February 7, 2022 Group Watch: $75M Muscle Shoals Auto Supply Factory Opens

Dura Automotive Systems celebrated the opening of its new Muscle Shoals manufacturing facility last week. The $75 million plant manufactures battery enclosures for electric vehicles to be made by Mercedes-Benz. Enclosures are lightweight metal housings that hold and protect the battery cells. Planning and construction of the plant was completed in eight months. The 200,000-square-foot facility is expected to employ more than 270 full-time workers at peak production. The plant uses 60 robots; more than 500 light curtains, lasers and proximity switches; and employs sophisticated LED lighting and water treatment systems to minimize power usage and maintain clean water.

February 7, 2022 Group Watch: Gov and Lawmaker Seeking to Delay AL Literacy Act One Year

The legislature passed the Literacy Act in 2019 as part of an effort to improve the reading proficiency of Alabama students, who rank low on national tests. A key provision of the law is that third graders must show they are reading on grade level to be promoted to fourth grade. The retention requirement will apply for the first time to this year’s class of third graders. Rep. Terri Collins of Decatur who sponsored the original legislation has introduced a bill that would delay the implementation until the 2022-23 school year. Since last year, legislators have debated whether to delay the requirement because of disruptions to school caused by the pandemic. In November, Governor Ivey determined a delay was needed and urged lawmakers to approve a one-year delay. State Superintendent of Education Dr. Eric Mackey warned that some schools have more than half their third-grade students at risk of retention.

January 31, 2022 Group Watch: News & Views from the State House

January 31, 2022 Group Watch: Tweet of the Week

@willainsworthAL Jan 29 With no Republican or Democrat opponents qualifying against me, I look forward to serving another four years as Lt. Governor. The confidence you have placed in me is deeply appreciated. God’s guidance and your support will allow us to make the best parts of Alabama even better.

January 31, 2022 Group Watch: Special Session Gets Its Work Done

The Alabama Legislature returned for the third day of the special session last Tuesday, and each chamber overwhelmingly passed an appropriations bill of approximately $772 million of federal dollars from the American Rescue Plan Act. The special session then concluded on Thursday after lawmakers passed the package allocating the state’s portion of ARPA funds. The bipartisan spending plan overwhelming passed both chambers without controversy. The Senate passed the House’s version of the bill by a vote of 26-0 with one abstention. In the lower chamber, the billed passed 100-1 with two abstentions. The allocation of funds is as follows:
• Broadband expansion – $276 million
• Water and sewer infrastructure – $225 million
• Hospitals, nursing homes, telemedicine expansion and related healthcare – $157.7 million
• Alabama Unemployment Trust Fund – $79.5 million
• Emergency response services – $20 million
• Reimbursement to county jails for housing state inmates – $11 million
• Administrative cost for state agencies – $11 million
• ARPA compliance – $7.8 million

See below to view the bill status for bills being considered during the special session.

The Bloom Group Inc – 2022 1st Special Session – ALL – Bills (1)

January 31, 2022 Group Watch: Changes in House Committees

Alabama House Speaker Mac McCutcheon announced several changes in the House committee leadership structure that were prompted by resignations and vacancies. Rep. Andy Whitt was appointed chairman of the House Economic Development and Tourism Committee following the resignation of former Rep. Becky Nordgren, who left the Legislature in order to fill her newly elected role as Etowah County revenue commissioner. State Rep. Ginny Shaver will replace Whitt as vice chair of the Economic Development and Tourism Committee. Rep. Alan Baker has stepped down as chair of the Local Legislation Committee in order to become the vice chair of the Rules Committee, where he replaces Rep. Connie Rowe, who resigned from the Legislature to work for Lt. Governor Will Ainsworth. Baker has also been appointed vice chair of the Education Policy Committee, a position previously held by Rep. Danny Garrett, who was recently appointed chair of the Ways and Means Education budget-writing committee. Rep. Rex Reynolds of Huntsville, will replace Baker as chair of the local Legislation Committee and will assume the position of vice chair of the Military and Veterans Affairs Committee, which was previously held by Connie Rowe.

January 31, 2022 Group Watch: Fetch Rewards Opening Alabama Office

Fetch Rewards, the nation’s fastest-growing consumer rewards app, plans to open an office facility and customer service hub in Birmingham, where it will create 200 full-time jobs. The project, which involves an investment of $1 million, reflects the Madison, Wisconsin-based company’s rapid growth trajectory as it continues to scale its technology and expand to pursue its goal of being the leading rewards platform. Fetch expects the project will be completed this spring and is already hiring for a variety of positions including support, data integrity, engineering, product and fraud. The company has a remote-first hybrid office model, giving its distributed workforce the option of working from anywhere while providing the infrastructure for in-person collaboration when needed. The Birmingham office will be located in the Parkside District downtown.

January 31, 2022 Group Watch: Alabama Mazda Plant Produced First New Mazda SUV

Mazda rolled the first of its new CX-50 SUVs off its new Huntsville production line to loud cheers from workers and big smiles from local leaders. The new SUV is the company’s first vehicle specifically designed and built for the North American market. This rollout comes almost exactly four months after Toyota rolled its first car off the production line on the other side of the companies’ shared $2.3 billion facility. The Huntsville facility represents a $2 billion investment that created more than 4,000 jobs in the plant and several thousand more with business partners in the area. Mazda says it needs even more workers to reach their ultimate production goal for the plant.

January 31, 2022 Group Watch: AL Ready to Remain a Top Auto Manufacturer with Focus on EVs

Alabama has worked hard to become one of the nation’s leading automobile manufacturers, and maintaining that status as EVs proliferate will improve the state’s economic future. EVs have already approached 5 percent of total new car sales in some months, and analysts predict 20 percent of all vehicles sold in the U.S. will be an EV in 2030. Alongside a growing coalition of stakeholders, state and local leaders have acted with a clear and transparent approach, and this has already resulted in a total of $4.1 million awarded in grants to expand EV charging and support a variety of educational activities related to EVs. It’s also earned  endorsements from organizations like the Energy Institute of Alabama, Alabama State Parks and the Alabama Department of Tourism. Plus, the new federal infrastructure law is expected to send about $15 million per year to our state, giving businesses along Alabama’s interstate corridors the ability to apply for funds to support EV charging projects. This year will see a soon-to-be-unveiled EV infrastructure plan, expansion of the Drive Electric Alabama campaign, the production of all-electric SUVs at Mercedes in Tuscaloosa, billions invested in EV by Hyundai (which operates a plant in Montgomery), EV pick-up truck models and new EVs coming from Honda, Toyota, Mazda and other major manufacturers.

January 31, 2022 Group Watch: Hank Sanders Hoping to Return to the Senate

Hank Sanders, who represented a Black Belt district for nine terms in the Alabama Senate before stepping aside for his daughter in 2018, is running for his old seat. Sanders, a lawyer from Selma, announced that his daughter, Senator Malika Sanders-Fortier, will not run for a second term and that he will run for the district 23 seat. Sanders says that his focus will include Medicaid Expansion. He may be unopposed in the race. Thus far, no Democrats or Republicans have qualified in the heavily Democrat-leaning district. Sanders was one of the Senate’s most powerful members when Democrats held the majority before losing it in 2010. He chaired the education budget committee.