AERA President Message
Alabama Education
Retirees Association, Inc.
828 Washington Ave.
Montgomery, AL 36104
Toll-Free: 1-800-537-6867
Phone: 334-262-4177
Fax: 1-334-262-6002
info@aerainc.org
Bentley says he will sign next year's state budgets into law
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"Bentley has asked lawmakers to pass a bill that would permanently shift to the General Fund 25 percent of the use taxes now collected by the Education Trust Fund." -AERA
Gov. Robert Bentley this morning said he would sign into law the two state budgets for next year that legislators passed Wednesday night.
''Overall, I think they really did a good job,'' Bentley said.
He also said he would sign into law a bill passed last night that would raise court costs and bail bond fees.
The operating budget for non-education offices passed for the 2013 fiscal year, which starts Oct. 1, would spend $1.67 billion from the General Fund, a cut of $66.7 million, 3.8 percent from this year's expected General Fund spending. The General Fund is a major source of state tax dollars for non-education services.
Governor's Proclamation for 2012 First Special Session
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Attached is the Governor’s Proclamation for the 2012 First Special Session.
The House and Senate convened at 9:00 a.m. today, Thursday, May 17, 2012. The House will allow the introduction of bills until 3:00 p.m. today and the Senate until 2:00 p.m.
Henry Mabry's success at helm of AEA surprise story of legislative session (George Talbot)
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It’s not easy replacing a legend.
Just ask Ray Perkins, who took on the unenviable task of following Paul “Bear” Bryant as head coach of Alabama when he retired after the 1982 season.
Henry Mabry can relate to Perkins. It was Mabry who took the helm of the Alabama Education Association when Paul Hubbert, an Alabama political legend, retired from the teachers’ union late last year.
But while Perkins got off to a wobbly start, going 13-10 in his first two seasons, Mabry’s immediate success has emerged as the surprise story of this year’s legislative session.
Against long odds and severe political shortcomings, the AEA ran off a string of victories — none bigger than the campaign to block approval of the bill that would have established charter schools in Alabama.
AEA also blocked a pair of economic development bills that would have expanded the use of tax incentives. Mabry, a state finance director under former Gov. Don Siegelman, argued that the incentives would have robbed public education of vital funding.