Alabama 2022 Legislative Report: First special session

For the past two weeks, the Alabama Legislature has been in a special session called by the governor to appropriate monies provided to the state by the American Rescue Plan Act passed by Congress. The legislation as proposed by the governor and the legislative leadership passed both Houses on Thursday, Jan. 27, and is Act Number 2022-1. 

Last week, this report itemized in detail these appropriations which allocated monies to be administered by state agencies and organizations chiefly through memoranda agreements.

Approximately 35 percent of the funds are allocated to broadband, 30 percent for water and sewer projects, 20 percent to healthcare, with the remainder to be appropriated to the state’s Unemployment Trust Fund, emergency responders, rural hospitals, volunteer fire departments, and reimbursement to counties for housing state inmates. 

The annual regular session, which began on Jan. 11, and was suspended on Jan. 18, will resume for day 4 on Tuesday, Feb. 1 with the House convening at 1 p.m. and the Senate convening at 2 p.m.