Bob Riley became the state’s 52nd Governor in January 2003 with a promise to bring change to state
government, and he got to work fulfilling that promise immediately. During his first weeks in office,
Governor Riley brought a new level of openness and accountability to state government.
One of his first acts as Governor was signing an Executive Order to stop “pass-through pork,” a
deceitful spending practice that for years had allowed legislators in Montgomery to hide taxpayer
money in the budget for handpicked special projects. Governor Riley’s action eliminated more than
$40 million in pork projects. Governor Riley also proposed the first reforms to the state’s health
insurance programs. These reforms will save taxpayers $300 million. He also implemented budget reforms
that allow taxpayers to see exactly how their money is being spent, and Governor Riley fought for
new laws that strengthen private property rights for all Alabamians and toughen penalties against
sexual predators.
When he assumed office, Alabama faced its greatest financial crisis since the Great Depression and a
record budget deficit. Governor Riley has managed the state out of this crisis with an eye on improved
efficiency and cost-savings in government. Governor Riley approved spending cuts of more than $500
million and eliminated funding for non-state agencies. For his leadership in addressing the state’s
fiscal crisis, Governor Riley was named the “Public Official of the Year” by Governing magazine in 2003,
and Time magazine hailed him for being one of the nation’s “most courageous politicians.”
Governor Riley has also been focused on job creation and met with great success. An economy that was weak
and had lost 47,000 jobs in the three years prior to his election is today recognized as one of the
strongest in the nation. During his term as Governor, Alabama has experienced net jobs gains,
record low unemployment and been honored as “State of the Year” for three consecutive years due to its
economic development.
With fiscal discipline and the strongest economy in Alabama’s history, the record budget deficit Governor
Riley inherited when he came into office has been turned into a record budget surplus.
Governor Riley is also keeping his pledge to fight for better education. Under his leadership,
the Alabama Reading Initiative has received record funding and is being implemented in every K-3 classroom
in the state. The Governor also proposed record funding for the Alabama Math, Science and Technology
Initiative and a new distance learning program that is bringing new opportunities to students across the state,
especially in Alabama’s smaller, rural communities.
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