The purpose of this newsletter is to inform my constituents on legislative matters and news in Senate District 12

March 2023

Legislative Session

The legislative session began on Tuesday, March 7th. This was my first Legislative session as your state Senator.

I was assigned to the following committees; Finance and Taxation General Fund, State Governmental Affairs, County and Municipal Government, Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development, Children and Youth Health, Veterans, Military Affairs, and Public Safety.

At the beginning of the month, I had the privilege to attend Governor Ivey's State of the State address. Governor Ivey laid out her plans for the regular legislative session which included:

• Focus on education; start-up funds to begin Charter Schools

• A 2 percent pay raise for teachers

• Focus on Alabama's prison system, upgrading mental health facilities and outreach

• A $400 rebate to tax payers

The Governor also called a special session which concluded last week to focus on the American Rescue Plan (ARPA) monies.

During the special session last week I was proud to co-sponsor SB 1 which enabled our state to pay off $59.9 million dollars in the Alabama Trust Fund. This legislation goes to the core of being a fiscal conservative and allowed our state to repay borrowed funds and pay off our Alabama Trust Fund debt. This was a campaign promise I made and it has already been delivered.

We also approved $1.06 billion in pandemic relief spending. This money was passed to our state from the Federal Government and we had to allocate the funds in specific ways across the state. This passed and is now at the desk of Governor Ivey to sign.

In The District . . .

Meanwhile, things in our district have been very eventful. As many of you know, we experienced a Norfolk Southern train derailment in Calhoun County

This entailed many meetings with Norfolk Southern train officials to tour the crash site and get the mayors and House members to agree about steps forward. The train is now back in service and the clean up is almost completed.

I was also able to get out to many civic groups, community meetings and events. I attended the Alabama Republican Party Winter Dinner where Governor DeSantis spoke. I had a few speaking appearances as well over the last several weeks.

I've enjoyed meeting with the Future Farmers of America, listening to the Oxford high school choir, and speaking at the Chamber of Commerce leadership class, and so much more.

If you have an upcoming event or a need, please do not hesitate to reach out to my office. I enjoy meeting with each of my constituents and knowing what your needs are so I can best represent you in Montgomery.

Thank you for your support,

Senator Keith Kelley