County Commission | The Magazine January 2020 | Page 19

FROM THE COVER
Legislative Committee Leading
the Way for Counties
T
he ACCA Legislative Committee
bears great responsibility for 67
counties functioning as One Voice,
and members carried out this duty
faithfully during their Pre-Session
Workshop, an annual two-day
meeting in the Capital City.
Months before gavels will
bang in the Alabama Statehouse to
usher in the 2020 Regular Session,
commission members from all over
the state gathered at the Embassy
Suites in downtown Montgomery
to delve into a multitude of thorny,
county-related challenges.
“The issues facing counties
right now could make you dizzy
— inmate reform, mental health
services, right-of-way access,
governance of the Retirement
Systems of Alabama and the
Simplified Sellers Use Tax, to
name a few,” said ACCA Executive
Director Sonny Brasfield. “After
seeing committee representatives roll
up their sleeves and really get their
hands dirty during our two days
together, I believe they are armed
and ready to be our ‘grassroots’
leaders on policy matters.”
In advance of the workshop,
committee representatives reviewed
the 2019 Alabama County Platform,
as well as legislative recommendations
from the Association’s Minority
Issues Steering Committee and
five affiliate groups (county
administrators, county engineers,
emergency managers, 9-1-1 district
staff and revenue officers).
That information, combined with
discussion and debate during the
workshop, informed the committee’s
More than 50 members of the ACCA Legislative Committee worked
together October 23-24, 2019, in Montgomery to prepare for the
2020 Regular Session of the Alabama Legislature.
vote to revise the platform for 2020.
The committee’s recommended
platform was then forwarded to
the ACCA Board of Directors for
further consideration before the full
Association membership made the
final decision in December.
“The Pre-Session Workshop was
incredibly successful,” said Choctaw
County Commissioner Tony Cherry
who, as the Association’s Immediate
Past President, chairs the Legislative
Committee.
“The turnout, the engagement
and the thoughtful discussions were
impressive,” Cherry continued.
“I’d like to personally commend
committee representatives for their
wholehearted commitment to serve
not only their county but all 67.”
In many ways, the October
workshop was only the beginning
of responsibilities for committee
representatives, who were
recognized at the ACCA Legislative
Conference in December. They
rallied enthusiasm for the ACCA
District Meetings in January and
have taken on promotion of the
upcoming County Days to fellow
commissioners and affiliate members
in their home counties.
County officials and employees
are encouraged to contact their
committee representatives with
questions or concerns on legislative
matters. During the session,
committee representatives will receive
text alerts from ACCA staff on urgent
legislative needs.
The 2019-2020 Legislative
Committee is composed of one
commission member from each
county. This marks the third year
since the committee was expanded
to include representation from every
county. Committee representatives
were selected either by majority vote
of the county’s governing body or
appointment by the ACCA officers. n
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