Countering suggestions by her Republican opponents in the gubernatorial primary, Gov. Kay Ivey indicated on Friday that she has no plans to call a special legislative session to raise taxes on gasoline.
Ivey would not rule out the possibility of a special session later in the year but said the gas tax was not a part of possible agenda.
Ivey spoke briefly to reporters following a speech she gave to the Hartselle Area Chamber of Commerce.
"Not at the moment," Ivey said when asked about plans to call a special session. "I know we've got some reports coming due on some serious issues. We'll certainly look at them and evaluate them. Until we get enough information that gives us merit to do a session, no, I'm not focused on that yet."
During Wednesday's GOP debate, which Ivey did not attend, evangelist Scott Dawson asked state Sen. Bill Hightower about a "rumor" regarding a special session for the gas tax.
"Just this week, I heard a rumor that the governor is intending to call a special session to present this tax, gas tax, to the legislature," Dawson said. "And it's a lame-duck situation. Have you heard this rumor about a special session? And what does that tell you about the governor's transparency and her position?"
Hightower responded, "I have heard some of that rumor. I have, that she might call a special (session). But it's no rumor that there's going to be a tax increase imposed on you if certain people are elected in the next election. That's no rumor at all."
Hightower then pivoted into a promise not to raise taxes if he is elected governor and said Alabama's budgeting process needs reform.
During her speech in Hartselle, Ivey also repeated her call for budget reform. Both Hightower and Ivey have said the fact that the budget is more than 90 percent earmarks - leaving little spending flexibility for the legislature - is problematic.
If a special session is called, Ivey said it would likely be to address recommendations from task forces she has established.
One task force, originally created by former Gov. Robert Bentley and revised by Ivey to address the state's opioid crisis, returned its report in January. Ivey signed a bill into law that made reality one aspect of the task force's recommendations to modernize the state's prescription drug monitoring program.
Another task force, installed to study school safety, has an April 30 deadline to report to Ivey.
"School safety is out there and opioid crisis council is working," Ivey said. "When we get some information, we'll consider the results."
The gas tax has lingered for years in the legislature but is yet to generate enough enthusiasm to receive passage. The profits from the tax have been targeted to improve the state's roads. The legislature did not give it much of a look during the 2018 session, as expected, because it is an election year. And passing a tax hike is not ideal in a year when many incumbents are seeking re-election.
It's possible the gas tax issue could be revisited if President Trump rolls out the details of his national infrastructure plan, which is expected to require matching state funds to be eligible for federal money.
"I'm not aware of any task force looking at infrastructure right now," Ivey said when asked specifically about the gas tax.
Ivey was also asked about her position on taking part in gubernatorial campaign debates. She has skipped two GOP debates earlier this month - including one by Reckon by AL.com - that were televised statewide.
"My schedule is to be the governor," she said. "I've got to do those kinds of things. That prevents me from dropping things at the drop of a hat and so forth and so on. So this is going to be a long race. It's a long time ahead. So let's just keep working hard."