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.

January 24, 2022 Group Watch: News & Views from the State House

The 2022 regular session of the Alabama Legislature was put on pause pretty much as quickly as it began, with Governor Ivey proving the rumors true and calling a special session when the legislators re-convened for the third day of the regular session last Tuesday. (Read the governor’s proclamation, below.) They started the special session at 11 a.m. on Wednesday but got a little regular session business done before Tuesday ended. Find more on that below.

Also below, find details of what transpired during the first two days of special session, along with thoughts on what will likely happen next week, some college sports law news and some more economic development announcements for the state that keep the positive momentum from last year rolling right along.

It’s all here in Group Watch, where we’ll keep bringing you key #alpolticis happenings all session long.

The House and Senate return for day three of the special session on Tuesday, January 25 at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m, respectively  and come back for day four of the 2022 regular session on Tuesday, February 1 at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., respectively.

2022_01_18_First_Special_Session_Proclamation

January 24, 2022 Group Watch: Tweet of the Week

@VoteJWS
Jan 20
No @AL_League event would be complete without the annual Hal Bloom selfie… #alpolitics is better with Usie! • #ALMadvoday

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

January 24, 2022 Group Watch: A Bit of Regular Session Activity

Last Tuesday, legislators got started on regular session business before breaking to convene the special session. The Senate Finance and Taxation Education Committee approved bills to exempt from state income tax distributions from a defined benefit plan and to increase the optional standard deduction amount. The Senate Judiciary Committee approved bills to further provide for the types of bail that may be posted; to further provide for the crime of unauthorized entry of a critical infrastructure; and to further provide for penalties for 2nd degree assault. The Senate Governmental Affairs Committee approved bills to authorize the establishment of entertainment districts within certain community development districts and to prohibit state and local law enforcement from using artificial and facial recognition to engage in surveillance with certain exceptions.

January 24, 2022 Group Watch: Repeal of Alabama NIL Law Passes in the House

The discussion of the state’s NIL (name, image and likeness) law for college athletes that began in the first week of the regular session continued last week, with the House voting 97-1 to repeal Alabama’s NIL law. Some claim it was more restrictive that the NCAA’s own policy, which was adopted after the state passed its law. The NCAA’s rules also make the state law unnecessary. Repealing it should ensure Alabama colleges and universities remain competitive when recruiting athletes.

January 24, 2022 Group Watch: Alabama Earns “Deal of the Year” Bragging Rights

Business Facilities, a national publication focused on economic development, has selected Alabama’s recruitment of Landing’s headquarters relocation project as one of its “Deals of the Year” in a new ranking. Landing’s move was made possible by a partnership forged with the state of Alabama, Jefferson County and the City of Birmingham, led by the Birmingham Business Alliance. Business Facilities named the project its “Deal of the Year” in the startup category. The announcement was made online and will be included in the magazine’s January/February issue, out next month. Landing is creating 816 full-time jobs.

The Bloom Group, Inc.

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