The Alabama House and Senate met briefly to begin the 2023 regular session today and adjourned until March 21, clearing the next two weeks for a special session to allocate a one-time portion of federal funds.

Gov. Kay Ivey is expected to call the special session for decisions about how the state will use the remaining $1.1 billion it received from the American Rescue Plan Act, which Congress passed in 2021 to help states recover from the economic and healthcare costs of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The money is the second half of the state’s share of the ARPA funds.

With the first $1.1 billion the state received from ARPA, lawmakers approved spending $400 million to help build two new men’s prisons, projects expected to be completed in 2026. Then Ivey called a special session last year for the Legislature to allocate the remaining portion of that first $1.1 billion in ARPA funds. The biggest allocations went to expansion of broadband internet access and water and sewer projects.

Legislative leaders have said they expect expansion of broadband access and water and sewer infrastructure to again be included in the new round of ARPA spending.

Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, said today he hopes the new ARPA plan includes funding for stormwater drainage improvements, which he said are needed in Jefferson County and other parts of the state. Smitherman said he is also hoping for ARPA funding to help Jefferson County build a new multi-purpose juvenile justice facility.

Ivey could call the special session during her State of the State address tonight. The governor is expected to outline her legislative priorities for the year. The speech is at 6 p.m.

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