Seven of Limestone County's eight-member legislative delegation spoke Wednesday at a legislative forum presented by the Greater Limestone County Chamber of Commerce at the Athens-Limestone Public Library. Representatives in attendance, from left, were Rep. Lynn Greer, R-Rogersville; Sen. Tim Melson, R-Florence; Rep. Parker Moore, R-Decatur; Sen. Tom Butler, R-Madison; Rep. Andy Whitt, R-Huntsville; Sen Arthur Orr, R-Decatur; and Rep. Danny Crawford, R-Athens. House Speaker Mac McCutcheon, who is also a member of the delegation, was not available Wednesday.

The next session of the Alabama Legislature won’t begin until Feb. 4, but the Greater Limestone County Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday gave its members a preview of what’s ahead while also looking back at the previous session.

The chamber hosts legislative recap forums at least twice a year for its members. Wednesday’s event was held at the Athens-Limestone Public Library and featured State Sens. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, Tim Melson, R-Florence, and Tom Butler, R-Madison. Also present were State Reps. Danny Crawford, R-Athens, Andy Whitt, R-Huntsville, Lynn Greer, R-Rogersville, and Parker Moore, R-Decatur.

The following is an edited recap of the lawmakers, in their words, talking about issues tacked during the 2019 legislative session and matters of importance next year. Not surprising, roads and infrastructure were topics of concern for a few representatives.

On a new industrial route to ease congestion through Athens:

Crawford: “I’m definitely in favor of it, and we’ve done a lot of legwork, to the point where the conversation needs to be started now. The problem is money. There is a need for it because if you look at what’s coming to Limestone County with Toyota Mazda and all the Tier-1 and Tier-2 (manufacturers) we have to think, ‘How are we going to get through this with the road system?’ It would … open up a lot of land for industrial growth purposes. There are a lot of advantages to it, but you don’t want to hurt your retail in Athens. We still have to look at that.”

Greer: “Something’s got to happen, because if you live in Rogersville, Elgin or Killen, it’s taking an hour and a half to two hours (to get to Huntsville). Sen. Melson and I met with John Cooper in Huntsville, and they’re going to have to work with us. There’s enough of us up here who voted for the gas tax to make something happen.”

On the 2019 gas tax vote:

Whitt: “As a freshman, it was a very difficult vote to spend someone else’s money. Many of you know me and my background as a banker, so I am historically pretty frugal. But as I began to drill down and we’ve got construction costs that are going up and more fuel efficient cars, our revenue is going down. Alabama is fifth in job creation, and we pay the fifth lowest in gas tax.”

Orr: “Before the gas tax was implemented, Alabama was 50th in the country for state and local taxes. After the gas tax, we’re still 50th in state and local taxes.”

On possible effects of the 2020 Census:

Orr: “It’s very important that every Alabamian be counted, and we’re either first or second on the hit list to lose a congressional seat because our growth hasn’t been as fast as other states. We haven’t lost people, but we just haven’t grown very quickly. Other states — like Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina and Florida — look to gain seats. That will cause a lot of ramifications as far as federal dollars if we go from seven (congressional seats) to six.”

On legalizing medical marijuana:

Melson: “The (medical marijuana study) commission met for the first time last week, and we have another meeting set in September. I think it will be (legal) eventually if you look at the facts. First, it’s shown to improve muscle cramps in people with (Lou Gehrig’s disease) and Parkinson’s, and many people know about Carly’s Law and how it helps seizures in children. I’m not in favor of recreational (marijuana) at all, but for people who have chronic disease or a debilitating or terminal illness, I think it’s compassionate and sensible to give them an alternative.”

Butler: “I won’t dispute there are medical qualities in marijuana that can be a relief to people suffering pain without using opioids or opiates of any kind. The biggest concern I had was control of it — how it’s dispensed, how it’s distributed, who’s going to distribute it, what controls there are, penalties for violating those controls and the public safety side of it.

“Are these patients immobile or bed-ridden? If there are people out driving, that presents a public safety hazard for all of us. There are no tests available to police officers if you see someone driving erratically to pull them over to test like you would for alcohol. I would probably lean toward very restrictive control and distribution to a very ill patient entering into a terminal situation. I’m glad the house and Senate approved a commission to come back.”

Orr: “On this one, I have serious, serious concerns. I go back to the wet/dry vote 20 years ago. Your cities would go wet, and you’d have an initial ordinance, and it would be ‘so many yards from a church’ and ‘won’t sell it on Sundays.’ You see it over time, how it chips away, and I wonder if that’s the same thing with marijuana. I see states that have gone recreational, but that’s not a place where I think Alabama needs to go. I know what Sen. Melson is promoting is different from that, but I’m trying to look several years down the road.”

