Supporting the State of Israel - HR201

STATEMENT FROM THE OFFICE OF STATE REPRESENTATIVE DAVID FAULKNER OF ALABAMA DISTRICT 46

Montgomery, AL – In light of the recent events involving a heinous attack by Hamas on Israel, I, State Representative David Faulkner of Alabama District 46, stand resolutely in the sponsorship of Alabama State House of Representatives Resolution HR201.

The Alabama House of Representatives recognizes the enduring bond between the United States and the State of Israel. It is essential that we affirm our commitment to the security, welfare, and survival of Israel. Our thoughts are with the innocent Israeli civilians affected by these attacks, especially the families and communities mourning their loved ones.

The tactics of using civilian population centers as a shield by Hamas are condemnable, and the organization's acts are a blatant infringement on Israel's right to defend its citizens. The coinciding of these attacks with the Jewish Sabbath and the celebration of the Sukkoth holiday is a grim reminder of the depths to which this organization will go to cause chaos and heartache.

The passage of HR201 is not just symbolic; it is a testament to Alabama's commitment to the State of Israel and our absolute condemnation of acts of terror. The Speaker, Speaker Pro-Tem, as well as many other members of the Alabama House join me in supporting this Resolution. Our longstanding bond with Israel is strengthened with such legislative actions, and our thoughts remain steadfastly with the innocent Israeli civilians affected.

We call upon our fellow American states to join us in condemning Hamas and recognizing Israel's inherent right to act decisively in self-defense. Furthermore, we urge the United States Congress to extend all necessary support to Israel in its defense against Hamas and all entities threatening its peace and security.

Our deepest condolences go out to all the victims, and we commend the resilience and bravery of the State of Israel and its people. Alabama law enforcement is reminded to stay vigilant and ensure the safety and protection of Israeli Americans, Jewish Americans, and all supporters of Israel.

In unity and peace,
State Representative David Faulkner
Alabama District 46

Jefferson County Amendment 1 on November 8th

Friends and Constituents,

On the November 8, 2022 ballots, please vote all the way down through your voting sheet. In Jefferson County, you'll see a vote for Amendment 1. I heard from many of you about the constant increase in your property taxes.

As a result, I passed a bill to allow for those 65 years of age and older to claim a senior property tax exemption to freeze their property taxes from going up. This is aimed to assist our elderly population - who most often are on a fixed income - in not having their planned finances affected by any aggressive rate raises.

But, for this to become law, you must go to the polls and vote for this amendment on November 8th! I hope you will vote YES for this amendment, and feel free to contact me if you have any questions about it.

A "yes" vote on Amendment 1 supports amending the Alabama Constitution to allow a qualified taxpayer age 65 or over to claim a senior property tax exemption on the taxpayer's principal place of residence when the home has been the person's principal residence for at least five years. Please vote on November 8th!

Continuing Public Service

Friends and Constituents,

For the last 8 years, it has been my honor and pleasure to represent you in the Alabama House of Representatives. I consider public service to be of the highest calling, and I have tried to represent and serve you well. I realize I may not always agree with everyone on every issue, but I have done my best to be accessible to and listen to the people I represent. At the end of the day, I have sincerely tried to do what I thought was right for the District I represent and the State of Alabama.

Serving on the Rules Committee, I have tried to advance the right bills. Serving on the Budget Committee, I have tried to be a good steward of your tax dollars. Education and Economic Development remain my top priorities. It has been an honor and so impactful to me to have co-chaired the State of Alabama Children’s Cabinet with the Governor, to serve on the Alabama Holocaust Commission, and to be Co-Chair of the Alabama Legislative Prayer Caucus. I do try daily to pray and ask for God’s wisdom in all the decisions I make as your State Representative.

In my tenure, I believe we have accomplished great things for the State of Alabama and Jefferson County. We are consistently fighting for you, and I heard from many of you about the constant increase in your property taxes. As a result, I passed a bill to allow for those 65 years of age and older to claim a senior property tax exemption to freeze their property taxes from going up. But, for this to become law, you must go to the polls and vote for this amendment on November 8th! I hope you will vote YES for this amendment, and feel free to contact me if you have any questions about it.

Please go vote on November the 8th! This is an important election, and please vote all the way down the ballot! There are important races for Governor, U.S. Senate and Sheriff to name a few! While I have no named opposition, I am up for election, and my name will appear on your ballot for the Alabama House of Representatives, District 46, and I ask for your support and vote.

I love this State, and want it to continue to be a great and safe State to live in, work, worship and educate and raise your family. Again, thank you for allowing me to serve you in House District 46. It continues to be the greatest honor of my lifetime.

Sincerely,

David Faulkner

Improving Alabama's Math Scores

A week ago, the Alabama House awarded final passage to the Numeracy Act. What we are looking to do here is bring focus and attention back upon what has been (for way too long) a largely ignored problem.

Not good: Alabama public school students rank 52nd in the nation in math proficiency. (Yes, behind Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia)

Some stats:

• Only 22% of Alabama students were proficient in math on the 2021 ACAP state assessment, including only 11% of low-income students and 7% of black students.

