Alabama state agencies could see funding cuts of 11.5 percent or higher next fiscal year unless lawmakers find additional money.
Members of the legislative General Fund committees on Wednesday distributed copies of a rough draft of a budget without additional revenue.
House General Fund budget chairman Rep. Steve Clouse said the results were "bleak."
Corrections and Medicaid would receive a three percent cut while other agencies would receive 11.5 percent cuts. Clouse said the cuts could reach up to 16 percent.
Gov. Robert Bentley has proposed a $541 million tax increase that includes raising cigarette taxes by 82 cents per pack. Clouse said Bentley so far was getting little support.
Bentley says legislators are welcome to pursue alternative ideas, but says the state can't solve the problem without additional funds.
Huntsville is taking the first step at becoming “GIG City” with high-speed, fiber-optic Internet service.
The city has already been approached by three companies interested in providing the service and today is the deadline for new proposals. The goal is to lower the cost, up the speed and make the service more reliable.
Harrison Diamond the Business Relations Officer with the city of Huntsville says this is a chance for Huntsville to continue on as a tech savvy city.
“We see this as an economic development tool but also as a recruitment tool for the best and brightest of entrepreneurs that might want to come in or people that want a higher quality of life. So it serves both the needs of our citizens as well as our business community. And we think Huntsville is a high tech community and we need a high speed internet infrastructure that is representative of that.”
The fiber-optic Internet service will offer speeds at several hundred megabits per second up to a gigabit and beyond. The city hopes to eventually make fast affordable internet available to the entire city over the next couple of years.
Women who work at Huntsville’s Redstone Arsenal will be getting tips on how to get ahead in their careers.
Team Redstone and the North Alabama Chapter of Federally Employed Women are teaming up for a mentoring session geared toward women in the workforce. The event will feature Assistant Secretary of the Army Heidi Shyu as keynote speaker.
Julie Schumacher is acting deputy to the Commanding General at Redstone. She says women are graduating from college at the rate as men, but then something happens…
“Somewhere along the way in the workforce, they’re dropping out for various reasons. Some of those may be personal reasons. But, if a woman chooses to work outside the home, I think she should be encouraged and have a support system in her work environment.”
The event will also include fifteen smaller breakout sessions. Each of those groups will be led by Schumacher, Secretary Shyu, or by executives or ranking officers at Redstone. The event starts at 1:30 at the Bob Jones Auditorium.