Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey addressed a crowd of over 1,000 at the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber’s Alabama Update on May 13. The sold-out event was held at the Von Braun Center.

Members of the Huntsville/Madison business community gathered alongside regional elected officials to hear Gov. Ivey deliver updates on the legislative session, which concluded last week.

In her remarks, Gov. Ivey discussed the state’s automotive manufacturing industry, the CHOOSE (Creating Hope and Opportunity for Our Students’ Education) Act, and workforce development.

Gov. Ivey opened by announcing that she has signed Senate Bill 231, sponsored by Senator Arthur Orr and Representative Scott Stadthagen, into law. The stated purpose of this bill is to create secret ballot elections for employees who vote on the issue of unionization. The bill is specifically meant to apply to businesses that receive incentives.

“When we think about what drives our success as a state, an industry that comes to mind is one of our crown jewel industries, automotive manufacturing,” said Gov. Ivey. “Let me make something real clear, Alabama is not Michigan. Huntsville and Tuscaloosa, they’re not Detroit. While other automakers have closed plants and had layoffs, the OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturer) here in Alabama have continued to grow and thrive.”

Gov. Ivey was alluding to efforts by the UAW (United Auto Workers) to unionize employees at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Vance, Alabama. The plant’s 5,200 workers will vote this week, May 13-17, on whether or not they will unionize.

Gov. Ivey expressed her desire that every worker in the Vance plant vote in this week’s election.

“It’s crucial that every voice is heard,” she said. “We want to ensure that Alabama values, not Detroit values, continue to define the future of our great state. My message is clear: I am standing up for Alabamians and protecting our jobs. We will not let this threat from Detroit deter our progress, deter our hope, and deter our folks’ prosperity.”

Governor Ivey moved on to discuss education, which she named the single most significant issue facing the state of Alabama.

Gov. Ivey praised the state legislators for increasing the base pay of the state’s public school teachers.

“Since I have been governor, we have seen a 24% base pay increase for teachers,” she said.

The governor’s greatest legislative success of the session was the passage of The CHOOSE Act, which will provide refundable income tax credits for families whose children attend private schools, or who are homeschooled.

On May 14, the governor will travel to Demopolis, AL to “make official” the Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences (ASHS). The mission of ASHS will be to pair a growing demand for healthcare workers with a need for workplace development and education in rural west Alabama.

“While our [state] unemployment rate remains historically low, our labor force participation rate stands only at 57.4%, one of the lowest in the nation. And that’s not low in a good way,” said Governor Ivey. Nearly half of Alabama’s working-age population is either unemployed or not looking for work.

The governor explained that she, alongside a bipartisan group of legislators, passed the “Working for Alabama” bill package to address challenges that keep workers out of the workforce. Affordable childcare is one of the issues addressed by the bill package.

The governor concluded her remarks by noting several more of the state’s recent successes — an increase in small business creation, broadened high-speed internet accessibility, and the completion of I-565.

“I’m proud to report that at the end of this month, we are laying the last five mile section of I-565. This runs from County Line Road to the Wall Triana Interchange. When it’s all said and done, all of I-565 will be at least six lanes across,” said Gov. Ivey to applause.

Gov. Ivey did not address gaming laws in her public remarks, but was questioned by the media on the topic after the event. Ivey said she felt disappointed that Alabamians were not given the opportunity to vote on gaming.

“My interest in that bill was to give the people the chance to vote in Alabama and I’m sorry that they didn’t get that chance,” said Gov. Ivey, in response to questions on House Bills 151 and 152.

The bills stalled in the state’s Senate and were not passed along to the governor. The issue of gaming may be revisited in next year’s legislative session.