State Senator Tammy Irons
MONTGOMERY – The Alabama Democratic caucus in the State Legislature presented it’s response last night to Governor Robert Bentley’s, “State of the State Address”. The Shoals’ Favorite Daughter, State Senator Tammy Irons was selected by her peers to present the address.
It is a well known practice in politics for a political party to give exposure to its most promising younger members. Senator Irons has, in her relatively short period of time on the statewide stage, acquitted herself well with knowledge and dignity in the arena of Alabama politics.
.
Here, in its entirety, is The Democratic Caucus’ response:
“Good evening. I am Senator Tammy Irons, from Senate District 1, representing Colbert and Lauderdale Counties. It is an honor and privilege to be here tonight to present, on behalf of Alabama Democrats, our views for the upcoming 2013 legislative session.
I am proud to call Alabama home and I am proud to be an Alabama Democrat. Alabama Democrats believe we should be fighting here in Montgomery to:
Create more jobs, so that the unemployed middle class worker can return to work and support his or her family;
Fund services for our veterans, so that when they return from fighting for our freedom, they have the proper medical and social services they require;
Fund vital services for our elderly, so they do not have to choose between buying food or medicine; and
Restore funding to public education, so our children’s decade old textbooks can be replaced with the latest technology for learning.
Yet, while we are working hard everyday to help all Alabamians get through these tough economic times, we continue to be blocked by an obstructionist Republican agenda that is focused more on political posturing than responsible public policy that could help get Alabama working again.
Tonight, we call upon the Governor and the Republican supermajority in the Legislature to stop wasting taxpayer’s dollars and end the meaningless rhetoric that has as its sole purpose to divide our state and delay our progress … and focus instead on the important issues that affect the hardworking people of our great state.
For the last two years, Alabama Republicans have controlled the Legislature and occupied the Governor’s mansion. During this time, you the taxpayer, have paid 140 Legislators over $14 million to travel to Montgomery to do the people’s business.
Rather than focusing on creating jobs, the current leadership and administration have spent countless hours passing and signing into law unconstitutional bills which will cost our state millions of dollars to implement and defend in court – not to mention lost revenue to the state. Millions of dollars that could have gone to economic development, education, or tax relief, instead wound up being wasted on unconstitutional bills. That’s not responsible fiscal management of your tax dollars and yet, the Republican agenda for the 2013 legislative session is filled with more of the same political posturing, and once again, choking progress with bills, that if made into law, will cost the state millions of more dollars to defend without a chance of winning in court.
As Legislators, the one constitutional duty that we are charged with is balancing the state’s budgets. However, just two years, after taking complete control of Alabama government, the GOP leadership put off the difficult decisions in balancing the General Fund Budget, placing it squarely on the backs of the people, by asking for approval to borrow $438 million with no requirement to repay the money.
We are no better than Washington politicians if we continue to borrow against our children’s future rather than solving the problems at hand.
Last session, Alabama Democrats offered options to help shore up the General Trust Fund – but such proposals were rejected. This evening, we call upon the Governor and our legislative leaders to work with Alabama Democrats to pass a law to repay the $438 million loan in a timely manner, along with other legislation that addresses funding shortfalls for the General Trust Fund. Otherwise, we will find ourselves in this same position three years from now when the borrowed funds are depleted.
A main focus of the Alabama Democrats this upcoming session is properly funding services that Alabamians depend on each and every day.
A state budget is nothing more than an expression of its leaders’ priorities. In balancing our budgets, we have reached a crossroads. Which path Alabama Legislators and the Governor take will say a lot about our values.
Alabama is not suffering merely because of the downturn in the economy. We have been through hard economic times before. The people of Alabama are in part suffering due to misplaced priorities.
Sadly, last session, $45 Million was appropriated from all state agencies and programs for our children, elderly, veterans, and disabled and shifted to state prisoners without even allowing debate.
When your priority is rhetoric over results, you do not have to look far to see the adverse effect of these policies when it comes to balancing the state’s budgets. In just two years under the control of the Alabama Republicans, in my district alone:
- The Alabama Music Hall of Fame, that once provided tourism dollars to our state, has closed its doors.
- The Florence Department of Forensic Sciences was closed, further delaying justice to victims of crime.
- Cloverdale School, open since 1897 to educate our children in rural North Alabama, has closed.
- The Veterans Affairs’ office in Colbert County, along with 16 other offices across the state, was closed. This is no way to honor our Veterans.
The list goes on. As elected officials, we are charged with running the government efficiently; not closing its doors.
Over the last two years, the Alabama Republicans have sent a loud and clear message to Alabamians that large, faceless, multi-state corporations take priority over Alabama’s children, elderly, veterans, disabled and small businesses.
Last session, rather than passing bills to close tax loopholes for large, foreign corporations, the Republican supermajority chose to raise property taxes on most disabled persons – including disabled veterans. This session, we call upon our Republican colleagues to work with us to close tax loopholes for big, foreign corporations and to repeal the new tax imposed on Alabama’s disabled.
Continuing to allow these large, foreign corporations to avoid Alabama taxes puts Alabama’s small businesses at a disadvantage, because they pay their fair share of taxes.
