of efficiency. Senate Bill 117 addresses these problems by creating a Secretary of Information Technology who will oversee the state’s IT network and find ways to save the state money while also coordinating all state agency IT departments.

LOOKING AHEAD

Women’s Health and Safety Act

The Women’s Health and Safety Act (HB57) passed out of the Senate Health Committee, of which I am a member, and will now be up on the Senate floor when the legislature returns from Spring Break. This bill says that if a woman chooses to have an abortion, direct physician involvement will be required and there will be mandatory standards for nursing care and post-operative follow-up visits. Because of Supreme Court rulings, it is sadly not possible to prohibit abortions all together, but this bill will make sure women are cared for in the safest pre-and-post operative environment available. I will continue my support of pro-life bills and look forward to seeing HB57 pass in the Senate (hopefully next week). Please contact your legislator to show your support for this bill.

ONESPOT

In the next few weeks of the legislative session, I will introduce a bill that will improve the purchasing and renewal of business licenses to make it less burdensome for businesses across our state. Currently Alabama has a complicated business licensing system that includes 138 different state and county business licenses that many businesses must purchase. My bill will reduce the amount of state and county business licenses that most businesses are required to purchase and create an online system where all businesses can go to apply for, purchase and renew all applicable state and local business licenses in one place—the “Business License ONESPOT.”

Medicaid

The Legislature will begin work on a bill to change the state Medicaid plan when we return from Spring Break. The newest plan, a result of a 14-month long study by the Alabama Medicaid Advisory Committee formed by Governor Bentley, will look at restructuring the current Medicaid organization and future funding. Senator Greg Reed will introduce the bill in the Senate and Representative Jim McClendon will introduce it in the House.

EVENTS

Coffee & Conversation

This year I began the “Coffee & Conversation” series to reach out to all areas of District 15. It has been a beneficial and productive way for me to meet with the mayor of each city as well as with constituents in an informal setting to talk about the issues that matter most. We have had successful events in Chelsea, Trussville and Leeds and we already have some great ones planned for this spring. Be sure to check my Facebook page for the next Coffee & Conversation in your city.

Setting the state on a sound, conservative fiscal path is one of our top priorities in the Senate. Senator Arthur Orr has done a great job this year in crafting a General Fund budget that makes sure essential services are provided while streamlining and making cuts wherever possible. Of particular note is the legislative branch’s budget, which has been cut by $12.9 million since we took office in 2010. If we’re going to ask other state agencies and branches of government to live within their means, we have to lead by example.

We passed the General Fund budget Tuesday night, which is the earliest in the session we’ve passed the budget since I’ve been in the legislature.

On Wednesday I was glad to host County Commissioners from Jefferson, Shelby, Talladega and Bibb counties in Montgomery. The day started with a panel discussion featuring Lt. Gov. Ivey, Senate Majority Leader Jabo Waggoner and several of my Senate colleagues. We discussed the legislative session and got some great feedback from the commissioners on the challenges they are facing in their counties, including the Jefferson County bankruptcy.

After the panel discussion, we had lunch together at the Capital City club where Lt. Gov. Ivey and Governor Bentley both addressed the group.

It’s extremely important to keep lines of communication open between our local elected leaders and members of the legislature in Montgomery. I appreciate the county commissioners’ efforts to do exactly that, and I look forward to continuing to work closely with each of them.

The week closed with a flurry of activity after the Supreme Court overturned a lower court’s ruling and allowed the Accountability Act of 2013 to go to the governor for his signature. When it comes to education, I believe every parent deserves a choice, and ever child deserves a chance. I was proud to support this legislation, but I will also work to make sure our successful schools are protected and able to continue bringing up our next generation of leaders.

We also passed The Women’s Health and Safety Act (HB57) out of the Senate Health Committee, of which I’m a member. This bill says that if a woman chooses to have an abortion, direct physician involvement will be required and there will be mandatory standards for nursing care and post-operative follow-up visits. This bill will make sure women are cared for in the safest pre-and-post operative environment available. I’m looking forward to this bill passing the full Senate and going to the Governor for his signature soon.

Senate Bills 116 and 117, which streamline the state’s IT functions, passed on Thursday. These common sense proposals could potentially save taxpayer’s $30 to $60 million a year by establishing the Alabama Technology Authority for the delivery of state IT services and creating a cabinet-level IT secretary to coordinate the efforts. My colleague, Senator Phil Williams, worked very hard on these bills and I was proud to lend my support.

