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Governor candidates answer Arise questions on housing, lending, transportation


Arise reached out to 2018 Democratic and Republican gubernatorial candidates to seek their thoughts on policies that affect low-income people in Alabama. (We contacted candidates via email or other electronic means available on their websites. Those resources were not available for all candidates.) Arise does not support or oppose any candidates for elected office. This questionnaire is offered for informational purposes only.

We received replies from three candidates: Sue Bell Cobb, James Fields and Walt Maddox. We will share their responses in two parts. Responses are listed in alphabetical order by last name.

Part 2, which is below, features the candidates’ responses to questions about housing, payday lending and transportation. Part 1, which is available at this link, featured their responses to questions about taxes and budgets in Alabama.

Question 3: The Legislature has now created the infrastructure for both an Alabama Housing Trust Fund and an Alabama Public Transportation Trust Fund. Would you commit to providing funding for these trust funds? If not, how do you propose to address the lack of affordable housing and transportation, especially in rural areas?

Sue Bell Cobb: “Without reliable, substantive streams of revenue, neither the Alabama Housing Trust Fund nor the Alabama Public Transportation Trust Fund will be able to get off the ground. I am glad that the legislature has laid the groundwork for these funds, and the programs they could support have the potential to be transformational for quality of life in Alabama. I am absolutely committed to finding dependable streams of revenue that we can use to address both of these issues. In order for Alabama to have a healthy, productive workforce, they need a safe roof over their head and a stable method of transportation to and from work.”

James Fields: “I will certainly commit to funding both. There can be no ‘trust funds’ without funding. Sources of revenue for housing have been identified including the deed record tax, unclaimed property funds, the 2012 national mortgage settlement. I support legislation to utilize these resources as well as others. I support development of public transportation, including high speed rail. The administrative tools made available by the Act must identify systems that can meet the needs of all, rural & urban, ensuring effective ridership and utilization, as well as related state revenue. Transportation related taxes must match today’s needs.”

Walt Maddox: “Lack of housing and public transportation are persistent problems that must be addressed because, among other things, they contribute to chronic unemployment and underemployment. Helping people find and keep jobs is one of the most successful ways to eliminate poverty. I will reach across aisles and across the state to find agreement on ways to fund these programs.”

Question 4: Alabama law allows payday lenders to impose fees that add up to an Annual Percentage Rate (APR) as high as 456 percent. Would you favor extending the repayment period on payday loans in Alabama from the current 14 days to 30 days, effectively cutting their APR in half (from 456 percent APR to 213 percent)?

Sue Bell Cobb: “I am absolutely in favor of lengthening the repayment period to 30 days. I am also in favor of capping APR for small, short-term loans. We have far too many Alabamians trapped in a cycle of crushing debt thanks to predatory lending institutions that drain our local communities, and particularly our neighbors at or near the poverty line. Many of these companies siphon precious resources out of Alabama and funnel them into corporate pockets out of state. Not only does this extraction of resources have a deleterious economic impact on our state and our communities, the ballooning interest on these loans has a devastating human cost for children and families.”

James Fields: “I absolutely support extending the repayment period and additional legislation which prevents those who must utilize these services from being caught in an ever-increasing accumulation of interest debt. I will continue to research strategies to accomplish this. Of course, accessible small short-term loans by banks would add competition, the possibly the most effective regulator for this industry.”

Walt Maddox: “By attaching outrageous interest rates to easy to obtain loans, predatory lending creates vicious cycles that can make desperate people even more desperate. I am open and committed to looking at various ways to protect vulnerable populations from such practices.”