• In addition 28 K-5 schools in Alabama currently 0% of students proficient in math.

The Numeracy Act aims to follow a model that was proven successful by other programs such as the Alabama Reading Initiative and the Alabama Literacy Act in order to focus educational resources.

For everyone with Common Core concerns, here is the first line of the bill:

This bill would establish the Alabama Numeracy Act and would prohibit the use of the curriculum standards, commonly known as the Common Core State Standards, in public K-12 schools.

To clear any confusion, the responsibility for setting curriculum standards lies with the State Board of Education, NOT with the Alabama Legislature.

The Numeracy Act will create a new Office of Mathematics Improvement within the State Department of Education and task the office with ensuring that students are at or above grade-level proficiency in math by fifth grade.

The Act will also allow the State Department of Education to intervene in schools that continue to perform below expected levels, even after additional resources are put in place. Much like the Alabama Reading Initiative successfully raised reading scores statewide by placing specially-trained reading coaches in public schools, the Numeracy Act will locate specially-trained math coaches in areas where they are needed.

As I’ve stated many times, education and access to it is of major importance to me. 52nd is unacceptable, and we’re going to do something about it, and I’m energized that the Numeracy Act brings attention and resources to this issue.

---

Post-Script: Received this note from A+ Education Partnership out of Montgomery late last week:

Dear Representative Faulkner: 

Thank you for making your voice heard! The Alabama Legislature passed Senate Bill 171, The Alabama Numeracy Act, with strong bipartisan support. The bill now moves to Governor Ivey to sign. We look forward to supporting educators in the successful implementation and execution of this bill.

The Alabama Numeracy Act creates a comprehensive statewide plan to improve math achievement. The bill adds intensive support and funding for teachers and schools including: K-5 math coaches in every elementary school, training for teachers and principals, high-quality instructional materials and curricula for teachers to use in the classroom, intensive interventions for struggling students, and accountability to ensure schools are making progress.

As always, we are thankful for your partnership. Our work could not happen without you!

American Rescue Plan Update

The American Rescue Plan is complicated, and you can read more about it here.

In this update, I just want to pass along some items of activity that we are working on in regards to three areas: Volunteer Fire Departments, Rural Hospitals, and Broadband Expansion.

For our VFDs, round 3 grants were awarded for a great number of Alabama VFDs, with the Round 3 VFDs receiving their amounts this week. (If not already.) More than half of the 972 VFDs have either been paid or will be paid this week - and nearly 90% of Alabama VFDs have applied and are being reviewed for approval.

For our rural hospitals, $30 million was appropriated to establish COVID recovery grants for rural hospitals. (This is in addition to the $40 million allocated for distribution by the Alabama Hospital Association.) Eligible rural hospitals are determined by the SHPDA, with grant amount based on bed count. This is just the first round, and I anticipate more forthcoming.

Broadband access: the $276 million has been appropriated for broadband expansion was transferred to ADECA earlier this week, and their new Alabama Digital Expansion Division will begin deploying these funds in the coming months.

Appealing to Teachers for Public Schools

On March 31st, the Legislature gave final approval to a bill by State Rep. Alan Baker (R- Brewton) that will improve retirement benefits for newly-hired educators.

As you know, education has been one of my highest priorities since entering public service, and I have had countless conversations with educators and administrators on the struggles our teachers face - and to get the best for our children, we must be competitive in recruiting talented teachers to our public school systems.

While the Legislature had originally tightened retirement benefits for educators hired after 2012 - this was done in an effort to assist with lagging finances in the Teachers’ Retirement System - it came to show that recruiting new teachers in recent years was becoming more and more difficult.

So, rather than requiring reachers hired under the Tier II retirement plan to work until 62 before collecting any retirement benefits, Baker’s bill allows the teacher to retire at any age as long as they have a minimum of 30 years of creditable service.

This bill also falls in with the previously passed law that allows Tier II educators to bank sick leave and apply that time towards retirement.

While this doesn’t solve everything, I want to recognize ‘wins’ whenever we can. And this is a step in the right direction. Our teachers sacrifice so much of their own lives for our children, and we can’t just assume that they will always be able to step up and just make it happen. Alabama is just one of many states across the country suffering from teacher shortages in public school classrooms. This is a great step towards making our public school systems attractive in our recruitment of talented teachers.

Absentee Voting Period for May 24th Primaries Has Started!

Important absentee voting deadlines are listed below:

May 17, 2022: The last day that absentee ballot applications can be returned by mail.
May 19, 2022: The last day that absentee ballot applications can be returned by hand.
May 23, 2022: The last day to return absentee ballots by hand to the Absentee Election Manager.
May 24, 2022: Absentee ballots must be returned by mail to the absentee election manager no later than noon.

How do you get an absentee ballot? Click here or you can request your local Absentee Election Manager’s office. Voters can also contact the Secretary of State’s Elections Division at 334 242-7210 to request an absentee ballot application.

Voters who are eligible to vote pursuant to the Uniformed and Overseas Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) will have until May 24, 2022 to postmark an absentee ballot.

