Alabama Senate Passes $3.72B Budget, Highway 43 Debate

0:00It's March 12th in Birmingham. Let's get into the news. Alabama's Senate just passed major budget bills, setting aside $3.72 billion from the General Fund for Fiscal Year 20. 27. This covers spending for executive, judicial, and legislative branches. It also gives state employees a 2% pay raise. A separate supplemental bill for Fiscal Year 2026, as nearly $60 million for debt service on transportation projects. Three Republican Senators, Lance Bell, Chris Elliott, and Sam Given voted against it. Senator Chris Elliott suspects the extra funds tied to the West Alabama Corridor Project. That's a plan to build a four-lane highway 43 from Mobile to Tuscaloosa. The state recently sold $730 million in bonds to cover 80 miles of it. The project has backing from Governor Kay Ivey, but some lawmakers slam it for high costs and relying only on state money. Elliott warns it could limit road work across Alabama for decades.

1:02Senate leader Albrin pushed back, saying, Alabama needs more roads overall, not just bigger ones. He stressed finishing highway 43 while improving east-west routes too. The Daily News Now is presented by our sponsor, linked in the description. Do not just listen to podcasts, get lost in them comfortably. S-O-L-I-SoliPillow.com