With lottery legislation dead, many believe a plan to use BP money is the best way to help Medicaid.
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Sen. Greg Albritton, R-Range, whose district includes north Baldwin County, introduced an amendment that would have taken TVA payments in lieu of taxes and used them to pay the Rainy Day Account, suggesting that north Alabama legislators were playing games with their money. “And you have a group that is willing to lock it down on getting money to south Alabama”, Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh, R-Anniston, said. The state has $850 million in payments remaining, and lawmakers are considering taking a smaller amount up front – a projected $640 million- by doing a bond issue.
Legislators are in Montgomery for the special session to come up with $85 million for Medicaid.
That would leave up to $191 million that would go to two road projects in Baldwin and Mobile counties – improvements to the USA 98 route to the MS state line and extending the Baldwin beach express from Interstate 10 to Interstate 65.
“We’re looking at (a $235 million shortfall in 2018), assuming we want to fully fund Medicaid”, Orr said.
A worker cleans up an Alabama beach in the wake of the BP Deewater Horizon Oil Spill. Vivian Davis Figure (D-Mobile) said on the other side.
He had a proposed substitute that would spend $300 million on Medicaid over a three-year period and about $323 million on state debt.
Tensions grew during the debate, with some north Alabama senators saying the Legislature did not want to give road money to the coast and south Alabama senators saying the north Alabama delegation was downplaying the impact of the disaster on Mobile and Baldwin counties.
Rep. Steve Clouse, the House sponsor of the bill, said last week that he did not think the House would accept many changes to the bill.
Pittman said lawmakers, after propping up budgets in past with borrowed money, eventually have to make a choice: Raise revenue or make cuts.
“Keep in mind the road issue in south Alabama is one that has been respected by the House”, he said.
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Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