If you have a question or concern, contact the Secretary of State’s Office Elections Division at 334 242-7210.

Governor Ivey Announces Funds Transferred to ADEM for Statewide Water and Sewer Projects

Learn more about our water and sewer projects, click here.
From the office of The Governor:

MONTGOMERY – Governor Kay Ivey announced today that the Alabama Department of Finance has signed an agreement with the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) that officially provides $225 million in COVID-19 relief funds to ADEM for grants to provide or improve water and sewer services to residents across the state.

The money is from Alabama’s share of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds passed by Congress in 2021. The Alabama Legislature appropriated the $225 million for high-needs water and sewer projects during a Special Session called by Governor Ivey in January. In its appropriation, the Legislature directed the funds to the Department of Finance and designated ADEM to oversee the program.

The memorandum of agreement signed by the Department of Finance and ADEM will provide the funds to ADEM to be distributed as grants to “qualifying public water and sewer systems for the purpose of improving access to clean water and sewer infrastructure projects and the economic impact thereof,” according to the agreement. ADEM will implement the “Water and Sewer Infrastructure COVID-19 Recovery Fund Program” using criteria that weighs the water and sewer systems’ infrastructure needs and their financial needs.

“Every Alabamian should have access to clean drinking water and safe, sanitary disposal of wastewater,” said Governor Ivey. “We are extremely pleased that through this program we are able to make that a reality for many of our citizens who have lacked such basic services. Not only will these projects improve access to clean drinking water and sanitary sewers, they will also generate economic activity and create jobs by pumping millions of dollars into communities, many of which are rural and far from large industries and big employers. This is truly a win-win for the people of Alabama.”

Of the $225 million, the Legislature appropriated $120 million for grants to public water or sewer systems with previously identified emergency or high-need projects and do not require a local match; $100 million for grants to public water and sewer systems that may require local matching funds based on their ability to pay; and $5 million for grants to demonstration projects in the Black Belt to address sewage disposal problems prevalent in rural, low-population-density areas where poor soil conditions prevent wastewater from septic systems from being absorbed into the ground.

ADEM already manages two State Revolving Fund loan programs – one for drinking water systems, the other for sewer systems.

It announced Tuesday that 398 of the state’s 1,061 public water and sewer systems – 37 percent – already had applied for grants under the COVID-19 Recovery Fund Program.

“This is an indication of the tremendous needs that exist among water and sewer systems,” said ADEM Director Lance LeFleur. “It is also indicative of the vast water and sewer infrastructure needs across the country due to aging systems, increased demand because of population growth and the need to provide services to people who are currently unserved or underserved. Many of these systems haven’t upgraded their infrastructure in 40 to 50 years.”

The General Fund

Friends,
Wanted to provide a quick note and overview of the General Fund passed this past week in Montgomery:

Passing of the General Fund

We did approve a $2.74 billion General Fund budget, which provides for the largest spending plan for non-education states agencies in Alabama history. The General Fund devotes millions of one-time revenue dollars toward paying off long-term debts, which continues our Republican leadership’s responsible spending practices.

Alabama Trust Fund Debt

In order to balance the General Fund budget, $437 million was transferred from the Alabama Trust Fund around 10 years ago. (The Alabama Trust Fund collects royalties form offshore drilling rights.)

I am proud to say the Fiscal Year 2023 budget approved on Thursday will make good on the $143 million remainder to the Alabama Trust Fund, COMPLETING repayment on what was owed. This is a good thing!

Medicaid and Mental Health Agencies

The General Fund also provides funding increases for the state’s Medicaid and Mental Health agencies - this will include a 4% pay raise for state employees. (Part of the House Republican Caucus’ 2023 “Standing Tall for Alabama” legislative agenda.)

State Government to Receive One-Time Bonus

State government retirees are scheduled to receive a one-time bonus based upon years of service. For the math, the amount of each retiree bonus would be determined by multiplying $24 by # of years of service.

City governments, county governments, and local boards that participate in RSA would also be authorized to award identical bonuses if they so choose. (Also part of the “Standing Tall for Alabama” agenda.)

Department of Mental Health

The General Fund also adds an additional $36 million to the Senate’s allocation for the Department of Mental Health - with these funds to be used in funding new crisis centers across the state.

Additional

Also within the budget are increases for additional funding for district attorneys, the Alabama Department of Corrections, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, and the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles.

---

Is this everything that we are trying to do? Of course not, but it’s a great step forward with responsible fiscal management and providing assistance for many areas of need. Still much work to do, and my colleagues and I are determined to continue to work hard for Alabama.

Randy Forbes with Governor Ivey

Such a blessing this week to have former Congressman Randy Forbes, who leads the Congressional Prayer Caucus Foundation, in Alabama speaking to and thanking Gov Ivey for her support of the Alabama Prayer Caucus and her commitment to defend religious liberty.

I am the Co-Chairman of the Alabama Prayer Caucus with Senator Dan Roberts and Rep Rich Wingo.