Both the House and Senate last week delivered on our promise to pass a plan to pay back the money borrowed from the Alabama Trust Fund. Our plan received broad bi-partisan support and will ensure that the state makes payments on a set schedule. The people of Alabama trusted us to do this when they voted to borrow money from the ATF, and it was our first order of business to pass this bill. The House will concur with our bill today and it will then be sent to the Governor for his signature.

Two of my bills made it out of committee last week. The first one consolidates the State Treasury Department budgets. This is another part of our effort to streamline state government. The second one allows for an Alabama resident who incurs a capital loss to carry forward the loss for state income tax purposes for three years from the year in which the loss is incurred.

I was honored last week to be presented the Healthcare Leadership award by the Alabama Association of Nurse Anesthetists. Each year, the Association presents the Award to an individual who they feel has demonstrated leadership in bringing the best, most affordable healthcare to Alabama citizens. It’s a privilege to be in Montgomery fighting for high quality, low cost healthcare for the people of Alabama. Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists are highly skilled healthcare professionals who are trained to deliver the best anesthesia care possible. These are the kind of people who make Alabama’s workforce the best in the country.

@sladeblackwell was presented the Healthcare Leadership award by the Alabama Association of Nurse Anesthetists twitter.com/ALANAFPD/statu…

— Amy Pfeil Neimkin (@ALANAFPD) February 15, 2013

On Friday morning we hosted our third “Coffee & Conversation” event in Leeds at Laney’s Country Cooking. We will continue doing these informal get-togethers because it’s invaluable for me to hear directly from people around the District on what issues are most important to you. Be on the lookout for more of these events in the near future.

This week, you can expect the Senate to continue focusing on government efficiency. We will also be looking at legislation to increase flexibility for local schools and a bill that will address gun control concerns.

Unemployment is down, exports are up to record levels, and we were recently ranked the 4th best state to do business. Alabama is on the right track, and I’m excited to continue the work we’re doing to make sure our state government is getting smaller, more efficient, and more transparent.

Shelby County Reporter

August 9, 2011

As a direct neighbor, Shelby County stands to be significantly impacted by Jefferson County’s ongoing sewer debt crisis. If this issue were to go unresolved it would have a detrimental effect on all of Alabama and our ability to borrow money for capital improvement projects. Our credit rating has already taken a hit and I fear what would happen if Jefferson County were to file the largest municipal bankruptcy in United States history.

I first engaged in an effort to solve the sewer crisis as a citizen when starting JeffCoCan, advocating a solution that raises no new taxes and avoids bankruptcy. I’m still confident that such a plan is viable, but it will require everyone coming together to make it a reality. I have been encouraged by Governor Bentley’s involvement and attention to ensuring that we put forward a plan to resolve the ongoing debt crisis once and for all.

Since Shelby County has privatized its sewer system, it has been operating more effectively and efficiently, which saves customers money. Additionally, by operating under an independent sewer authority we can ensure that politics and corruption are forever removed from the system.

In the coming weeks, I plan to host community meetings in Chelsea and Columbiana to provide us with an opportunity to discuss how we can improve Shelby County. These meetings are intended for us to dialogue about issues of importance to you and will give me a chance to update you on the past legislative session in Montgomery.

Please check my web site at Sladeblackwell.com for the dates, times and locations of the first two community meetings, as well as others I will host throughout Shelby County in the months ahead.

As always, I hope you will contact me directly if I can ever be of assistance to you or your community.

Shelby County Reporter

June 29, 2011

Shelby County’s legislators said they are still exhausted from a “historic” legislative session, and agreed setting the state’s general fund and education budgets were among the hardest things they have done as they spoke to members of the Greater Shelby Chamber of Commerce June 29.

District 15 state Sen. Slade Blackwell, R-Birmingham, said he was thankful to the county’s more seasoned legislators for assisting him during his first session, and said he was glad to see his child safety bill signed into law.

“Before this bill, residential elevators didn’t have to be inspected,” Blackwell said. “Now they have to be inspected once just to make sure nobody gets hurt.”

State Rep. Greg Canfield, R-Vestavia Hills, said he was pleased to see the rolling reserve act signed into law, which gives “stability” to how the state budgets for education, he said.

Canfield also said he was glad to see the state regulate the dumping of coal ash in Alabama.

State Rep. Mike Hill, R-Columbiana, said redrawing the state’s legislative districts will be a major issue for Shelby County in the next few years.

