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Photo by Madoline Markham.
Paul DeMarco
Rep. Paul DeMarco speaks to the Homewood Chamber of Commerce about updates from the state legislature.
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Photo by Madoline Markham.
Jabo Waggoner
Sen. Jabo Waggoner speaks to the Homewood Chamber of Commerce about updates from the state legislature.
How do the Alabama House and Senate affect the people of Homewood? Rep. Paul DeMarco and Sen. Jabo Waggoner addressed this question at the Oct. 21 Homewood Chamber of Commerce luncheon held at Samford University.
1. Cities can now open their own car tag offices in city halls, per recent legislation. These have opened in Vestavia Hills, Clay and Irondale, and more cities are interested in doing the same.
2. Legislation to reform Birmingham Water Works will be under discussion again this coming session. During the last session, a bill limiting the terms of board members, reducing their pay and bringing about other measures that would lower water bills passed the senate, but lobbyists worked to kill the bill in the house. DeMarco said that the best way to help get this passed it by making your voice heard to all representatives.
3. For the past four years, the legislature has focused on making state government more efficient. The number of state employees has been reduced from 38,000 in 2010 to around 33,000 today, and Waggoner said the state will continue to see more cuts in the next four years. As another example, in 2010 there were 22 state law enforcement agencies; today there are seven.
4. State revenue has grown but is still below pre-recession levels. The state education budget dropped from $6.7 billion in 2008 to $5.4 billion in 2011. Today it is trending up at $5.8 billion due to sales tax and income tax but is still much lower than pre-recession figures.
The general fund budget, however, which funds all other state expenses, dropped from $2 billion in 2008 to $1.8 billion in 2011. Today, it remains at $1.8 billion. The Department of Corrections accounts for $400 million of that figure to pay for the state’s 30,000 inmates, and Medicaid takes $700 million of it.
5. Both DeMarco and Waggoner said they advocate the state being hands-off as it relates to local school systems. For instance, they have voted against legislation that regulates when the school year must begin and end.
6. With regard to public safety, both said they try to talk with victim rights groups. Two weeks ago legislation passed for a new online notification system for victims.
7. A new Tax Payer Bill of Rights passed last year. As of Oct. 1, the state now has an independent tax court.
8. The state is partnering with education systems to create more job training programs. An Alabama Industrial Development Training Center will soon open in downtown Birmingham, the first of its kind in the city. “The business owners have said that these are the types of workers we need; you go train them, and we will hire them,” DeMarco said.