Picture Overload

Collection of images this week at the State House. We took many more pictures than we intended. :)

ALABAMA'S COVID-19 VACCINATION LATEST INFO

Friends, I want everyone to have the latest information possible regarding vaccine information for our state. Please see below press release from the Governor’s office.

Peace,
David

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                          

Friday, January 8, 2021

COVID-19 Vaccination Available for Alabamians 75 Years Old and Older, First Responders, and Law Enforcement Effective January 18

MONTGOMERY – Governor Kay Ivey and the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) on Friday announced that ADPH will provide COVID-19 vaccinations for people 75 years old or older, as well as first responders, including law enforcement and firefighters, statewide by appointment only effective January 18. Appointments at locations throughout the state are made first come, first served. The addition of these groups is not a full expansion into the next phase of the vaccine rollout.

“I appreciate the swift work of ADPH to establish a system to efficiently provide our limited resources of vaccine to as many Alabamians as possible,” Governor Ivey said. “We have previously worked to provide vaccines to our health care workers who are on the front lines of the pandemic, and now, are diligently working to expand access to our seniors, law enforcement officers and various members of our first responders. It is critical for everyone to remain patient; demand is high, and supply is low. ADPH and their partners are working around-the-clock to assist as many people as they can.”

Alabama continues to vaccinate more than 326,000 health care workers and nursing home residents who are most at-risk of contracting COVID-19. As the vaccine uptake for this category is satisfied, ADPH is now encouraging sites to vaccinate persons in the 75-plus age group and those in the law enforcement and firefighter vocations in order to prevent any loss of vaccine due to cold chain storage requirements.

“We recognize that demand for vaccine exceeds supply,” said State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris. “While there is still an insufficient amount of the vaccine supply, we want to maximize our resources to help protect Alabamians at high risk. County health departments are working with their local points of distribution to assess what their vaccination reach has been. Decisions about the next groups to vaccinate are made at the community level with community engagement. If the very high-risk population has been covered adequately, providers can then begin vaccinating people in the other priority groups.”

Nearly 350,000 people in the state of Alabama would qualify for a vaccine at 75 years old and older.

To schedule an appointment for the free COVID-19 vaccination, individuals may call the ADPH toll-free phone number at 1-855-566-5333. Telephone calls are answered from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. seven days a week.

Vaccination locations can be viewed at this link, https://go.usa.gov/xARKp and additional specific information, such as what to bring and what to wear, will be provided when appointments are made .

If wanting to be vaccinated at sites other than a county health department, such as a private provider, individuals should contact those sites directly. 

For information about COVID-19 vaccines, visit https://go.usa.gov/xARKE.

Thanks

Friends,

Despite the corona virus and whatever else has caused us pain or suffering this year, we have much to be grateful for. I lost my Dad 2 months ago, but there are blessings that God has bestowed upon me and my family even through that loss, and hopefully on others as well. Even during this crazy time of a worldwide viral pandemic, God has blessed us all in so many ways. If we can recognize and then acknowledge God for those blessings, we will have grateful hearts, and the happiest people I know have grateful hearts. Have you ever seen an unhappy person with a grateful heart?

At Thanksgiving more than ever, let us put everything else aside, including the politics surrounding the recent elections, and give thanks to God for all the blessings in our lives! And, let us be kind to others, even if we disagree with them on whatever issue. I wish and hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving!!

Peace,

David Faulkner

Thank You to All Our Veterans

Friends and constituents, please join me in remembering and thanking all who have worn our nation’s military uniforms in defense of Liberty and the pursuit of Freedom across the globe, as we celebrate Veteran’s Day! Because of their devotion, sacrifice, and service, we live as free men and women today in the greatest country mankind has ever known. Alabama has a particularly rich military tradition, which should be celebrated and appreciated by all who proudly call our state home. May God continue to watch over the United States of America and the service members, past and present, who defend it.

Rep David Faulkner

April 28 - New State Health Order

Friends,
Below is the State’s new health order for April 30th till May 15th. It is very much as I expected and predicted with regard to most businesses, retail stores, non-emergency medical procedures and our beaches. I was surprised that “close contact service providers” such as salons and barber shops, as well as gyms and fitness centers were not allowed to open at all. I had expected they would be allowed to open, but with more extensive restrictions and limitations. I also was surprised that restaurants were not allowed to open for in-person dining if they could adequately do so and meet restrictions. Based on what I know, I fully expect these businesses to be able to open on May 15th with restrictions if our numbers continue to go in the manner we expect.

---

April 27 COVID-19 Update

Friends,

We had our weekly call with the Governor this morning, and she confirmed she will be giving a report to the people of Alabama TOMORROW on the State’s new Health Order to be issued by her and Dr. Harris for the State moving forward. (I still believe that the new Health Order will go in place on May 1st even though it will be announced tomorrow, but I could be wrong). She said it had not been completely decided and has not been signed yet. She said she had no doubts some would think the steps she was taking went too far and others would think it didn’t go far enough, but that she was confident she and the Committee advising her had done their very best to find the proper balance at this time, and that she would continue to evaluate the new State Health Order as they continue to monitor all data on a daily basis. She also said the new Health Order she and Dr. Harris intend to issue, would NOT take us back to normal, or the way we were before the pandemic entered our State.