“Shelby County is a high-growth area,” Hill said. “I hope to be able to pick up one more senator or one more representative before the next election.”

Mary Sue McClurkin, a state representative from Indian Springs, said she was happy to see some bills pass, but was disappointed some did not.

“We passed a bill that was important to me that will allow schools to make some adjustments in their days in the case of disasters,” McClurkin said, noting she was disappointed the clean air act and a bill to streamline the hospital certificate of need process did not pass.

Sen. Jabo Waggoner, R-Birmingham, said it was “a lot more fun and productive” to have a Republican majority for the first time in his 21-years as a legislator.

Rep. Kurt Wallace, R-Maplesville, said he worked to get an item on next year’s ballot allowing voters to decide whether to allow secret-ballot voting in business settings.

“I firmly believe everyone should have the right to vote without being harassed or intimidated,” Wallace said.

State Sen. Cam Ward, R-Alabaster, said two of his bills focused on tort reform and reforming the state’s indigent defense system, which he said was costing the state “a lot of money.”

“Shelby County had the most successful delegation this session,” Ward said. “We’ve got a lot to look forward to in the next three years.”

State Rep. April Weaver, R-Brierfield, said she was glad to see her bill aimed at giving small businesses and their employees a tax break signed into law.

“You always see big tax incentives for big corporations. We wanted to do something to help the small businesses,” Weaver said.

Trussville Tribune

November 21, 2011

The current Jefferson County Commission apprised of Joe Knight, Jimmie Stephens, David Carrington, Sandra Little Brown and George Bowman ran for office with their eyes wide open.

There was a singular looming issue they were all willing to face and attempt to solve.

The Jefferson County sewer crisis.

With the new group barely settled in, the courts stripped the county of the occupational tax and roughly one-third of the county revenue stream. Bad got worse in a hurry.

Credit this group for two things: They did not waste money on fighting a lost cause in the occupational tax and they worked diligently to avoid bankruptcy while recognizing that it may be necessary.

The commission, in fact, came very close to not only reaching a fair agreement with creditors, but working out a deal with the Jefferson County Legislative Delegation to solve the loss of the occupational tax and refinance the sewer debt. Then Montgomery happened. Sen. Scott Beason killed the deal with his single vote.

The commission has been stifled by the state all along the way. The local legislators haven’t come close to agreeing on any possible solution, but the governor’s office has also been far from reliable in terms of leadership. Gov. Robert Bentley, who favored bankruptcy as a candidate but now opposes the move after being elected, waffled more than John Kerry on calling a special session to help reach a settlement.

Bentley promised to call the legislature into session in the beginning. Then he said he wouldn’t call a session unless the local delegates reached an agreement, which is like saying he wouldn’t call a session unless Harvey Updyke is the grand marshal of the Auburn homecoming parade. Then he said he would before saying again that he wouldn’t. Then the county filed for bankruptcy. Then Bentley said he would have called a special session.

Dizzy? Good. You’re normal.

Early on in the negotiation process, county commissioners — the elected officials chosen by voters to solve the problem — were left out of the negotiating loop when creditors sent settlement proposals directly to Bentley’s Finance Director Dave Perry instead of the commission. Days went by without the entire commission receiving a copy of the offer. Commissioners were finally granted access to the creditor counterproposal just hours before an answer was due. Thanks to state officials, the commission found itself at a decided disadvantage in negotiations.

Any settlement from the county would require legislative approval, so commissioners had no choice but to play ball with Montgomery. In many ways that was proper because Bentley had said often that a bankrupt Jefferson County would impact the entire state. At least, the governor made that statement until the county filed for Chapter 9 protection, at which time the governor immediately released a statement explaining how the county’s bankruptcy had no impact on the rest of the state.

Still confused? Never fear. Montgomery will handle everything.

Ironically, there is still an outside chance that the bankruptcy could be called off. Sen. Slade Blackwell has said that legislators are still seeking ways to help. The problem is there aren’t enough Blackwells and still way too much Montgomery.

Trussville Tribune

November 17, 2011

Last week, the Jefferson County Commission voted to file for Chapter 9 bankruptcy after an ongoing struggle to solve the sewer debt crisis that has plagued the county for years.

As I’ve stated before, I became involved in the Jefferson County sewer crisis even before I ran for state senate, believing that filing for bankruptcy would be detrimental to the well-being of citizens and rate payers. The county has lost all credibility and only time will tell how badly it will hurt Jefferson County and the entire state of Alabama.

