MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama lawmakers return to Montgomery on Tuesday to begin the 2017 legislative session. Here are five issues to watch throughout the session.

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PRISON CONSTRUCTION

Gov. Robert Bentley will try a second time to persuade lawmakers to approve an $800 million bond issue for prison construction. The proposal would fund the construction of three mega-prisons for men, one for women and close many existing facilities. Prison officials project they would save enough money to pay for the bond by consolidating existing facilities. Concerns about overcrowding and outbreaks of prison violence have helped build support. However, the legislation will face tough questions from lawmakers who say they are concerned about the cost and loss of regional jobs when facilities close.

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REDISTRICTING

Lawmakers must redraw legislative districts after a panel of federal judges tossed out 12 districts, ruling they were unconstitutionally gerrymandered on racial lines. The ruling came after the Legislative Black Caucus and the Alabama Democratic Conference successfully argued African-American voters were “stacked and packed” into designated minority districts. Judges said they wanted the new lines in place for the 2018 elections. That means lawmakers will have to work quickly to get a new map in place.

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GENERAL FUND/MEDICAID

The state’s general fund is facing another lean year, although the state’s oil spill settlement funds have eased much of the difficulty. Medicaid Commissioner Stephanie Azar said the state Medicaid program will need an increase of about $44 million. Azar said the state is also at a “crossroads” over whether to continue a planned switch to managed care for some of the state’s 1 million Medicaid patients. The state pushed back implementation until Oct. 1 because of uncertainty over funding, and Azar said it cannot be delayed again.

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GAS TAX/ROAD CONSTRUCTION

A proposal expected to come before lawmakers would raise the state gas tax by 3 cents per gallon to fuel a $1.2 billion bond issue for road construction and improvement. The tax would go away when the bonds were paid. The money would be distributed to every county based on the current gas tax distribution formula. The proposal is aimed at city and county road improvement, but some lawmakers might push to include state highways. The somewhat simpler proposal comes after previous attempts to creating a floating gas tax, indexed to regional prices, flopped in previous sessions.

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IMPEACHMENT PROBE— The House Judiciary Committee paused its impeachment investigation of Gov. Robert Bentley at the request of Attorney General Luther Strange, who said his office was doing “related work.” Judiciary Chairman Mike Jones said in January that the committee is waiting for a green light from the attorney general to resume. However, House leaders said they want the committee to eventually finish and make a recommendation to the full House on whether impeachment is warranted. The committee was investigating whether Bentley committed any impeachable offenses in his relationship with a former staffer.