The Committee advising her on the steps to be taken based on our COVID-19 data as a State gave their recommendations to her on Friday of last week. That Committee, whose members I listed in my update last week, looked heavily at AL’s hospital capacity levels, both ICU and non-ICU;  the numbers for new cases and deaths on a daily basis from inception to present, as well as all other data and numbers available for COVID-19. The Committee and the Governor also looked at the White House and CDC Guidelines for Opening Up America (that I also included in a 2nd update last week), and the Small Business Commission’s COVID-19 Task Force Sub-Committee Recommendations, along with the input from many people, groups, associations and entities.

WHAT I EXPECT:

As I indicated last week, I expect the new Health order to allow most all businesses and recreational areas to re-open with limitations. I believe this because I unfortunately believe most were closed in an effort to control human behavior, and not because they could not have operated safely during this pandemic, and in most cases probably could have operated even safer than the grocery stores, pharmacies, big box stores and many others who were allowed to stay open because of their smaller customer base and traffic. Trying to control human behavior is a difficult task, and think we all have learned a lot from this going forward. There are certainly things we might and should do differently next time based on what we have learned, but hard to fault anyone for the decision they made. 

THE NUMBERS AND THE GOOD NEWS:

The good news is that AL’s numbers have hit a plateau and the curve has flattened according to our State Health Officer, but it is true we have not seen a sharp decline in our numbers yet. We have right at a total of just under 6,500 Alabamians test positive for the virus, and 219 reported virus related deaths total to date in the State. Of the 6,500 who have tested positive, almost 1,000 of those were health care workers. Over the last week, we have averaged around 200 new cases per day, and most of those were coming from 1-3 “hot spot” areas in certain counties in the State (Mobile, Marshall and Tallapoosa) as a result of a particular place being infected. I had a call with Jeff Co Chief Health Officer early last week, and Jeff Co was only averaging between 3-9 new cases a day for the week before that, and I hope that continued or lessened for this past week as well. We have had approximately 850 people be hospitalized to date from the approx 6,500 who tested positive. Dr. Harris also said we have plenty of available hospital capacity/beds, and that includes ICU beds, and we have plenty of ventilators available and are meeting the demand for PPE.

We are working to get more testing capacity, as it is pretty good in our larger metropolitan areas where there are more labs, but not as good in the rural areas of the State. To date, we have tested almost 74,000 people in AL. They continue to work on and implement the contact tracing plan and ADPH is working with medical students to help ramp contact tracing up. Walmart has offered to and has started testing in some areas of the Black Belt as well. Dr Harris said we continue to see that the majority of those diagnosed with the virus are seniors and over the age of 65, or those that already have a chronic health diagnosis. 

Secretary of Labor Fitzgerald Washington shared the following:

DOL has been working tirelessly to process every claim.  The number of new claims has finally gone down over the last week after seeing record numbers of claims in the last 6 weeks.

New measures have been implemented throughout the last two weeks to help speed along the claims process. 

Please use the claims tracker available on their website. 

Continue to show patience with the department as they process your claim. 

Also note that they are working with the Attorney General’s office to prosecute any false claims made throughout this pandemic. 

THE LEGISLATURE:

The AL Legislature will go back into Session Monday, May 4th, but for a very limited scope and with extreme safety precautions in place to ensure social distancing etc. We will only be taking up the 2 budgets and local bills in the remainder of the General Session, which by law, must be concluded by May 18th. I think the plan is to try and pass the budgets and these local bills as quick as possible in order to limit the days we are in Montgomery “together" as much as possible, so I do not expect us to be in Session until the 18th. Because I serve on the House Education Budget Committee, we will be the members primarily meeting the week of May 4th, but our Committee will also be kept at a distance from each other as we work to get the Education budget ready for a vote.  

Great Budget News: The great news is that I do not expect the State to go into proration from this pandemic at this time, and we are in good shape for the coming fiscal year despite the blow to the economy caused by this pandemic. I am proud to say that your legislature has been spending and saving your tax dollars wisely. We have been setting aside funds for an economic downturn like this will certainly cause, and we have good reserves in the Stabilization Fund and the Advancement and Technology Fund to fund education and all teacher units funded by the State. We also have a great first 6 months of the fiscal year to help offset the last 6 months. The April receipts will be down at extremely low levels, but there is no need to panic! It does not appear that the anticipated devastating decreases from this will cause us to decrease our appropriations for the upcoming 2021 fiscal year in education from the levels they were funded last year, and we will likely see moderate increases in funding even! I also expect the State to issue and do a bond issue for capitol improvement projects this Session.   

