Alabama legislature approves $1.25 billion bond issue for school construction

Alabama lawmakers have approved a $1.25 billion bond issue for school construction—the state's largest capital improvement project in more than a decade.

The Associated Press reports that Alabama's House of Representatives voted 68-5 for the bond issue, which will pay for capital improvement projects at public schools, universities and two-year colleges.

The bill now goes to Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey for her signature. Ivey proposed the bond issue earlier this year in her State of the State address.

The bond issue would be the largest since 2007, when lawmakers approved a $1.07 billion bond issue at the urging of then-Gov. Bob Riley.

Rep. Bill Poole, the chairman of the House education, says each school system will get a minimum of $400,000; additional allocations will be based on school system size and the state’s school funding formula.

Alabama lawmakers returned this week this week to the state capitol in Montgomery after a more than month-long break because of the coronavirus outbreak.