Melson: “There are 33 states out there that have medical cannabis. Only seven have gone to recreational, and those don’t have Alabama values, like California, Washington and Oregon. All the southern states that have approved (medical marijuana) like Louisiana and Florida are more in line with us. I get the slippery slope argument, but anybody who thinks recreational marijuana is not here — it’s here. I think if you want to talk about the slippery slope, let’s go back and ban cigarettes and alcohol, because that’s really the gateway in my opinion, like leaving alcohol out for the kids at home. If you want to worry about that, great, but I think if you put the safeguards in and make penalties stiff, we can get it to the people who need it and out of the hands of people who don’t.”

On an appointed state Board of Education vs. elected:

Orr: “If you look at other states, Alabama is one of six that still has elected school board members. Forty-one or 42 have appointed school boards. If you look at the most successful states in education, the top 10 have an appointed-type school board. This is a good debate for our state to have. There is and has been and probably will be, in every environment, political in-fighting in our school board. If you have an appointed board, would it be more homogenous and results-focused? Perhaps, but that’s something the citizens will weigh in on.”

Whitt: “I’ve been married to an educator for 22 years, and she’s attended two or three of the state school board meetings over the last couple of years, and with that, I will be supportive of (an appointed school board).”

Butler: “We’re still 46th in education across this country, and there are a lot of reasons for that. If it’s not working, it’s time to look at something else, and this is an opportunity to look at something else.”

On passing a bill to expand broadband access to rural areas:

Moore: “I think it’s critical, because it affects education and impacts industrial and career development from one end of the spectrum to the other. It will be a huge advantage to schools and kids to have that, and it will help stimulate the economy in those pockets and help encourage growth.”

Orr: “We put in funding to make sure schools had broadband, but we looped in rural libraries around the state. We then took it a step further, that they would have broadband and would have 24/7 Wi-Fi access so Johnny … can access the internet through his device even though the school doors are closed. Things like that are being proactive.”

Whitt: “When I began running my campaign, I wanted to see what it was like across the state because things have been very good in North Alabama. One night, on Friday night, I wanted ice cream, and I was looking for a McDonald’s in a small rural community. I pulled up and noticed it was crowded, and I thought maybe it was after a ball game and students were there to hang out. Then I saw parents in cars reading, and there were kids with their laptops getting their homework done on a Friday night because that was the only place that had internet service. I know we’ve got libraries staying open until 9 p.m. just to take care of the kids who don’t have internet service at home.”

Butler: “As ALDOT does everything it can to build new roads across the state, the internet highway will be important to jobs, schools, families and health care. It will make a big impact across the state of Alabama.”

On a special session on prisons and solutions to the state’s prison crisis:

Moore: “As of right now, I think the special session conversation is dying down. We want to slow things down and get it right. We don’t want to rush this. We’re looking at all aspects from building new prisons to mental health and prison reform.”

Crawford: “There are forces working to gather information and some studies going on, and we want to make sure we’ve got all that. When it comes to the Legislature, we’ll have all the questions and answers we need.”

Butler: “It looks like the governor may call a session within a session like she did with the Rebuilding Alabama Act. (State Sen. Cam Ward) said we’ve got 20,500 inmates right now, and about half are people you won’t let out, who are rapists, murderers, child molesters and violent folks. Our goal is to get down to what the justice department (capacity) requirements are: 140% or 137%, which is the ideal capacity we’re looking at. (Ward) thinks we can get down to 140% over a period of three or four years, and if we do that, we’ll be in compliance. I think the Legislature will have the mindset when we go back to do something magnanimous, similar to the gas tax, but it will be a tough session.”

On 2020 lottery prospects:

Greer: “I don’t know if it will happen. I’ve always supported the lottery, and I’d vote for (a lottery bill) again if it’s good one, but not something like we had this year. We used to talk about $350 million a year (in proceeds) from a lottery, but the Legislature this past year talked about $170 million. The other problem you’ve got is some people want that $170 million to go to education. Other people want the $170 million for the general fund. I’d rather not have to earmark it. Other states don’t have to earmark it. Why should we do it in Alabama?”

Whitt: “When the lottery gets high, we have to reroute our buses in Ardmore in Madison County, because traffic comes up Highway 53 from traffic going to play the lottery. This past time when the lottery got high, I told my son, ‘We’re going on an exploration and fact-finding.’ We would have liked to never got to Ardmore, and that was my first fact. The second fact was I visited three different times during the day, and it never slowed down. I had been of the opinion — and still am — that I support the people’s right to vote on the lottery. I would like to see more go to education, and there are some negotiations there, but those are my thoughts. It’s time, in my opinion, for the people of Alabama to vote on a lottery.”

Butler: “What’s going on there (in Ardmore) right now gives new meaning to, ‘Why did the chicken cross the road?’ Well, he crossed the road to get his liquor and lottery tickets.”