PARTING MESSAGE: 

I was reminded recently by Richard Simmons that we all will face trials and storms in our life, but it is how you respond to those trials and storms that make all the difference. People who turn to God in those times will find peace in their life.  People who don’t, will likely become bitter and be unhappy. If you turn to God for help and to lead you, and I hope you do, ask Him to help you live in the present, for today!! I am told most of us get our fear because we worry too much about tomorrow. Also, remember to thank God for all the blessings you have in this life. This pandemic has made me realize as much as anything how much I have to be grateful for. I can’t remember how many years it has been when I had this much time to be with my whole family, and to visit with my 84 and 85 year old parents, even if from a distance! To exercise and walk almost daily, and catch up with friends over the phone or from 6ft away.

I am so grateful for all those who continue to be God’s hands and feet on this earth even in the midst off all this! As my priest Rich Webster says all the time, God is at work all around us, here and now, and He is here for us even in our darkest and toughest of times! God is at work in and through each of us if we will just ask Him! Alabama is a great State with so many great people, and its easy to see God at work if we just take the time to stop and look!! Who knows, you might even notice Him at work in you!!

Peace, David

Expectations Over the Next Few Weeks

I expect the Governor and her Executive Committee who are looking at how and when to open Alabama’s economy back up, will rely heavily on the "Guidelines for Opening Up American Again" published by the White House and the CDC. Here is the link for those Guidelines. As a result, based on our numbers, I am thinking the State will adhere to the State Health Order currently in place through April 30th, but I don’t know that for sure.  I do expect the Governor to BEGIN lessening the restrictions and limitations imposed by the latest State Health Order as of May 1st. By that, I mean that I expect most businesses and recreational areas that were closed to be allowed to re-open, but with limitations and restrictions for social distancing and the like. That and the date of May 1st is just an educated guess on my part at this point.   

As I see it, the restrictions and limitations imposed on us were all about trying to control human behavior to help stop the spread of the virus, and many of our businesses were just an unfortunate casualty of that, as were some public recreational areas. Most should be allowed to re-open, as I have always believed that most businesses could have stayed open and operated safely to avoid spreading the virus. Without question, most could have operated just as safely as any big box store, grocery store or pharmacy, but because they were not deemed to be selling “essential and necessary” items, they were closed in an effort to control human behavior. It is time for them to re-open if they can do so pursuant to the Guidelines.  

But, even when we start to open back up our State, this is not over on May 1st by any means, and we still need to encourage and have people continue to be smart in their behavior and practice social distancing and the like, and especially from those considered to be part of our vulnerable population. The vulnerable population needs to continue to shelter-in-place as much as humanly possible. Alabamians have always risen to any challenge that faced us, and no doubt we can do this, Alabama!

https://www.whitehouse.gov/openingamerica/

April 20 COVID-19 Update

I hope you all are doing well. I continue to get lots of people asking about the State re-opening our closed businesses and letting people get back to work, so I will address that below. Last week, I had a lot of questions concerning the PPP money that was given out by banks. I understand all the money appropriated by the federal govt pursuant to the PPA has been given out, and Congress is working on a 2nd package, which is also expected to go quickly. Best course of action and advice on that continues to be to speak with your banker. I will include information on PPP below as well.

WEEKLY CONF CALL WITH GOVERNOR AND OTHER TOP OFFICIALS:

The Governor and Alabama State Health Officer, Dr. Scott Harris, shared Alabama’s most recent numbers and updates...

Approximately 4,946 COVID-19 positive tests in AL, and approx 1,000 of these are healthcare workers;45,712 Alabamians have been tested;  Approx 35% of AL’s population is considered high risk;641 people have been hospitalized since inception in AL reportedly related to COVID-19113 confirmed COVID-19 deaths in AL as of today, of the 165 reported COVID-19 deaths to date.Hospital capacity is positive, and thankfully it seems that NO alternative care sites will be needed or projected to be neededAll 67 counties across the state are testing;  no shortage of ventilators and everyone who has needed one, has been provided one.

