Editorial

Every year at this time, I like to take a look back at what has been accomplished regarding our economy and the status of our state’s job market. I’m proud to say that 2017 was a record-setting year for the Alabama Department of Labor in many ways. For many years, we talked about reaching a milestone that would mean Alabama was as close to what is known as “full employment” as it could be. Fitzgerald Washington is Secretary of the Alabama Department of Labor.

Dear Editor, More than 15 million Americans provide unpaid care for people with Alzheimer’s or other dementias. In 2016, these caregivers provided an estimated 18.2 billion hours of care valued at over $230 billion. I am one of those caregivers. Caregiving can be an emotionally, physically and financially draining role. Congress has acted to address the needs of our nation’s family caregivers through the development and implementation of a coordinated national strategy with the passage of the Recognize, Assist, Include, Support, and Engage (RAISE) Family Caregivers Act (S. 1028/H.R. 3759).

The legislative session has begun and by all accounts, it’s expected to be an uneventful year. The only goal lawmakers seem to have is to pass the budgets and go home. Yet, there is a lot of work that can and ought to be done instead of just kicking the can down the road for the next legislature. Rep. Craig Ford represents Gadsden and Etowah counties in the Alabama House of Representatives. He served as the House Minority Leader from 2010-2016.