Gov. Bentley Talks Pre-K and Prisons in Inaugural Address

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) – Gov. Robert Bentley says there are no easy solutions to the state’s budget and prison problems.

Bentley, in his second inaugural address, said state leaders face tough decisions as they come into office for the next four years. However, Bentley said state leaders will not shrink away from the challenge.

A budget shortfall and the state’s severely overcrowded prisons are expected to be the biggest problems facing the Legislature when it convenes in March. The governor is expected to give his proposals when he gives his State of the State address in March.

The state General Fund is projected to face a shortfall of more than $260 million. Alabama prisons house roughly twice the number of inmates that they were originally designed to hold The governor also said by the end of his second term that he wants every Alabama 4-year-old to be able to attend the state’s voluntary pre-kindergarten program The governor has said that he wants to increase funding for the state’s voluntary pre-kindergarten for 4-year-olds until every parent, who wants to enroll their child, can do so. Alabama’s pre-kindergarten program has gotten high marks for quality but reaches only a fraction of the state’s preschoolers. Currently, 12 percent of Alabama’s 4-year-olds, or about 7,370 children, are enrolled in 410 classrooms across the state (Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)