Lawmakers Predict Quiet Election-Year Session As Tuscaloosa Leaders Visit Montgomery

Lawmakers and others predicted a quiet year in Montgomery when leaders from the Tuscaloosa area visited the capital this week during an annual trip arranged by the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama.

This year, the Montgomery Drive-In was sponsored by the University of Alabama System and took the Chamber's usual cohort of elected officials and business leaders to the Capitol Building, State House, and more.

It also involved two cohorts of younger West Alabama leaders: this year's Leadership Tuscaloosa class, as well as the still-new Anchor Tuscaloosa, which aims to keep students from the University of Alabama, Stillman College, and Shelton State living in the area.

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In a whirlwind of meetings, question-and-answer sessions, and tours, the Tuscaloosa crew heard many variations on the same thing: to not expect any big waves in Montgomery in an election year.

Lawmakers operate on four-year cycles called quadrenniums that restart after elections for the state Senate and House of Representatives. 2026 is the end of this cycle, with elections coming in November, and no legislator is trying to introduce or back a bill that could land them in hot water with the electorate.

On Wednesday, the group heard from Paige Hutto, the President of the Chamber of Commerce Association of Alabama and from Connie Rowe, the chief of staff for Lt. Governor Will Ainsworth.

"There are some things that are early in the quadrennium issues, and there are some things that are late in the quadrennium issues," said Rowe, a former state Rep. for Walker County.

Gaming and lottery bills should not be expected in an election year, she said.

Alabama's Director of Finance, Bill Poole, a Tuscaloosa native, discussed the state's budgets. He said that while the Education Trust Fund should be safe, tough fights are ahead next year about where to cut the General Fund, which will be coming back down from historic highs as the interest on federal money given to the state during the COVID-19 pandemic begins to dry up.

"This is ending. [Interest revenue] peaked in 2024 at 557 million dollars. The estimate for 2026, the current year, is $374 million, and it is going to crash back to historical norms," Poole warned. "You're to start to see a lot of media, particularly next year, for the Fiscal Year 2028 Budget, about the General Fund having cuts."

Poole said the contextual truth is that spending will still exceed pre-pandemic levels, but it will have to come down from levels only possible because of the federal funds in reserve, which were drawing interest.

The Education Trust Fund, which is distributed to public schools across Alabama, is stable at $10.5 billion, and Poole said it is fueled by income and sales taxes, which should not dip without a recession.

The Tuscaloosa group toured both the Capitol Building and the State Archives before a reception and networking downtown, and breaking for the night on Wednesday.

Thursday brought another wave of meetings, including with the Tuscaloosa delegation - the eight state Representatives and two State Senators who represent west Alabama in Montgomery.

New Rep. Matt Woods discussed seeking federal coal royalties for Warrior Met's new billion-dollar Blue Creek Mine, which will soon begin tapping one of the largest untouched metallurgical coal reserves in North America.

Senator Bobby Singleton said he's focused on energy and power, and on finding a solution to the AI industry's massive electricity needs.

"We've got to find a solution that's going to keep our power bills down while we continue to create and bring jobs," he said. "And some of those may not bring a lot of jobs, but they'd bring a lot of tax revenue. If I could sit a data center in Hale County that would bring in $30 - $50 million in new tax revenue, that would change the whole trajectory for people in Hale County. Same thing in Tuscaloosa County."

The local group also heard from Senator Gerald Allen and Representatives Rob Bolton, Bryan Brinyark, Norman Crow, Chris England, Bill Lamb, A.J. Campbell, and Curtis Travis.

After the delegation left for a busy day of debates and votes in the State House, the Chamber crew heard from Dr. Eric Mackey, the Alabama Superintendent of Education.

Mackey praised the progress Alabama has made in improving its education metrics over the last decade or so, and said the real challenge will be to maintain those gains and not lose ground after climbing out of a spot near the bottom in reading and math.

"The New York Times did a huge piece on us, Mississippi and Louisiana, as the three fastest-growing states [for education results] in the country," Mackey said. "We have still not surpassed your traditional high performers, the Department of Defense, Massachusetts, and Vermont. These are states that traditionally do really well. They're still doing really well, but we are closing the gap with them at a rate we've never seen before. But I would still tell you that we have not made the changes in such a way that they will last forever."

The Drive-In ended with a luncheon at RSA Plaza Terrace, where Speaker of the House Nathaniel Ledbetter was expected, but instead heard from State Rep. Chris Pringle.

Pringle talked about the Legislature moving from its current home to the still under-construction $350 million State House across the street.

Lawmakers should move into the new building next year for the 2027 session.

After discussing the lessons learned in Montgomery as well as the reasons to live and work in west Alabama, the Tuscaloosa Chamber group left by bus or personal vehicle and returned home Thursday.

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