Alabama House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter said Wednesday that improving education and continuing to bolster the state’s economy will be key priorities for the upcoming legislative session.
“Alabama ranks 18th in the country when it comes to school choice,” he said during a Montgomery Chamber of Commerce event. “We’ve done a lot of things that have moved the needle. In this next session I think that’s something we’re gonna seek out.”
He also said would personally consider mental health in the state a top priority this year.
Regarding transportation, Ledbetter, R-Rainsville, said the state can continue to work with the existing model, but possibly structure it differently in the future.
He said that the state receives federal funding for transportation every year but going through the Department of Transportation “may not be the best avenue.”
Health care will also be a priority in the upcoming session. “I think we’ll continue to work on public and private partnerships,” Ledbetter said, adding the best thing to do is look at economic studies to see what will work best.
When asked about the upcoming November presidential election, Ledbetter said he was disappointed in Wednesday’s low turnout in the House District 16 and Senate District 9 special elections.
“Until people start turning out to vote it’s going to get worse,” he said.
In House District 16, there are 33,196 registered voters, according to the Alabama Secretary of State’s office. Just 8.56% of them cast ballots. Likewise, in Senate District 9, just 6.74% of the district’s 104,790 registered voters turn out to the polls.
Republican Bryan Brinyark won the House District 16 election with 2,370 votes, or 83.5%, over Democratic opponent John Underwood’s 469 votes or 16.5%. The district includes Fayette County and parts of Tuscaloosa and Jefferson counties.
Brinyark has served as municipal judge for Centreville since 2005 and is currently a substitute judge for Tuscaloosa. He is also chair of the Board of Tuscaloosa Shoot Sports Inc. and former chair and Baseball President of Northside Park.
The Republican primary for Senate District 9 was won by Wes Kitchens with 3,707 votes, 52.5%, against opponents Brock Colvin of Albertville and Stacy Lee George, eliminating the potential of a primary runoff election.
Senate District 9 is comprised of Madison, Marshall and parts of Blount counties. Kitchens currently serves as the state House representative of Arab. No Democrats qualified for the primary ballot.
Victor Hagan is the Alabama Election Reporting Fellow for the USA TODAY Network. He can be reached at vhagan@gannett.com. To support his work, subscribe to the Advertiser.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Alabama House speaker: Education, economy key issues for session
