Retail Report Jan. 12, 2018 | Alabama Retail Association

Legislative and constitutional officer elections this year means the 2018 legislative session began a month early. The elections also could inspire lawmakers to end the session in late March or early April, rather than continuing until April 23 as allowed by law.

Legislative leadership says they plan to address the state’s budgets as quickly as possible, then let lawmakers return to their districts to campaign for the June 5 primary. Qualifying began for that primary this week. The most likely source for any controversy is the almost three dozen lawmakers who are retiring, don’t plan to seek re-election or are seeking election to a higher office.

For now, the governor and legislators seem to be “traveling the same highway to get the budgets passed,” Speaker Mac McCutcheon, R-Huntsville, said. The chief budgetary concerns are continued funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program, or CHIP, and keeping the federal government from taking control of Alabama’s prisons.

More than 370 bills were introduced in the first week of the session. As issues of interest to retailers move, the Alabama Retail Association will keep you informed. Keep reading for this week’s top stories, including Alabama landing a Toyota-Mazda plant expected to bring 4,000 jobs to north Alabama.

For legislative and other news of relevance to retailers,
read This Week in Retail News.