Director of Finance, Kelly Butler, shared updates…

A 7 person “Executive Committee" has been formed to review recommended suggestions from the President, the Small Business Commission Task Force and other entities in the state about reopening the economy.  AL’s Commerce Secretary;  the Speaker of the AL House of Representatives;  the Speaker Pro-Tem of the AL Senate; Tim Vines (CEO of BCBS);  Nancy Johns (Retired Dean of the Virginia School of Medicine);  The current Dean of the UAB School Of Medicine, Dr Vickers; and the State's Health Officer. Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries, Rick Pate, shared updates…Despite the obvious challenges, Alabama Ag and Industries are open and working hard to keep the supply chains moving Alabama inventory is SAFE, safer than it has ever been ADOL Secretary, Fitzgerald Washington, shared Alabama’s most recent numbers and updates…316,000 unemployment claims have been received in the past five weeks!Compared to ONLY 130,000 unemployment claims TOTAL in 2019 aloneAlabama is one of FEW states that have started issuing the $600 stimulus paymentA new ‘Claims Tracker’ system has been put in place on the ADOL websiteIf you are calling the AL Dpt of Labor and can not get through, please keep tryingAlabama Commissioner of Department of Corrections, Jeff Dunn, shared updates…As of this morning, 3 inmates total have tested positive for the Coronavirus.One was an inmate who was in the hospital for a previously diagnosed terminal illness (liver cancer), having already been in the hospital for 24 days at the time of his death, and not confirmed if death related to COVID-19The second inmate has been hospitalized to receive treatment and is progressing well. The area that housed the inmate is under a two-week quarantine.The third inmate is being treated in a quarantined section of that facility and is progressing well. The area that housed the inmate is under a two-week quarantine.In order to keep any potential spreading from occurring, the new inmates will spend 14 days quarantined prior to entering the usual intake processDOC has set up their textile manufacturing facilities to make masks for the inmates and protective gowns. All inmates will have 2 masks this week and over the next 2 weeks, each inmate should have 4 masksThose who have preexisting health conditions and staff have already been provided with masksDOC has PPE to meet current requirements for the foreseeable future with multiple shipments due in the next 2 weeks to the departmentDOC has established Rapid Response Teams in every facility to help implement these safety procedures.Alabama Commissioner of Department of Veterans Affairs, Admiral Kent Davis, shared updates regarding our veterans…Service office are closed to the public Counseling services are still available to veterans via phone Veteran burials are still taking place, but casket burials onlyThey will allow an appropriate memorial service to take place at a later dateOf the 4 Veterans homes around the state, only 1 has had positive test1 employee and 1 veteran tested positive  100% testing of all residents in that specific home has now been administered as a safety precautionIn the coming weeks Federal VA will arrive to ensure that all proper precautions are being taken to protect our veterans during this outbreak

The Re-opening of our Economy:

I have heard from many of you that it is time to re-open our economy and businesses, and get back to work. As stated above, the Governor has a 7 person Executive Committee listed above, and along with the State’s 7 Regional COVID-19 Commissions (chaired by each of AL’s 7 members of Congress), they will be advising the Governor on HOW and WHEN to open the State’s economy and businesses back up. This Committee is supposed to provide the Governor with a report by April 27th (one week from today) in advance of the current State Health Order expiring on April 30th. As the Gov previously stated, this re-opening could be done differently across different regions and areas of the State, and will likely involve a step by step process of lessening restrictions to get back to normal.

The Governor has said she wants to open our economy back up and get people back to work, and I know she means it. She also has said the State will be complying with the directives from the White House and the CDC in doing so, and has referenced the need to see a reduction in new cases in the State over a week to 14 day period in order to start lessening the restrictions and begin opening our State and businesses back up. As of now, we have not seen a reduction of new cases for such a period, and in fact, she indicated we have had an increase of cases in the last 10 days. But, that was not unexpected, as today was the approximate date when AL was supposed to reach its peak of highest number of cases.

As you may have seen, the Small Business Commission Task Force, apparently formed a Sub-Committee that published recommendations for re-opening businesses, and this Sub-Committee went ahead and held its own press conference and suggested dates for re-opening various businesses. I know this was confusing to many people in that many thought this was official action taken by the State in light of the press conference and media outreach that was held on this, but this was simply a report of recommendations for the Governor and her Executive Committee to consider. If you have any suggestions for the Governor and her Executive Comm to consider on how best to open up businesses and our economy, please send to me, and I will be glad to pass on to the Governor and members of the Executive Committee who will be making these decisions.

My thought is, and this is nothing more than an educated guess, is that the Governor will likely start lessening some of the restrictions in the current State Health Order that expires on April 30, by declaring that as of say May 1st, those businesses and areas of the State that have been closed, may re-open with some limitations/restrictions, such as 50% capacity in retail stores or restaurants, and various other social distancing and safety precautions for customers and workers for example. I would think beaches and other recreational areas would also be opened with some social distancing and safety limitations as well. I do NOT expect a full blown return to normal by May 1st by any means, but I do expect some restrictions to be lifted allowing those businesses that were closed to re-open, and for our beaches and recreational areas to re-open as well. I believe this can be done safely and responsibly, and feel strongly that most businesses can easily re-open and do so safely by May 1st. It is not right that "big box” stores continue to be able to be open and sell the exact same items that these small businesses sell, simply because they sell other essential items as well.

And the simple fact remains that regardless whether these businesses and recreational areas are open, we as a people still need to try and do our part to try and make sure we don’t spread the virus, by continuing to take the simple and easy precautions we have been through social distancing and the like, and especially so with regards to anyone that may be considered in the "vulnerable population” as relates to this virus. 

It is an honor to serve you in the Alabama Legislature, and please don’t hesitate to contact me if I can be of service.

Peace, David

April 14 COVID-19 Update

Friends and Neighbors,
I hope you all had a blessed Easter or Passover despite the storms that raged across the South!! I am sure it was very different like ours, but I hope you were able to be with some family and to participate albeit remotely, in your church or temple service. I think this is the first time I have not attended church in person on Easter Sunday, and it was a little weird to see our children have an Easter egg hunt inside! But, all went well, and we only lost power for about 6 hours Sunday night, and I hope it was a meaningful and good day for all of you!  As I continue to say, we have so much to be thankful for, and this pandemic had made me realize that even more! We should continue to pray even more, and make sure we thank God for all that he has done and continues to do for us.  

