Legislators provide updates at chamber luncheon

The Homewood Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual legislative update luncheon Sept. 17 at The Club.

State Sen. Jabo Waggoner and Rep. David Faulkner spoke about the 2019 legislative year and what is to come in 2020.

Waggoner said this past legislative session was extremely controversial, with items such as the gas tax bill, abortion bill and state lottery on the agenda. 

“Back in February, we were called on to pass a gasoline tax,” Waggoner said. “We have not had a state gasoline tax [increase] since 1992. Our highways, roads and bridges are really deteriorating. We had the lowest gasoline tax in the Southeast and the top five lowest in the country.”

Waggoner said the state of Alabama has hundreds of bridges that are not up to code and are dangerous for school buses to navigate. A 6-cent per gallon gas tax increase took effect Sept. 1 and will jump by an additional 2 cents per gallon in each of the next two years. The funds generated by the increase will go toward rebuilding roads and bridges. 

Other controversial issues included an abortion bill that passed the Senate and the House, and a lottery bill that passed the Senate but not the House.The medical marijuana bill passed the Senate as well but was stopped by the House before it could be passed, Waggoner said.

Waggoner said if he believes in a bill, no criticism will deter him from trying to stop making bills. 

“Did we receive grief and criticism on some of the bills? Yes we did,” Waggoner said. “Midnight calls, 4 a.m. calls, curse and threaten, but when I cast a vote that I really believe in and I think it's the right thing to do, I sleep well at night.”

Faulkner said one one of the most important issues facing the state is the upcoming census and encouraged people to participate. 

"You realize if we lose a congressional seat in Alabama that is about $1,600 per person we lose in federal dollars," he said. 

Faulkner expressed concern that some people will not participate because they do not believe it matters. He said Alabama cannot afford to lose a congressional seat. 

Faulkner also said the state’s general fund will be ‘squeezed’ by the expenses of prisons and Medicaid. The expenses have risen considerably, according to Faulkner. 

The biggest expenditures for the state are the prison system, which runs from $400 to $500 million, and Medicaid, which costs the state around $700 million, Waggoner said.

Waggoner said the state is on a federal court order to upgrade the Alabama prison system due to the age of the current prisons. Waggoner also said he expects upgrading the prisons to be a hotly debated issue because the new upgrades will require fewer guards, which will in turn take away some jobs. 

Faulkner praised the community for supporting the Homewood schools. The Homewood school system is ranked as one of the top in the state. 

Faulkner said Alabama's economy could improve, but it is in good shape with the state focusing on the important issues. 

“The economy is really good in Alabama. Some argue it can be better,” Faulkner said. “We had the largest education budget ever passed. The things we focus on is education, economic development, keeping jobs in the state and make it where people can make a living and provide for their family.”

The Homewood Chamber of Commerce will hold its next luncheon Oct. 15.