Two Alabama economic development bills aimed at bringing new jobs to the state are another step closer to becoming law.
Alabama lawmakers passed legislation yesterday to revamp how the state offers economic incentives to companies.
The Alabama Jobs Act would create a pay-as-you-go model for tax abatements and other benefits offered to companies creating jobs or capital investment in the state. Alabama's present model offers those incentives upfront.
That bill is now headed to Governor Bentley's desk to be signed into law.
The Alabama Veterans and Targeted Counties Act would provide extra incentives for companies that move to rural counties or employ a certain percentage of veterans. Legislators debated how to define "rural county" before deciding on a population of less than 25,000 people.
The bill passed the Senate and is now headed to Alabama's House of Representatives.
Charter schools are now the law of the land in Alabama. Now, some are wondering what's next.
Governor Robert Bentley made Alabama the 43rd state in the Union to allow the non-traditional public schools. The current issue is when charter schools will be implemented in Alabama.
Mississippi opened their first charter schools this past fall, after passing a charter school law in 2012. Georgia also had a two-year gap between legislation and the opening of their first charter schools, from 1993 to 1995.
Todd Ziebarth with the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools predicts similar implementation for Alabama, but some schools could come even sooner.
“I would expect a similar kind of timeline in Alabama, the law passed this year in 2015 and our expectation is that you’ll see the first schools probably open up in the fall of 2017. Now, there might be a school or two that opens up in fall 2016 and they might be existing public schools that convert to charter schools.”
Make sure to check out our in-depth look at charter schools in Alabama, available here.
The weekend weather forecast looks pretty sunny over much of the state.
So, if getting out in the yard and helping college students all sounds good, the Alabama Wildflower Society wants to talk to you. The group is holding its annual plant sale tomorrow in the courtyard of the Kentuck Art Gallery near Tuscaloosa. A portion of the proceeds will go for a scholarship for a college student studying botany.
Wildflower Society President Rich Cobb says a lot of plants on sale come from the backyards of his members.
“Where I’m sitting right now, I have three species of trilliums within ten feet of me. Couple of native shrubs, two or four, and things like that, that come from our home landscape.”
The plant sale starts at 8 AM. Along with scholarships, the rest of the proceeds will go to the University of Alabama Arboretum and the Cahaba Lily Society.