Presented by the

Alabama League of Municipalities

 

 

1. ‘Design-build’ process could see prisons built more quickly

• Two Alabama construction companies could be in the best position to get state contracts to build two men’s prisons under a proposal lawmakers are now weighing.
• Montgomery-based Caddell and Birmingham-based BL Harbert were both part of teams expected to build prisons under Gov. Kay Ivey’s earlier plan to lease from private developers three new facilities. That plan fell apart in the spring, but some legislative leaders say Caddell and Harbert have been vetted and put in the groundwork to quickly move on construction, if the Legislature can pass a bill that includes borrowing as much as $785 million.
• “It would be problematic if we tried to move out and get somebody else,” Sen. Greg Albritton, who has helped lead discussions on new prisons over the summer, said Friday. “(These companies) are in the best position to do this work.”
• The draft legislation, which House and Senate GOP and Democrat caucuses discussed last week in closed meetings, allows the state to bypass normal bid processes on the two proposed 4,000-bed men’s facilities planned in Elmore and Escambia counties.
• However, the companies were already involved in the months-long request for qualifications and request for proposals processes under Ivey’s lease plan that began in 2019.
• “We believe that it is building upon what was already a competitive process,” said Othni Lathram, director of the Legislative Services Agency that drafts bills and studies their fiscal impact, was in all four caucus meetings last week discussing the bill.
• He said the proposal would cut roughly a year off the completion of the two men’s prisons and save the state about $75 million by locking in material costs sooner.
• Mary Sell has the latest on the prison plan, including the use of federal funds and the vote counting process in the House and Senate. Read her full feature story HERE.

 

2. Hospitalizations plateau, begin decline

 

 

• For the first time in weeks, Alabama’s pandemic numbers appear to be headed in the right direction.
• After climbing to 2,890, the number of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 plateaued over the last ten days and even began declining. As of Sunday, 2,463 Alabamians were hospitalized with the virus.
• That’s the good news.
• The bad news is the state’s intensive care capacity continues to be overwhelmed.
• According to State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris, there are about 60 more patients requiring intensive care than state hospitals have ICU beds.
• The latest hospitalization numbers from the weekend are expected to be updated later today.
• Read more from Kim Chandler HERE.

 

 

 

 

 

A message from the

Alabama League of Municipalities

• During the 2021 Regular Session, League bill SB-119 revised Alabama’s municipal elections by moving nearly all elections in Alabama’s cities and towns off the presidential election cycle where they have resided on the calendar since 1984.

• ALM appreciates the support of Alabama’s lawmakers, especially bill sponsors Sen. Jabo Waggoner (R-Vestavia Hills) and Rep. Jim Hill (R-Odenville) and Governor Ivey for signing the bill into law.

• Cities and towns affected by the new law will hold their next elections in August 2025 and will hold elections every four years thereafter.

• To learn more about the Alabama League of Municipalities, visit www.almonline.org.

 

 

 

 

3. Hubbard apologies, seeks early release from prison

• Former House Speaker Mike Hubbard in a Friday court filing apologized for his ethics conviction that he said hurt the state and his family as his attorney filed a request for his early release after serving one year of a 28-month sentence.
• Hubbard’s attorney argued his sentence of over two years behind bars is out of line with punishments handed down to other officials convicted of violating the state ethics law. In a letter to the judge, Hubbard wrote that, “I recognize and admit my errors” and apologized to the people of the state and others.
• “My conviction has severely damaged and embarrassed me and and my family, friends, former constituents, community, church, the legislature and the state of Alabama. For this, I am severely sorry and respectfully ask forgiveness from everyone affected,” Hubbard wrote in the letter to Lee County Circuit Judge Jacob Walker.
• Read more from Kim Chandler HERE.

 

 

 

4. Manchin nixes Biden’s $3.5T budget plan, urges $1.5T instead

• As congressional Democrats speed ahead this week in pursuit of President Joe Biden’s $3.5 trillion plan for social and environmental spending, a Democratic senator vital to the bill’s fate says the cost will need to be slashed to $1 trillion to $1.5 trillion to win his support.
• Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., also cautioned there was “no way” Congress will meet the late September goal from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., for passage given his current wide differences with liberal Democrats on how much to spend and how to pay for it.
• “I cannot support $3.5 trillion,” Manchin said Sunday, citing in particular his opposition to a proposed increase in the corporate tax rate from 21% to 28% and vast new social spending. “We should be looking at everything, and we’re not. We don’t have the need to rush into this and get it done within one week because there’s some deadline we’re meeting, or someone’s going to fall through the cracks.”
• Democrats have no votes to spare if they want to enact Biden’s massive “Build Back Better” agenda, with the Senate split 50-50 and Vice President Kamala Harris the tiebreaker if there is no Republican support. Democratic congressional leaders have set a target of Wednesday for committees to have the bill drafted.
• Read more HERE.

 

 

5. AP Top 25

• Alabama and Georgia continue to be in a league of their own atop the Associated Press Top 25 poll, but other teams are making moves after a wild weekend in college football.
• Oregon’s victory over Ohio State catapulted the Ducks up to No. 4 and Arkansas broke into rankings for the first time in 25 years after routing Texas.
• Auburn climbed a few more slots to No. 22 setting up a high-stakes matchup with No. 10 Penn State in Happy Valley.
• Read more and see the full AP Top 25 HERE.
• Also read Ralph Russo’s take on who’s ranked too high, too low and about right going into this week.

 

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