MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Gov. Kay Ivey highlighted some of her spending priorities for 2024 in her annual state of the state speech on Tuesday, but her proposed spending plans for 2024’s expected record revenue won’t be made public until March 21.
Ivey could submit her annual budget proposals to lawmakers now, but state law says she doesn’t have to until the second legislative day of a regular session. Because lawmakers are now in a special session — called by Ivey to allow them to focus on spending the more than $1 billion in federal COVID-19 relief money — the regular session won’t resume until March 21.
“As is the governor’s usual practice, I anticipate her budget proposals to be transmitted the second day of the Regular Session,” Ivey spokeswoman Gina Maiola told Alabama Daily News. “This will allow everyone to focus on the task at hand, which is appropriating ARPA dollars and paying off the Alabama Trust Fund.”
Ivey also held onto her budgets in 2019 when a special session on a gas tax increase was called as soon as the regular session began.
In an update on the state’s current and expected fiscal situation, state Finance Director Bill Poole on Tuesday told lawmakers Ivey’s requested education budget calls for spending $8.79 billion on education next year, a 6.5% increase. Her General Fund budget proposal is an 8.4% increase to $2.97 billion.
This year, the education budget will start in the Senate; the General Fund in the House. Budget leaders say they’re ready to get started.
“Sooner is certainly better for us to begin working on the budgets, rather than waiting two more weeks,” Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, said. He’s the Senate education budget chairman.
Rep. Rex Reynolds, R-Huntsville, is the new chairman of the House General Fund budget committee. While they don’t have the budget proposal to work from, Reynolds said conversations with the Executive Budget Office are ongoing. He’s also meeting with lawmakers and agency leaders about various funding requests.
Passage of the budgets, usually lawmakers’ heaviest lift of a session, typically happens toward the end of the 15-week session. Because this year’s regular session started this week and won’t end until June, final passage of the budgets will already be later than most years.
Sen. Greg Albritton chairs the Senate General Fund committee and on Thursday told members to be ready to act fast when they do get the budget.
“Be prepared, our timeline is going to be tight,” Albritton, R-Range, said. “Be prepared to get our requests in, make sure you do your homework, read the budgets and make sure we get things resolved so that we can run smoothly.”
Albritton told Alabama Daily News it’s a “reasonable assumption” that lawmakers don’t want to spend much of the summer in Montgomery and would like to finish their business by Memorial Day.
“Whether we can make it or not, we’ll see,” he said.
“I personally would like to see those and start working on them as soon as we can,” Albritton said. “But we’ll deal with it as best we can.”
In her state of the state, Ivey called for a 2% raise for teachers and more funding for school security measures and charter schools. In the General Fund, increases for agencies including Medicaid, mental health and corrections are expected.