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Gov. Bentley Says He Plans To Call Special Session

Gov. Robert Bentley says Alabama's unemployment rate has dropped to 6.1 percent which is a five-year low.
The Governor's Office
Gov. Robert Bentley says Alabama's unemployment rate has dropped to 6.1 percent which is a five-year low.

Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley says he plans to call a special session of the Legislature to use money from the state's education budget to pay for economic incentives to lure new businesses.

Al.com reports Bentley made the remarks Wednesday at a workforce development summit in Washington County. He said the special session would come after the election in November.

The governor says the state is short on money to draw manufacturers and other large employers. That money usually comes from the General Fund budget, which pays for non-education government agencies. But Bentley says the Education Trust Fund is the main beneficiary of the taxes generated by new businesses.

Bentley did not give specifics of his plan.

Lawmaker reaction to the idea of a special session was mixed.

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