February Cement Tonnages a Mixed Bag Data recently released by the USGS for February cement shipments to the state indicate Alabama remained statistically flat in comparison to the same period in 2018. The .98% growth was a sharp drop off from the 17% growth seen in January. While the state…

Following two months of decline month over month, cement tonnages shipped to the state of Alabama rebounded in January . The 102,850 tons for January moved the state back over the 100K ton mark for the first time since October 2018. Over the past five years, tonnage for January has…

The legislature met for the 16th, 17th, and 18th legislative days of the 30 possible days last week. We are now in the backstretch of the session, with both budgets still awaiting final approval by the opposing chambers. Both budgets are in strong financial shape which should make them relatively…

Thankfully, stormy weather moved out and the 2019 Truck Driving Championship was one of the nicest, and warmest, on record. Forty-eight drivers from across the Southeast gathered at Thompson Tractor Company on Saturday, May 4th, to compete in the event, which is held each year to thank these men and…

The Alabama legislature met for the 12th and 13th day of the legislative session last week. They have now used almost half of the possible 30 days this session. The House passed the General Fund Budget and the Senate is expected to begin addressing the ETF this week. Passing of…

According to recently released USGS data, cement shipments to the state of Alabama for the month of December 2018 contracted by 14.6%, compared to the same period in 2017. This reduction comes on the heels of a 30.6% drop for November 2018 vs November 2017. Cement shipments ended the year…

April 12, 2019 The Alabama Legislature will return to action today for the 9th of a possible 30 meeting days in 2019. There have been 428 bills introduced in the House of Representatives and 277 in the Senate thus far. Reviewing last week’s happenings on Goat Hill, the biggest news…

The legislature returned last week after taking the previous week off for Spring Break. The legislature met for three days instead of the typical two days. If you followed the headlines, the biggest issue to be considered was a future Alabama lottery. The Senate Tourism and Marketing Committee consider dueling…

Each year, ACIA presents the Chairman’s Award to an outstanding leader in the concrete industry. This year’s recipient is well-known throughout the state. Heflin, Alabama native and small business owner Phil Webb has a passion for community development. His commitment to excellence has made Webb Concrete & Building Materials one of…

Typically held in January, the Alabama Concrete Industries Association took a chance and moved the Annual Business Meeting to April, proving to be a smart decision. A record crowd of 107 people attended the meeting, held at Wynlakes Golf and Country Club in Montgomery. The meeting began at 10am with…

March 22, 2019 The Alabama Legislature returned to the regular session last week following the five day special session to address the Rebuild Alabama Act. The legislature met for three days this week instead of the typical two days and one committee day. In the Senate, 91 new bills were…

The Alabama Legislature wrapped up the special session today after only five meeting days. This is the minimum number of days allowed by law to pass a bill. The session has been a whirlwind week from the call by Governor Ivey on Tuesday night. Going into the special session, the…

The Alabama Legislature will convene today for the 5th and possible last day of the special session. Both the House and Senate transportation committees met yesterday, and approved the Rebuild Alabama bills on their agenda. There was very little discussion, and no push back on the bills by either committee….

The Alabama Legislature met for the second day of the special session yesterday. In the House, the Transportation Committee approved House Bill 1 – the Accountability Act, House Bill 2 – the proposed gas tax, and House Bill 3 – bonding capability for the port of Mobile dredging. Together the…

Goat Hill Report for March 6, 2019       The 2019 legislative session began yesterday at noon and quickly adjourned awaiting Governor Ivey’s State of the State address Tuesday evening. As expected, Governor Ivey emphasized the importance of finally addressing Alabama’s crumbling infrastructure during the speech. She also added…