A good special session?
By Staff
Johnny Mack Morrow
When anybody hears "special legislative session," they don't often think of opportunity. It frequently means something is wrong, like faltering revenue, or a crisis that must be addressed with legislation.
But there are plans for a special session in the upcoming months, and in this case it holds a lot of promise.
Volkswagen, the German automaker, is looking to build a major manufacturing center in the United States, and once again, Alabama is in the running to land the plant. The location the state proposes is in Limestone County, right in the heart of the Tennessee Valley. It is a prime location, and from news reports, it seems to be looked upon favorably by the company.
There is stiff competition for the VW plant. Tennessee is in the running and officials are putting a lot into the bid to land the company. Even so, you have to like our chances because of the record we've put up in attracting the world's best auto manufacturers in Alabama. Our state has been the model for developing this industry, and making sure manufacturers succeed here once they open.
It all started with 1993 with Mercedes and the historic efforts of Gov. Jim Folsom to land the plant in Vance. That plant has now grown more than twice its original size and produces three very successful models that are sold all around the world. Over the next decade, Toyota, Honda, and Hyundai, along with dozens of their high-end suppliers, located here and started what has become a statewide economic phenomenon.
What has made Alabama so successful? First, the work ethic of our citizens cannot be beat. It is the single most important factor in why automakers have been so successful here and why they continue to want locate here.
State government is a significant attraction to these companies. Alabama has the number one rated employee-training outfit in the country, Alabama Industrial Development Training (AIDT), which works with manufacturers tomake sure workers have the high-end skills needed for the modern industrial plant. The Alabama Development Office has the best record in the nation for working with companies to find the right site and preparing the major infrastructure needed for a major industrial development. ADO negotiates the right combination of incentives to make it economically feasible for manufacturers to locate here.
The Alabama record speaks for itself. The largest new steel plant in the world is being constructed in Mobile right now by ThyssenKrupp. Alabama National, a massive boxcar factory, is being built in the Shoals. A new coke
plant for making steel is locating in the heart of the black belt. Every corner of the state has been affected by economic development. And the automotive industry record speaks for itself, and hopefully will have another joining the ranks soon.
But it often takes a special session of the Legislature to make sure state government has the tools it needs to attract a company like VW. We authorize state government to leverage money from the state oil and gas trust for sitepreparation. We approve the expansion of employee training and other negotiated incentives critical to landing a company. These things can often only be settled in a special session.
Those are the kinds of special session everybody wants. Let's hope that the opportunity for one will be soon, so that another giant step can be made in the economic progress of our state.
Johnny Mack Morrow is a state representative for Franklin County. His column appears each Wednesday.
