Gov. Kay Ivey marked her 100th day in office on July 19, and so far, the results have been positive. According to the Morning Consult Governor Approval Rankings, she is the sixth most popular governor in the U.S., with 64 percent approval and just 13 percent disapproval ratings.
For Alabama businesses especially, Gov. Ivey’s time at the helm has been welcome. Following the 2017 regular legislative session, she signed several bills into law that rein in the regulatory and tax burden on businesses, make it easier for business owners to run their companies, that were supported by NFIB/AL.
“NFIB Alabama members appreciate Gov. Ivey’s support of the small business legislation that was signed into law,” NFIB/AL State Director Rosemary Elebash told Alabama Today. “Gov. Ivey has always been a great supporter and champion for small business.”
Gov. Ivey told the Associated Press that her focus is on education, infrastructure, and economic development and that she is proud of her working relationship with the Alabama Legislature.
Additionally, in a CNBC op-ed published a week before her 100th day in office, Gov. Ivey elaborated on her vision for an improved economic climate, noting that many states are struggling with a false choice between worker-friendly and business-friendly policies.
“A good-paying job goes a long way in curing what ails a state and its people,” she wrote. “In Alabama, our goal is to attract good-paying jobs by producing an environment in which businesses do not just survive, but succeed and eventually expand.”
Efforts to do so include signing into law a revision and extension of the 2015 Alabama Jobs Act, which is designed to make Alabama and its incentive packages attractive to businesses and competitive with other states with a job creation credit and capital investment credit.
“Once a company comes to Alabama, it can rest assured that we are a top state for business because we are committed to cutting unnecessary regulation, which increases its costs to operate. … My goal is to make it easier to operate a business in Alabama, not make it harder,” Ivey wrote.
Though the race for governor has begun to gain momentum, at this point, Gov. Ivey has said she is undecided about whether she will run in 2018.
