Although many are bearish on the prospects of Gov. Kay Ivey calling a special session before next year’s regular session of the Alabama legislature, State Rep. Steve Clouse (R-Ozark), the chairman of the House Ways and Means General Fund Budget Committee, argues there is a need.
During an interview with Mobile radio’s FM Talk 106.5 on Tuesday, Clouse said there were three areas the legislature needed to address given the prospects of a potential “tough year” in 2021.
Clouse, noting the late wrap-up of unfinished business in the 2020 regular session, suggested December to address an economic development package set to lapse later this year, tax liabilities on federal COVID-19 relief funds, and pandemic liability protections for businesses.
“I think so,” he replied when asked about the need for Ivey to call a special session. “We’ve got some time-sensitive issues here before the end of the year, and you know we went back into that regular session in May after the lockdown, and just in unchartered territory,” he explained. “The Democratic caucus in the House said they weren’t coming back — and they didn’t, except one. We had about 12 of our members on the Republican side that didn’t come because of age and health-related issues. So, we barely had a majority. So, we had to go into that session there with some guidelines on what we were going to do. And basically, we set it up limited to budgets and local bills. And particularly, local bills where cities and counties all over the state had already spent money on advertising. And if the bills died, they would have to go back and advertise again. We had to limit it to that, and just barely had a majority in the House that were willing to come back, even under those conditions.”
“I think we got through several issues,” Clouse continued. “Number one, the economic development package that expires the end of December, and we need to get that approved here so our economic developers all over the state can continue to have that tool in the toolbox when they’re recruiting manufacturers and industries and competing against other states. The issue of liability protection for businesses — you know, we felt like Congress was going to address this, particularly with the next stimulus package, but I don’t think they’re going to do it. I’m really surprised they haven’t passed a new stimulus. I mean, this Congress — they print money faster than we can borrow it from the Chinese. I don’t think it’s going to happen, so we need to address that issue on the state level. Senator [Arthur] Orr has a bill to take care of that. Then the issue, too, of state taxation on stimulus money. Senator [Chris] Elliott and Representative [Arnold] Mooney have a bill to address that and make sure there’s no state tax on the stimulus money. And there’s a lot of people, particularly the folks that know they’re going to get a refund — they start to file those returns right after the first of the year. So, you know, it would be good to have that settled instead of the state having to come back after we pass the bill, whenever that is, to give them a refund and have it where it is not an issue when they’re filing their taxes, to begin with.”
Clouse pointed to the redistricting issues as something that could potentially tie-up business for the 2021 session and said the issues he listed could be handled before the 2021 regular session.
“I think those three issues — I think if we went in some time in December, we can get in, get out and take care of those issues,” Clouse added. “I think it’s going to be a really tough year next year. We hear so much about the Census and everything — and that’s good. We’ll be getting those figures in toward the end of the year, and we’ve got to have legislative redistricting, which is always controversial, and then congressional redistricting, which is controversial, too. But if we lose a congressional seat, it’s really going to be controversial. We’re probably looking at a couple of special sessions just on that. And we don’t know if around the first of February we’re not going to have to have another lockdown. We’re getting right in the middle of flu season, and who knows — we may get in there and have to lockdown again and just stay away for a month or so, and here again — those time-sensitive issues with the economic package, the stimulus money and the liability issue — we need to go ahead and get that settled.”
@Jeff_Poor is a graduate of Auburn University and the University of South Alabama, the editor of Breitbart TV, a columnist for Mobile’s Lagniappe Weekly and host of Mobile’s “The Jeff Poor Show” from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. on FM Talk 106.5.
