By Mike Jones

Whether you realized it or not, last week was an exciting week for Covington County and South Alabama as a whole. I was proud to host a group of fellow freshmen Republican members of the State House of Representatives, 22 in all, in Andalusia for a two-day workshop designed to better prepare us for the upcoming legislative session that will begin in early February.

Day one consisted of a discussion of the legislative goals for the Republican Caucus, along with the bills the participants had pre-filed. Our focus remains on creating jobs, improving Alabama’s economy and continuing to cut wasteful spending in government. I will also be focusing on cleaning up many of the antiquated laws on the books in an effort to make it easier to live and do business in our state. Finally, as always, we shared ideas on how we can better serve our constituents and best communicate the great things we are doing in Montgomery.

The City of Andalusia, thanks to Mayor Earl Johnson and LBW College president Dr. Herb Reidel, hosted the members at the Springdale Estate in downtown Andalusia that evening and discussed the great things we have going on across Andalusia and Covington County. The students from the Lurleen B. Wallace College Culinary Program prepared a wonderful meal for the guests, all of whom were impressed with the quality of the cuisine. The night concluded with a bus tour of the LBW campus.

Day two of the workshop was held at the Wilbur W. Williams Law Enforcement Training Facility. The highlight of the morning was a visit from both Gov. Robert Bentley and Speaker of the House Mike Hubbard. Gov. Bentley outlined his upcoming goals, including an added emphasis on the state’s pre-K program and he also gave us the latest information regarding the 2013 budgeting process. Speaker Hubbard highlighted the many aspects of our 2013 legislative agenda and emphasized how well the Legislature and the governor were working together for the betterment of the state as a whole.

Following a fantastic lunch catered by Marilyn Williams, my legislative colleagues observed the members of the Covington County Incident Response Team executing drills and were even treated to a demonstration on the firing range.

Having the governor, the speaker, and 22 members of the Alabama House of Representative spend so much time in Covington County was a real win for our area. It provided me the opportunity to showcase our area in a unique fashion that can only be beneficial to us moving forward.

I would like to sincerely thank all of the individuals who worked closely with me to make this happen. The people of House District 92 have bestowed a tremendous honor by allowing me to serve them in Montgomery. It is a responsibility I take very seriously and pledge to continue to do all I can to bring to light all of the great things we have going in the area.

 

Mike Jones represents Covington County in the Alabama House of Representatives.