(MONTGOMERY, Ala.) - Committees approved more than a half-dozen bills aimed at creating jobs and bringing new industry to Alabama on the Legislature's first committee meeting day of the year.
Republican legislative leaders have made job creation a priority for the 2012 session.
Many of the bills approved Wednesday offer incentives for companies that bring in new jobs or retain ones that are already in the state.
The Alabama Education Association is opposing some of the bills, along with some Democratic legislators.
Opponents say some of the bills take away tax money that is earmarked for education and aren't guaranteed to create jobs.
Some of the bills will be up for debate in the full House Thursday.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
