Five of the bills in the package (SB 16, SB 82, SB 102, SB 130, and SB124) provide additional employment opportunities for military family members to become state certified educators and make it easier for spouses who are Physical Therapists, Psychologists, Audiologists and Speech-language Therapists, Physicians and Physician’s Assistants licensed in other states to transfer their license and practice in Alabama.
SB 83 and SB 103 make it easier for children of military service members to attend Alabama’s higher education institutions as in-state residents and allows for the formation of charter schools on or near military installations with a focus on serving military dependents, with the provision that non-military students may be accepted on a lottery basis for any additional capacity not utilized by military students.
SB 80 protects military installations against encroachment and development that may interfere with flying missions which is particularly important for Active Duty and Reserve flying missions at Maxwell Air Force Base and National Guard Flying missions at Dannelly Field.
All the bills in the package passed through both chambers and are now on their way to the governor’s desk.
The bills were put forward by the Alabama Military Stability Commission under the leadership of Lt. Will Ainsworth and supported by the Montgomery Chamber to strengthen Montgomery’s support to the 908th Airlift Wing mission at Maxwell Air Force Base and the 187th Fighter Wing at Dannelly Field.
“We are committed to pursuing a prosperous, equitable and enjoyable quality of life for all of our residents, including our military families,” said Montgomery Mayor Steven L. Reed. “Their contribution to our city makes us stronger and safer, and we are pleased the Alabama Legislature supported our mission to welcome these service members even more warmly to Montgomery.”
“We want all our military families to know that Montgomery is a welcoming place where they can build a bright future, from educating their children to pursuing their own professional goals. We are proud to join with those who worked together to make these additional options available,” said County Commission Chairman Elton Dean.
“The passage of this legislation demonstrates the partnered support of the River Region and entire state for the military families that become our neighbors and play an essential part of our local economy,” said Montgomery Chamber president and CEO Anna Buckalew. “Thank you to Gov. Ivey and Lt. Gov. Ainsworth, and our entire delegation, as well as our partners at the Military Stability Foundation, Air University, the Public K-12 Education Partnership, Mayor Steven L. Reed, County Commission Chairman Elton Dean and the Montgomery Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Ann Roy Moore for their leadership on this issue.”
For more information on the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce, visit www.montgomerychamber.com.
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Meg Lewis
Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce
mlewis@montgomerychamber.com
(334) 261-1104
