State Senate Pro Tem Reed expects ‘more conversation and discussion’ on Ivey prison-lease plan during budget process

Earlier this week, Gov. Kay Ivey signed 30-year lease agreements for two new mega-prisons, one in Escambia County and the other in Elmore County.

The announcement drew some objections from members of the Alabama Legislature but nothing in the form of legislation that might prevent the Ivey administration from proceeding with the project.

Wednesday, during an interview that aired on Mobile radio’s FM Talk 106.5, State Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Reed (R-Jasper), who was sworn in a day earlier after receiving unanimous support from the body for the post, acknowledged there were still unanswered questions about the leases. However, he said he expected more dialogue about the prison deal during the budgeting process.

“I think there were some questions from legislative members that were wanting to understand a lot about details of the lease agreement, kind of what would happen with the leases,” Reed said. “I think this is a new way of financing projects that the state has not undertaken before. I certainly applaud the governor in dealing with this issue of which is one that we all are aware we’re under federal lawsuit. We’ve got federal judgments that we’ve got to manage and deal with, and I think housing of inmates with facilities is a big part of  trying to address that in an appropriate way.”

“I also think there are members of the legislature that were concerned, of course, about the amount of resource that the governor was committing the state to in regards to doing these projects,” he continued. “But again, it’s the governor’s decision, her prerogative to work on addressing this problem with this effort. And so, I’m sure there will be more conversation and discussion as we move forward with the budgeting process in the general fund budget related to the Department of Corrections, as we continue to move forward on the topic.”

@Jeff_Poor is a graduate of Auburn University and the University of South Alabama, the editor of Breitbart TV, a columnist for Mobile’s Lagniappe Weekly, and host of Mobile’s “The Jeff Poor Show” from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. on FM Talk 106.5.