THIS WEEK’S CALL WITH GOVERNOR & STATE HEALTH OFFICER:

I had my legislative weekly conference call with the Governor and our State Health Officer, Scott Harris, yesterday. We also heard from our Secretary of Labor and our State EMA Director.  

First, the State was fortunate to have no deaths from the storms that came through the South on Sunday night. Unfortunately, Mississippi had 11 deaths and GA had 6 deaths as a result of the storms.

Second, Yesterday was exactly one month from Alabama’s 1st COVID-19 confirmed case. We have a little over 3,600 COVID-19 confirmed cases in AL as of yesterday. We are right at 100 reported COVID-19 deaths in AL, with around 65 of those deaths confirmed resulting directly from COVID-19. A little over 29,000 people have been tested in Alabama, so just like the rest of the nation, we still see a small percentage of those who have been tested actually having the virus. 457 people who tested positive had to be hospitalized in AL since the onset. African Americans continue to see higher rates of infection and to have greater issues with COVID-19 than other races.  

Third, the estimated peak of the virus is expected to be one week from yesterday, or or about Monday, April 20th. The great news is that it appears we will be able to handle the treatment of all infected patients who need to be hospitalized at the expected peak of the virus within our hospitals. Meaning we don’t have to use the Alternative Care Sites we have on stand-by. Right now, we still have 40% availability in our hospitals in the State, and data suggests we will be around 81% capacity at the peak of the virus. ICU beds are still available now, and data suggests we will be close to capacity at the peak early next week, so the State is monitoring the ICU bed supply very closely. We have a sufficient number of ventilators even for the expected peak. Right now, we have 298 people in our hospitals who have tested positive, and 337 people in hospitals with symptoms awaiting testing.  

Fourth, we have State testing in all of AL’s counties now and adding more every day. Looking to add 60+ testing sites in next 2 weeks. PPE continues to be the biggest concern in AL, and a new purchase just made by the State. AL has recd 15 point of care testing machines, but there is a shortage of testing kits for those machines.

AL SECRETARY OF LABOR:

February unemployment for AL was 2.7%, which was better than the national unemployment rate of 3.5%. The national unemployment rate went up to 4.4% for March, and he will release AL’s unemployment numbers for March on Friday of this week, an expects a sharp uptick. 73,000 unemployment claims filed last week, and 98,000 claims the week before that, and 11,000 claims yesterday alone. In summary, 264,000 unemployment claims in AL in last 4 weeks, compared to 130,000 all last year!

GOVERNOR PRESS CONFERENCE TODAY:

Governor asked everyone to keep following the State Health Order that is in effect until April 30th. She said she has a Task Force looking at how and when we can get people back to work in the State, and she is working closely with AL’s 7 members of Congress as well as 6 members of her Corona Virus Task Force. They will be looking at how to move forward and get Alabama’s economy back and running and doing so safely and responsibly. She expects the relaxing of the restrictions to be taken one step at a time, and there not be a complete elimination of all restrictions at once. She also said she expects it could be a region by region approach across the State. One example she mentioned would be allowing those businesses that have to be shut down now to be able to open, but only allow 50% capacity in the store or business for a period of time.  

OPENING THE STATE UP FOR BUSINESS:

Many people ask when is the State going to start taking measures to open the State back up for business, and I think that is going to depend on the health data coming in. Right now, we still see an increase in positive cases in the State, (with the peak expected early next week), and we need to see the new cases start to decline. The Gov's Task Force will be looking at everything as they try to make recommendations on opening the State back up for business, but if the numbers and data go as expected, I would expect we could at least see some initial lessening of some restrictions in May.

THE LEGISLATURE:

By the AL Constitution, the Legislature has to be finished with the General Session by May 18th, 2020. We have 15 legislative days left we can meet this Session, and we are supposed to come back on April 28th. Obviously, that date could change and will depend on the health data. If we are able to come back, our priorities will be the 2 budgets (especially the Education budget), 2 economic bills (SSUT and Jobs Tax Credit) and the Gov’s Prison Bill package. I doubt we will be able to take up much else. The Governor can call a Special Session, and we can address whatever she puts in her “call” for us to take up. I am very glad we had not passed our State budgets before this virus hit our nation and State. We will need to be prepared for a severe economic blow to our State and to do our budgets wisely with this in mind. The great news is that we had a great 1st 6 months in our fiscal year, and even if we have a terrible remaining 6 months of the fiscal year, we should not face proration and because of the conservative approach we have taken with your tax dollars.  

HELP FOR BUSINESSES:

Many of my calls have been from small business owners regarding the help and aid they can apply for and receive. I have sent numerous materials and information out to people about this, as well as to the chambers of commerce in my District. I understand most banks began paying out PPP money yesterday. I have not heard of anyone receiving the SBA’s EIDL money yet however. Please don’t hesitate to call me if I can be of assistance to you. Call me at 205 250-6604, or email me at David@DavidFaulknerAL46.com. It is my honor to represent and serve you in he Alabama Legislature as your State Representative, and I am here to serve you. 

Peace, David