A member of the Joint Interim Committees announced holds on three vendor contracts during a meeting, citing concerns about Smith Warren Management Services and related past claims.

Wendy Darling, chair of the Interpreters and Translators Board, told the committee her board’s contract with Smith Warren Management Services Inc. delegates administration of licensing and permits to the vendor. "They administer our, the what our board does, which is grant licenses and permits to interpreters to be able to provide services to people who are deaf or hard of hearing who use sign language in Alabama," Darling said.

A committee member raised a history of controversy tied to the vendor and recounted a Board of Adjustment consideration of a claim for "over a $170,000" involving the same vendor. The member said the recurring use of the vendor and the time taken by multiple state offices to scrutinize related matters warranted pausing the contracts. "I am going to question, if there's a representative of the governor's office in here, whether or not this vendor should still be a qualified vendor given the history," the committee member said, and added: "And I am going to hold these contracts until we can have further conversations with the Department of Finance, the comptroller, and the governor's office."

Another member recorded the financial scale for the record: "That is a total of of a little over half $1,000,000. That's $552,000 for those 3 contracts," he said. The three contracts named during the exchange were connected to the interpreters and translators board, the security regulatory board and a professional bail‑bonding board; the committee member said he would hold those items for follow‑up with state fiscal offices.

Committee staff confirmed the items will be held for additional review. No formal vote was taken on the underlying contracts during the meeting.

Next steps: The held contracts will return for further conversation with the Department of Finance, the comptroller and, as requested by the member, representation from the governor’s office before the committee takes further action.