Filing the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history will undoubtedly make it increasingly difficult for Jefferson County and the state of Alabama to grow and expand in economic development. Bankruptcy will not wipe away the county’s debt and will only escalate spending by the county on legal expenses and bankruptcy lawyers. While there will be numerous negative impacts to bankruptcy, a few of them continue to stand out:

• Causes Alabama to have a significantly higher borrowing cost in the bond market
• Jefferson County’s credit rating of “Default” will remain for years to come
• Puts Alabama and every municipality in the state at a disadvantage when recruiting new industry
• Places the fate of Jefferson County citizens and rate payers in the hands of a federal judge
• Doesn’t resolve the county’s debt
• More than $1 million per month in legal fees going forward
• Economic decline will lower property values across the county and state resulting in diminished budgets and discontinued services
• Ability of issuing new bond debt for school construction, road projects, etc. will be non-existent for years to come in Jefferson County

I’ve been encouraged by the progress being made by elected officials and local business leaders on resolving the sewer debt crisis over the past several weeks and I hope this will continue. We should not let this bankruptcy filing halt all progress that was being made. I believe we can still get a resolution and, if so, the commission can always withdraw their bankruptcy filing. It’s time that the elected officials in the county and state come together to resolve this crisis–not spew rhetoric or politicize the issue with misinformation.

Trussville Tribune

November 2, 2011

We are all facing tough economic times, and the state of Alabama is no exception. 

Our budget outlook for the next few years is dismal to say the least and spending is down across the board, so like thousands of families across Alabama, we must cut back in order to make ends meet. In a recent study, the state reported having 1,645 fewer state employees on Sept. 30 of this year (35,993) from last year at this time (37,638), a 4.4 percent drop in employees.

These employees included those working for state agencies, boards, courts and other state government offices but excluded those working for public schools, colleges and universities, as well as legislators.

These numbers are encouraging because not only are we seeing a government cut back but a government learning to live within its means. Part of the reason why there has been such a significant drop in the number of state government workers is because the state simply does not have the money to replace the employees who retired or resigned, or got laid off in the last fiscal year.

In addition, Alabama has used up the $1.12 billion federal stimulus dollars that were awarded in fiscal 2009. Because the stimulus funds are now depleted and we are still struggling economically, revenue has not recovered providing us the resources to replace certain positions. Therefore, the next step is to downsize in state government, along with many other states that are in our same situation.

Gov. Robert Bentley has said that he is opposed to new taxes in order to fill the gap from a proposed drop in General Fund revenues in the next fiscal year. Instead, we are looking at each line of the budget to see what can be cut or reduced in order to put Alabama in good financial health. My hope is that during these hard times government will have no choice but to learn to live within its means as efficiently as possible.

This will serve the people of Alabama now and in years to come.

Trussville Tribune

October 20, 2011

For more than two years, and even before I was elected state senator, I have worked tirelessly to find a solution to the escalating Jefferson County sewer crisis.

After researching it thoroughly and trying to find a reasonable solution, it soon became apparent that this is not just a Jefferson County problem, but one that will affect the entire state of Alabama if it continues to go unresolved. If Jefferson County fails, there will be a ripple effect that will touch the entire state.

Throughout the process of finding a solution, bankruptcy has always been left on the table as the very last option. Bankruptcy would cripple Jefferson County by leaving us with higher borrowing costs that could be used to fund new projects. These higher borrowing costs would make it hard for us to attract new businesses, build new infrastructure or create new jobs.

But what is alarming is that this problem would not be confined to just Jefferson County; it would affect the entire state. Alabama cannot afford to forgo development or the addition of new jobs, but I’m afraid if the Jefferson County sewer crisis is not taken care of properly this may be our future.

While we must find a solution to the problem, we also must ensure that we never find ourselves in this situation ever again. I am currently working on legislation that would create an independent board that would oversee the sewer system. This would remove politics from the system and place it in the hands of a nonpolitical, professional group to manage.

As we look toward the future, I am focused on working with other members of the Jefferson County legislative delegation and other legislators across the state to find a solution to this problem once and for all. Of course, we always want to do what is ultimately best for the citizens and ratepayers of Jefferson County. But inaction will end up hurting everyone, regardless if they are ratepayers or where they live. We all want Jefferson County to thrive and be successful, but we must come together and start now.