By Sherri Blevins
Northeast Alabama community leaders, elected officials, and Chamber of Commerce members traveled to Montgomery on April 4-5 for the 2023 Montgomery Public Policy meeting, also known as the Legislative Drive-in.
One hundred twenty leaders, comprised of members of the Rainsville Chamber of Commerce, the Fort Payne Chamber of Commerce, the Mountain Lakes Chamber of Commerce, the Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce, the Henagar Chamber of Commerce, and elected officials from each of the mentioned cities listened to several legislators about the state’s economic plan for 2023.
During the trip, Rainsville City Council members Bejan Taheri, Rickey Byrum, Derek Rosson, and Monk Blevins met with Speaker of the House Nathaniel Ledbetter to discuss possible funding for upcoming city projects.
Governor Kay Ivey, Lt. Governor Will Ainsworth, Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs Director, Kenneth Boswell, Alabama Secretary of State, Wes Allen, Secretary of Commerce, Greg Canfield, Director of Alabama Department of Transportation – ALDOT, John Cooper, and President/CEO of Business Council of Alabama, Helena Duncan spoke to the group.
An important topic discussed by multiple state leaders was the economic incentive plan, also called the Game Plan.
“The Game Plan will position Alabama for a new era of vigorous growth, allowing us to continue our record-breaking economic development success while providing new levels of support for the state’s innovation economy,” Governor Ivey said.
The Game Plan package includes four bills — or “plays” — that will be introduced during the current session of the Legislature:
- Play 1: The Enhancing Alabama’s Economic Progress Act renews the Alabama Jobs Act and the Growing Alabama program and extends their sunset dates to 2028 while adding strategic enhancements to increase their effectiveness. The Jobs Act is the state’s primary incentives platform while Growing Alabama primarily speeds the development of shovel-ready sites.
- Play 2: The Site Evaluation and Economic Development Strategy Act (SEEDS) will allow the State Industrial Development Authority to accelerate the development of industry-ready sites when available sites are scarce, and other states are expanding their site programs.
- Play 3: The Innovation and Small Business Act aims to supercharge growth in Alabama’s innovation economy and support underrepresented businesses and enterprises in rural areas, transforming the state into a hub for technology and innovation.
- Play 4: The Enhancing Transparency Act will amend the Jobs Act to require the Alabama Department of Commerce to publish certain incentivized project information on its website. Transparency around important information related to companies receiving incentives will serve as a valid public service and increase confidence in the process.
The following organizations sponsored the trip: TVA, Google, Jackson County Economic Development Authority, City of Stevenson, Fort Payne Water Works Board, City of Henagar, City of Scottsboro Alabama, Scottsboro Gas-Water-Sewer, Scottsboro Electric Power Board, Fort Payne Improvement Authority, City of Rainsville, Jackson County Commission, PuroClean, DeKalb Jackson Water Supply District, Upper Sand Mountain Gas District, Town of Skyline, City of Fort Payne Councilwoman Lynn Brewer, and Harvest Creek.