By Sarah Kuper
The Alabama legislative session started this month and legislators are hopeful it will be more productive and less frustrating than the regular and special sessions in 2015.
Over the Mountain state Rep. David Faulkner, R-Mountain Brook, is headed into his second year in the House.
Representing parts of Homewood, Mountain Brook, Hoover and Vestavia Hills, Faulkner said that, although his freshman year was intense, he was pleasantly surprised by his colleagues.
“The vast majority of people are there for the right reasons. We are just trying to do the right thing and representing our constituency.”
Faulkner is a practicing lawyer with Christian and Small LLP. Though legislative positions in Alabama are considered part time, Faulkner did not find he was working part time.
“It is where God wants me, I really feel that way. But it can be financially hard because I spend a lot of time and attention – it takes a toll on your normal job,” he said.
Unlike federal lawmakers, Alabama state representatives have no support staff to help members digest and examine information. Faulkner said he was surprised at the limited resources available when it came to dissecting the budget and making judgments.
“It was very difficult without all the information. I’m not a forensic accountant. I was counting on having resources,” Faulkner said.
Over the past year, Faulkner spent months in Montgomery in regular and special sessions, but he said he spent nearly as much time meeting with constituents in his Over the Mountain district.
“I keep up with city leaders, school boards, civic groups. They all have my cell phone number,” he said.
Faulkner said his experience meeting with and listening to his electorate has helped him prepare for the 2016 session.
The House Republican caucus proposed a “Right for Alabama” agenda for the 2016 session that includes legislation for a new budgeting system, pension management changes, teacher pay raises, gun rights and small business tax credits.
Plus, the caucus will pursue legislation spurred by current events, including a ban on the sale of fetal tissue, a school security task force and a ban on Syrian refugees.
Republicans will also make a case for a constitutional amendment to strengthen Alabama’s Right to Work laws.
Faulkner said he is pleased with the agenda items, plus he will be bringing a few pieces of legislation himself.
Faulkner said he has heard from Over the Mountain businesses and non-profits concerned about the city of Birmingham’s decision to raise the minimum wage to $11.
Faulkner said the business community is worried other cities will follow suit. The result could be that Alabama’s cities could establish different minimum wages all over the state.
“There are over 400 cities in Alabama and we don’t need every city having its finance director deciding on a whim what they are going to have for the city’s minimum wage,” he said.
Faulkner is proposing a uniform minimum wage. He isn’t opposed to raising the minimum wage from the federal wage of $7.35, but he believes any raise should be uniformly applied statewide.
He said he feels this measure would protect workers and stand behind Alabama’s existing Right to Work laws.
“We’ve got an attack by labor unions coming in to states and wanting to use the tactic of getting cities to raise minimum wages,” Faulkner said.
Aside from the concern over labor unions, Faulkner said Alabama will have a hard time recruiting business if there is the possibility that the minimum wage will be raised without state oversight.
“Businesses have a certain labor cost, they have to work within those means. When we raise the minimum wage, entry level workers will lose those jobs or they will be forced to cut back on hours.”
Faulkner emphasizes this isn’t an attack on the poor, but rather a measure to protect existing minimum wage jobs.
Another bill Faulkner will be bringing with Rep. Danny Garrett, R-Trussville, would restrict payday lending.
“In this state, payday lending is out of control and frankly usury. Even the Bible talks about how wrong that is. We’ve allowed it with no regulations and people are getting charged 400 percent annually. We’ve got to have reform,” Faulkner said.
Faulkner said he believes Alabamians are preyed upon by these companies.
“They get in these cycles they can’t get out of,” he said.
Faulkner said he expects the House to see this as a bipartisan issue of simple right and wrong. He isn’t sure what exact changes will be made, but it will start with the exploitive interest rates.
While Faulkner has high expectations for the Republican agenda and the bills he is backing, he said looming over the session will be another budget battle. One of the main budget headaches is the ever-increasing price of Medicaid.
Faulkner said Medicaid is asking for $165 million more than it received when last year’s budget was finally resolved.
“People have to understand that we have no money to pay for the growth in Medicaid. We aren’t the ones who choose who gets Medicaid benefits, but we have to figure out how to afford it,” he said.
More than 1 million people in Alabama are receiving Medicaid benefits and the number grows every year.
Last year, the Legislature passed a measure borrowing money from the education fund to supplement the general fund. It then backfilled the education fund with a cigarette tax.
Alabama is one of three states to have two separate budgets. As it stands now, the Alabama general fund is $1.8 billion while the education fund is $6.8 billion.
As part of the general operation of the state, the general fund pays for Medicaid and the prison system. The cost of both increases exponentially every year.
Unfortunately, Faulkner said he thinks there is only so much Alabama can do without federal support and changes.
“No matter where you stand on Obamacare, everyone agrees it has done nothing to control the cost of healthcare.”
Faulkner said Alabama has no appetite for increased taxes and he certainly doesn’t want to raise taxes, but he said he can’t ignore the financial problems that will be hitting soon.
One moneymaker that will be proposed at this session is a state lottery. Faulkner said a lottery isn’t something Republican representatives will be bringing, but he does expect to see it discussed.
However, the Legislature won’t decide whether to allow a lottery, but rather whether to allow Alabamians to vote on the issue.
Faulkner said he doesn’t personally feel that a lottery will solve Alabama’s problems, but he has heard from many of his constituents and he believes they should have the right to weigh in.
As he heads into his second year, Faulkner said he is ready.
“There is a learning curve and I will be learning during my whole term,” Faulkner said. “I’ve been able to keep my faith and my family. In fact, I probably sought God’s wisdom more in the past year because I was under a lot of pressure. When the session starts it comes at you like a fire hose.”
In addition to his legislation, Faulkner is particularly excited about the education initiatives coming in this session; teacher pay raises, school safety and technology improvements.
He said he is less eager to wade into the budget crisis again.
