Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley looks at his cell phone, which rang while he was speaking to members of the Alabama Association of Regional Councils (AARC), thanking them for their role in supporting cities across the state during remarks at their annual conference in Montgomery, Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2016. Gov. Bentley discussed Alabama's unemployment rate, which has remained steady at 5.4 percent for two months, job development and improving healthcare and infrastructure in rural Alabama. Pictured from left, Jim Byard, Jr., Director, Alabama Department of Economic Development (ADECA), Gov. Bentley, Keith Jones, AARC President, Mac McCutcheon, Speaker, Alabama House of Representatives. Bentley praised the work the of ADECA and Director Jim Byard, for partnering with AARC in awarding Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) totaling $17.5 million in investments this fall. (Governor's Office, Jamie Martin)

John Howard, Prison Reformer.

Church of the Highlands founding and senior pastor Chris Hodges, right, and Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley during a meeting at the church's Birmingham campus on Thursday, Dec. 8, 2016. Gov. Bentley and Hodges met with Jeff Dunn, Commissioner, Alabama Department of Corrections, other corrections officials and members of the Church of the Highlands ministry team to discuss the church's innovative ministry that takes their Sunday Service and Small Groups experience directly to correctional facilities, helping those incarcerated grow in faith. (Governor's Office, Jamie Martin)

Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley shakes hands with Fred McCallum, AT&T Alabama President after participating in an Executive Roundtable Discussion, hosted by the Birmingham Business Alliance, Thursday, Feb. 4, 2016, in Birmingham. Gov. Bentley discussed his "Alabama's Great State 2019 Plan," an ambitious course of action that addresses long-standing problems from healthcare to prison reform, specifically focusing on the state's 55 rural counties. (Governor's Office, Jamie Martin)