Waggoner reaffirms commitment to pro-business strategy in Montgomery

At the June Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce luncheon, State Sen. Jabo Waggoner wanted everyone to know from the beginning that he thought a lot of time was wasted this session discussing impeachment.

At first, he said, he wasn't even going to bring it up in his report to the chamber about the recent workings in Montgomery, but after thinking it over, he wanted to put the matter to rest.

"In full disclosure, I think I need to because it took up a lot of our debate time," he said. "It was an integral part of our recent regular session."

The dealings with the proposed impeachment of former Governor Robert Bentley were complicated, he said, primarily because of the state constitution's lack of clarity on the issue.

"It really affected the session. There were a lot of bills that could have passed that didn't pass," he said, because the statehouse was caught up in the quagmire.

"It was part of the session, and now it's part of our history," and while he said it was an embarrassment, he hopes the state can now move forward.

Waggoner said he has worked with Governor Kay Ivey for a long time, and that he thinks she is probably the best person for the state at this time.

"She's prepared for this job," "She's been in and around state government for a long time."

At the last session, Waggoner said over 1,000 bills were introduced, but only about 20 percent of those bills made it through, which he said seems like a small number, but is actually not bad.

"If we passed every bill that's introduced into the legislative process, you would not want to live in Alabama, nor could you afford to live in Alabama," he said, eliciting chuckles from some in the crowd.

Waggoner said that when he is in the state capitol, he is focused on representing approximately 140,000 constituents in the over the mountain communities, who he categorized as pro-business, which makes him choosey when it comes to supporting legislation.

"I have a 'chamber of commerce' district," he said, and the pro-business attitude of his constituents is what he said motivates his actions as a state senator.

Of this session, Waggoner said "stand out" bills in his opinion were the "Alabama Jobs Act," which is focused on bringing industry to the state, and the renewal of the historic tax credit.

The tax credit, he said, allows developers to revitalize historic buildings and spaces to bring revenue back, much like the new Pizitz Food Hall has to the Pizitz building in downtown Birmingham.

According to a study done on the bill, he said, for every dollar spent with regard to the historic tax credit, the state brings in $3.90.

"You're going to see some 60-year-old buildings come back to life," he said, adding that it won't just be in downtown Birmingham, but throughout the state.

With regard to what did not get done this session, Waggoner said the focus in any special session–which he said could come in August or September, by his guess–needs to be prison reform.

"We have a huge mental health issue in our prison system," he said, pointing to what he considers the core of the prison problem in the state. "We are not taking care of our inmates."

Waggoner said he knows that prison reform is not a 'sexy' issue, and that it has been a controversial one.

Much of the trouble comes from the state's budget issues, he said, because of the lack of funding available in the general fund to support improving current prisons or building new ones.

But no matter how difficult, he said something must be done, before the state faces consequences.

"We've got to do something about the prisons," he said, "because if we don't, the federal government is going to come in and tell us how much we're going to spend, how many prisons we're going to build, and we do not want the federal government to take over our prison system."