7 Things: Legislator seeks to limit governor’s emergency powers, General Fund and Education Trust Fund budgets advance quickly, a multi-trillion dollar stimulus bill could be next and more …

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May 7, 2020

7. Former Alabama Attorney General mixed up in alleged mask scheme

Former Alabama Attorney General Troy King, a failed candidate for Congress, was working as an intermediary for a company attempting to sell six million masks to the Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals for $34.5 million before the entire deal blew up and no masks were delivered.
King’s role in the fiasco appears to be that he said he could connect the company with 3M, the manufacturer of the mask, and to arrange financing to pull off the deal to sell masks that list at $1.27 for $4.90, a price that was almost certainly an attempt at “price-gouging” according to a retired Army colonel.

6. Greenville mayor and his wife have been diagnosed with coronavirus

Greenville Mayor Dexter McLendon and wife Janice tested positive for the coronavirus after being sick for nearly a week.
The couple was tested on the recommendation from health officials, but Dexter said he wasn’t surprised by their diagnosis after having a fever and not feeling well, but he’s confident that they’ll get through the virus just fine.

5. Goal of the coronavirus shutdown has changed

State Representative Will Dismukes (R-Prattville) said that it seems the overall goal of keeping the state shut down due to the coronavirus has changed from just trying to flatten the curve.
Initial concern about the virus was making sure that the health care system wasn’t forced over capacity with patients, but Dismukes has said “it is almost as if we need to have nobody else getting the virus.” He added, “And there can be nobody getting sick, or going to the hospital, or anything of that nature.”

4. Another multi-trillion-dollar coronavirus relief bill coming?

A new coronavirus relief package by House Democrats is in the works, and it’s likely that it could cost more than the $2.2 trillion CARES Act.
Some of the focus will likely be on funding state and local governments, which House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said previously could cost $1 trillion for harder hit areas, but this would come after its been reported that the Treasury borrowed $3 trillion in the second quarter.

3. Senate approved the General Fund

In a 31-0 vote, the Alabama Senate passed a Fiscal Year 2021 General Fund budget; some of what’s included in the budget is $94 million for the Alabama Medicaid Agency, $25 million for the Alabama Department of Mental Health and a $23 million increase for the Department of Corrections.
State Senator Greg Albritton (R-Atmore) clarified that this budget was outlined without funds from the “federal government meaning we expect to have additional money made available to the state general fund due to the Covid-19 outbreak.” Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh (R-Anniston) said that this budget gives agencies a starting point for their own budgets.

2. Education budget advances

A $7.2 billion budget for the state education budget has been approved by the Alabama House Ways and Means Education Committee, which includes a $91 million increase from last year.
The rolling reserve system has been credited for making the budget a possibility in current economic conditions. Committee Chairman Bill Poole (R-Tuscaloosa) said, “We are very fortunate in our state to be able to weather extraordinarily well this fiscal shock.”

1. Limiting the State of Emergency powers

A bill introduced by State Senator Tom Whatley (R-Auburn) would require the State Health Officer to get approval from the governor for any restrictions issued during a State of Emergency; any State of Emergency issued would expire after 14 days without legislative approval.
Currently, Governor Kay Ivey can extend a State of Emergency for as long as she decides without getting approval from anyone else. Whatley said, “This bill simply improves the system of checks and balances in the state when a state of emergency has been declared.”