HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — 60% of Alabamians live in municipalities, and those local leaders are responsible for making decisions that impact people’s lives every day.
The Alabama League of Municipalities is meeting for its annual convention at the Von Braun Center this week.
Gov. Kay Ivey opened the convention Tuesday, discussing the laws passed this year she feels will most benefit Alabama cities. She mentioned several bills she said will keep communities safer, including one that would ban glock switches and another putting restrictions on bail for violent offenders.
The governor said she wants to see one more bill passed.
“I’ve called on legislative leadership to bring the Back the Blue bill to the floor tomorrow for a final vote,” Ivey said.
House Bill 202, known as the Back the Blue Protection Act, would rewrite state law to provide more legal immunity for officers in on-duty incidents. It would bar lawsuits that could not show an officer’s conduct was reckless and did not have a law enforcement purpose.
“The Back the Blue Act would provide legal protection for law enforcement to carry out their duties courageously and effectively without fear of Monday morning quarterbacking in the courts,” Ivey said.
Supporters of the bill say they want officers to know they have the support of lawmakers, but house democrats have pushed back.
House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels has said he is concerned the bill would protect officers who are not acting in good faith and make it nearly impossible to prosecute a bad cop. The governor said Tuesday she want to see the Back the Blue act pass Wednesday, on the last day of the legislative session.
In her remarks, Ivey asked league members to call their state legislators and give their support.
League of Municipalities Executive Director Greg Cochran said the partnership between the state and its municipalities is an important one.
“We’ve been very blessed through the years to have a good working relationship with, not only the governors that have served our state, but also the legislature,” Cochran said.
He said the Alabama League of Municipalities helps their members acquire resources, like state grants, that help build infrastructure.
“You can’t raise enough money internally to do the projects that we have today,” Cochran said “It costs over a million dollars to build one mile of road. It takes a collaboration between state and federal policymakers to make that work.”
Cochran said the convention is a good opportunity for city leaders to speak with those at the state level each year and share ideas about how to tackle difficult issues, like affordable housing, job availability and ensuring people have access to childcare.
The post Gov. Ivey speaks at Alabama League of Municipalities convention appeared first on WHNT.
