January 24, 2022 Group Watch: 2022 Special Session In Progress
Alabama lawmakers began a special session last Wednesday to draft a plan for spending $772 million in pandemic relief dollars from the federal American Rescue Plan Act. A joint meeting of the House and Senate General Fund Budget Committees held a public hearing on Wednesday to receive input from agencies and the public. On Thursday, each committee met separately and voted out of committee a bill that could be passed as early this Tuesday. The Alabama plan proposes to provide:
- $277 million for broadband expansion, including $192 million from the capital projects fund and $85 million from the fiscal recovery fund.
- $225 million for water and sewer infrastructure projects.
- $80 million for hospitals and nursing homes.
- $79.5 million to Alabama’s unemployment trust fund to restore it to near the level of January 2020.
- $37 million for a category that includes assisted living facilities, mental health, rehabilitative services and others.
- $30 million for rural hospitals.
- $20 million for emergency medical responders, including $10 million for volunteer fire departments.
- $11 million for counties to help pay for state inmates held in county jails because of the pandemic.
- $7.8 million for the cost of the reporting and auditing requirements for using the money.
- $5 million for telemedicine.
See below for the bill status for bills being considered during the special session.
The Bloom Group Inc – 2022 1st Special Session – ALL – Bills
