On Monday, the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce hosted a luncheon at the Jackson Center for North Alabama Legislators. The gathering gave the Huntsville business community the opportunity to hear from key elected officials before the February 6th opening of the legislative session.

Legislators who spoke at the sold-out event included Alabama State Senator Arthur Orr, Senate Finance & Taxation Education Committee Chair; Alabama State Senator Steve Livingston, Senate Majority Leader; and Alabama State Representative Rex Reynonds, Ways and Means Committee Chair.

Sameer Singhal, the 2024 Chair of the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber, opened the program by acknowledging the presence of leaders in state and local government, business, and education. An invocation was given by Chairman Mac McCuthcheon, Madison County Commission Chairman.

Alabama State Senator Arthur Orr was the first official to deliver remarks. Senator Orr noted that Representative Anthony Daniels, Alabama House Minority Leader, was originally scheduled to be in attendance. Unfortunately, icy conditions in Huntsville and Madison over the past week meant that the event was rescheduled twice. Representative Daniels was unable to attend the rescheduled forum.

Senator Orr opened his comments by discussing Alabama’s budget.

“Last year, [2023] we had the largest education budget in the history of the state,” Orr noted.

Orr stated that some of the budget surplus was returned to Alabama taxpayers in the form of a rebate, which was delivered shortly before the end of the year.

Senator Orr noted that the Alabama Legislature has begun the process of eliminating the state’s tax on groceries.

“We took off the first penny of a 4% state tax, the second penny will probably be dropping here in the next year or two when we see substantial revenue increases,” said Orr.

In addition to rebates and tax cuts, Orr explained that some money has been set aside in a “rainy day fund” to ensure that the state education budget stays solvent.

Senator Orr stated that he expects that Governor Kay Ivey will prioritize workforce development and school choice in the coming year.

State Senator Steve Livingston followed Senator Orr. Livingston asserted his desire to make Alabama the most business-friendly state in the nation.

“It’s been through collaborations between policymakers, businesses, and communities that we’ve achieved milestones that make Alabama the best place to live, to work, to own a business, and to play,” said Livingston.

Livingston noted that cities and towns throughout the state look to Huntsville as an example of successful economic development.

Representative Rex Reynolds was the final official to speak. Reynolds spoke on issues as wide-ranging as the opioid crisis, autism, veterans’ homes, and prisons. Reynolds noted that the Legislature created the Oversight Commission on Alabama Opioid Settlement Funds to distribute funds that will aid in the prevention, treatment, and recovery of opioid addiction in Alabama.

The issue of gaming, or gambling, was referenced several times throughout the meeting. Representative Reynolds noted that illegal gaming takes place in each of Alabama’s 67 counties. Reynolds stated that it is the goal of the Legislature to craft a bill that will give Alabama voters the opportunity to vote on the issue of gaming.

While Reynolds expects the 2024 budget to be strong, he did caution the audience that he expects there will be a reduction of available funds, as compared to the 2023 budget.

The meeting concluded with several questions from the audience. Topics covered during the question and answer session included access to affordable childcare, school choice, cybersecurity requirements for small businesses, and additional comments on gaming.