Ivey, a Republican, had convened a special session of the Alabama Legislature to discuss how to resolve what she calls a decade-long problem of prison infrastructure challenges. The governor said the signing of the bill on Friday marked the culmination of hard work and talks between lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
“I would like to personally express my gratitude to the legislative leadership behind me for a successful special session and what we believe will bring undreamt-of benefits to all Alabamers in the days ahead,” said Ivey.
State lawmakers gave the package final approval on Friday.
The federal bailout was issued to help states fill budget gaps following the Covid-19 pandemic, but the Biden government has issued comprehensive guidance on how the funds are used, including offsetting lost revenue to protect “vital public services” . The government has also encouraged state and local governments to use some of the funds to tackle the rise in violent crime in the summer.
Using federal money on prisons would help all Alabamers, according to Ivey, who suggested the idea as a way of relieving taxpayers of building prisons.
“The Democratic-controlled federal government has never had a problem throwing trillions of dollars on their favorite ideological projects,” Ivey said in a statement posted on Twitter Tuesday calling the state’s prison infrastructure “broken”. “The fact of the matter is, the American Rescue Plan Act allows these funds to be used for lost revenue, and sending a letter out in the last hour is not going to change the way the law is drafted, the conservative plan that drives the.” Alabamer will cost the least money to get the required solution. ”Ivey responded to a letter from House Justice of Representatives Jerry Nadler to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen Monday urging her to“ take all appropriate steps to address the abuse to prevent “.” funds from Alabama and other states.
“Directing funds designed to protect our citizens from a pandemic in order to fuel mass incarceration is directly against the intended purposes of ARP legislation and will particularly harm colored communities already disproportionately affected by over-incarceration and this public health crisis. “Wrote the New York Democrat. “It shouldn’t be used to exacerbate our national over-incarceration problem.”
The Treasury Department did not respond to a request for comment on Ivey’s statements.
Pastor Robert White, who heads the Legal Advocacy Group, which advocates for inmates’ rights, previously told CNN, “We could use this money on mental health and our sanitation system. Covid still works; we should use this money on our health system. ”
“We’re not saying the prisons don’t have to be built. We say this money has to be used for mental health, education, not a plantation in the middle of nowhere. The problem doesn’t change. The murders don’t stop, “he continued.
CNN’s Rachel Janfaza and Chandelis Duster contributed to this report.
source https://www.bisayanews.com/2021/10/02/alabama-gop-governor-signs-bills-to-use-covid-19-relief-funds-to-build-prisons-into-law/
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