2022 Legislative Session begins Jan. 11, Steve Flowers weighs in
The 2022 Alabama Regular Legislative Session starts on January 11, and some issues like gambling and prison reform are expected to be the forefront of discussions once again.
Like any election year, the session is starting early for lawmakers to campaign. Alabama News Network political analyst Steve Flowers believes the state is in good shape financially, and there should be no problem passing the general fund and education budgets.
“The economy has picked up, and also you have an avalanche of federal COVID money,” Flowers said.
As far as prisons, Flowers said they will continue to be a hot topic.
“Legislatures, last year, addressed building new prisons, but I think you still have to have modern mental health issues resolved within the prisons.”
Flowers thinks the upcoming election will have an impact on this session. As there is a Republican majority in the state senate, bills that appeal to Republican voters may pass such as an anti-abortion law similar to Texas’s that bans most abortions and laws challenging the federal vaccine mandate.
When it comes to gambling, which continues to be a hot topic, Flowers doesn’t know if a bill will pass this session because of the upcoming election.
“I really think you almost have to concentrate on that in a special session and have a governor really work at it. With her (Gov. Ivey) picking up conservative right-wing candidates like Tim James and Lindy Blanchard (they) might use that against her in a primary.”
