West Alabama Leaders Learn Lawmakers’ Priorities During Montgomery Drive-In

Leaders of current and future generations heard from lawmakers and appointed officials last week at the annual Montgomery Drive-In hosted by the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama.

Each year, the Chamber takes a group of Tuscaloosa-area dignitaries on an overnight trip to "Goat Hill," where they have a whirlwind schedule of meetings with legislators from the area, heads of government departments and more. The state officials discuss their priorities at the start of the legislative session, the 100-day period each spring when the Alabama House and Senate debate and pass bills.

The Chamber and its guests also present those Montgomery officials with a legislative agenda outlining the needs and wants of local governments, business leaders, nonprofits and more.

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This year's trip also included for the first time a cohort of college students in the Anchor Tuscaloosa program, a five-session outreach program aimed at retaining talent - keeping them in West Alabama after they earn degrees.

The Thread accompanied the Chamber group to Montgomery last Wednesday and Thursday and detailed coverage of that trip has been delayed by day-to-day news coverage, but the details of those discussions will be published here as time allows.

The legislative session is underway, and former state Rep. Kyle South, who stepped down from that role to become executive director at the Chamber, said their top priorities are the annual budget and proposed changes to education funding, public safety measures and workforce development for industrial and economic growth.

The Chamber group met with the West Alabama legislative delegation, made up of the House Representatives and state Senators elected in and around Tuscaloosa County including Gerald Allen, Cynthia Almond, Ron Bolton, Bill Lamb and Bryan Brinyark from the Republican party, as well as Democrats Bobby Singleton, Chris England, A.J. Campbell and Curtis Travis.

The visit was also minorly impacted by protests at the State House over Elon Musk's role in the federal government, bills such as Senator April Weaver's "What is a Woman Act" and more. Lt. Governor Will Ainsworth was scheduled to address the visitors from Tuscaloosa but bowed out for unplanned meetings about the demonstrations and other issues.

The Tuscaloosa group also heard from state finance director Bill Poole, Senior Advisor of Workforce Transformation Greg Reed, Alabama Superintendent of Education Eric Mackey and briefly watched legislators in session in the House and Senate chambers.

“It is important for us to understand the priorities of the legislature and advocate on behalf of our community through the legislative process,” Chamber President Kyle South said. “Having a strong presence in Montgomery ensures that our collective voices are heard. We have great relationships with our delegation and look forward to working together for the betterment of all of West Alabama.”

For breakout coverage of some of the issues covered during the Drive-In and more news that matters for west Alabama, stay connected to the Tuscaloosa Thread.