While public education has been cut by $1 billion dollars since the recession, tax breaks and incentives for big, foreign corporations continue to be handed out from the Education Trust Fund at our children’s expense. Last session, hours were spent on a bill that allowed big corporations to keep their employees’ state payroll taxes without the requirement of creating one job. To the contrary, this bill allowed big corporations to lay off up to 20% of its work force and keep the tax dollars. Had this bill passed, funding for our children’s public education could have been reduced by another $300 million per year.
Alabama Democrats have always worked to bring industry to Alabama and have a well established track record when it comes to jobs. As state legislators, we must be good stewards of the people’s money and ensure that legislation we pass actually creates jobs. With true job creating bills, people are put to work, revenue for education is increased, and we all benefit. However, if a bill is only disguised as a job creating bill, then we have done nothing but shift funds earmarked for our children’s education to the bank accounts of big corporations.
We cannot continue to provide tax breaks to big, foreign corporations while at the same time cut money from our schools. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, since the recession, Alabama leads the nation in budget cuts to public education as of fiscal year ending 2013. For this same time period, we are fourth in the nation in higher education funding cuts.
Cuts in education spending have serious short term and long term consequences for our economy. Not only do the cuts directly impact jobs in education but such cuts have a negative impact on private sector jobs.
Job creation and education go hand in hand. Corporate executives looking to locate to our great state demand an educated work force.
Alabama Democrats intend to draw a line in the sand when it comes to taking more funds from our children’s public education. While our proposals for funding education were met with opposition last session, Alabama Democrats will continue to be the voice for education. Tonight, we respectfully ask the Governor and our Republican colleagues in the Legislature to work with us to restore funding for our children’s education.
In addition to taking funds from education, teachers and support personnel who teach and watch over our children day in and day out have lost their jobs. Since the beginning of the recession, 12,500 employees have lost their jobs in Alabama schools.
Educators have not had a raise since 2008 and have actually received a 2 1/2% pay cut thanks to the Republican supermajority.
Alabama Democrats appreciate the hard work of our teachers, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, aids, administrators and all who work in schools. Therefore, we will be proposing a pay raise over the next two to three years for public education employees. We also appreciate the past service of our retirees and realize that they have not had a cost of living raise in six years and believe they deserve a raise as well.
Educators and public employees should have never had to endure a pay cut during these difficult economic times. The raise we intend to lobby for is well deserved and necessary to continue to attract the best and brightest to Alabama’s classrooms. We cannot continue to ask our teachers to do more with less or else we will not be able to recruit and retain quality teachers and good public servants.
Another issue that the Alabama Democrats will fight for this session is affordable and accessible healthcare. In his 2011 State of the State address, the Governor stated that he would work to provide healthcare for all our fellow citizens that is both affordable and accessible. The Alabama Democrats commend the Governor for his words spoken in 2011 but encourage action in 2013.
In his 2012 State of the State address, the Governor stated that “we will make sure children are ready to compete and learn, knowing that they have access to the health care services they need and deserve”. The Governor went on to state that “to improve the quality of life for all Alabamians, we have to improve our overall health” and “it’s time we start producing real results that improve the lives of our people.”
Governor, Alabama Democrats agree with you. Not only can children learn better and be successful if they are healthy, adults will likewise be more productive if healthy.
We have an opportunity to produce real results that improve the lives of Alabamians. Your Republican counterparts from other states, such as the Governors of Arizona, North Dakota, New Mexico and Nevada, have all embraced expansion of Medicaid. Why? Expansion means healthier states and billions of dollars to each state’s economy.
By expanding Medicaid, we return to Alabama tax dollars that we have sent to Washington. Otherwise, Washington will spend our hard earned money for healthcare and job creation in other states.
As a business attorney, I always look at the costs and benefits of any proposed action. According to a recent economic impact study by UAB, in the first seven years, Medicaid expansion in Alabama would:
- Reduce the number of uninsured Alabamians by 232,000;
- Generate $20 billion in new economic activity;
- Increase direct revenues to health care providers, such as physicians and hospitals, by $11.7 billion; and
- Generate net tax revenues of almost $1 billion.
If a company expansion would generate $20 billion dollars in new economic activity in Alabama, we would and should do everything within our power to assist that company. We cannot afford to say “no” to $20 billion being injected into Alabama’s economy which creates and helps save jobs.
Finally, as our nation still grapples with the tragedy of those who lost their lives in Newtown, Connecticut, and now with the Dale County hostage situation right here in our own backyard, those of us in the legislature and the Governor are faced with evaluating how the state should respond to better protect our children and our schools. So far, legislators and citizens have suggested a variety of approaches. However, there is one solution that we hope all legislators will be on board with: properly funding mental health.
Since 2009, our Department of Mental Health has been cut by 36%, which represents the second largest cut in mental health funding in the entire Unites States.
According to the National Institute of Health, one in three people with a “severe” mental illness never receive any treatment at all. In order to reduce the most tragic events in the future, it is vital that mental health services are available and accessible. Therefore, I hope that the Republicans in the Legislature will join Democrats in making sound decisions regarding mental health to ensure the healthiest and safest environment possible for all Alabamians.
In closing, with the many challenges facing our state we cannot afford to continue the political grandstanding that takes priority over the common good of Alabamians. The people want results. Democrats in the Legislature stand ready to reach across the aisle and come together to do just that.
Good night. May God bless you and your family, and the Great State of Alabama.”
