Alabama Politics in
Doc’s Political Parlor
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NOTE: Sen. Hank Sanders has written a weekly column for papers in his legislative district for the past twenty years. These rural, weekly papers lack a web presence, and links to the columns are not typically otherwise available. The column below is provided by Sen. Sanders’ office for inclusion in the Daily News Digest.

Senate Sketches # 1094

By

Senator Hank Sanders

****************************

The last day. The last day is often filled with hope and anticipation. Sometimes it’s filled with fears and reservations. Other times the last day is filled with both hopes and fears. For Alabama State Senators, no last day is filled with more hopes and fears than the last day of this legislative session.

We are fearful because the Senate has been tied up for such long periods of time with bingo, Sunset bills and other legislative struggles. Still we are hopeful because the Senate passed the general fund budget, immigration legislation, rainy day bills, the tax cut for the stimulus tax package and other bills.

We hope that the education budget will pass on the last day. We hope that our school systems will know what funds are available for next year so they can plan accordingly. The education of our children rides on our hopes because the two largest universities, Alabama and Auburn, are threatening to kill the education budget if they do not get another $25 million. We fear what will happen on the last day.

We fear that our children will be hurt because many of our teachers and other personnel will be laid off. We fear that Georgia, Florida, and other states with more money will quickly snatch up the best ones. We fear for the education of our children.

We hope that the Sales Tax Off Food bill will pass on the last day. It has passed the House and awaits passage in the Senate if we can get just one more vote. It will cap a 19-year struggle to take sales tax off a basic necessity of life.

We hope that the people of Alabama will get the opportunity to vote to take sales tax off food. We hope our citizens will eventually receive a tax cut every time they buy groceries, not just when we file our taxes once a year. We hope that the hard work of Representative John Knight, Alabama ARISE, and others who support this bill will pay off.

We fear senators will not vote on the sales tax off food on the last day. We fear that Alabama and Auburn will tie up the day filibustering the education budget to death. If that happens, the vote on the sales tax off food bill cannot be considered.

We hope that other important legislation will pass on the last day. The bill to keep Alabamians from paying income taxes on the federal stimulus package checks is one. It has passed the House and awaits action in the Senate on this last day. We hope our citizens will receive the full benefits of the stimulus package without state income taxes.

We fear the bill may not get to a vote in the Senate in spite of every single legislator wanting it to pass. We fear that it will be caught up in Alabama and Auburn’s insistence on more monies when we are cutting nearly $400 million dollars from the Education Trust Fund.

We hope the PAC-to-PAC bill will pass on the last day. It will stop big money folks from hiding the source of campaign funds by transferring money from one PAC to another PAC and mixing it with other monies until no one can see the original source. Representative Jeff McLaughlin has been trying to pass this bill for years. Now it has passed both the House and Senate and is in a conference committee to compromise the differences. For the bill to become law, both the Senate and House will have to pass the conference committee report on the last day.

We fear that PAC-to-PAC will not become law because things will be so tied up by the filibuster of the education budget. All the hard work will be for naught.

We hope the Rainy Day Fund bills are passed on the last day. If the Legislature passes them and the people vote their approval, they will save both schools and general government from suffering in these economic hard times. We fear they will never be considered because of last day delay tactics.

We hope the Add Back bill with the REIT provisions will pass on the last day. It will close tax loopholes to keep some $67 million in the education budget for our children. Without the Add Back bill some 44 giant multi-state corporations will pay no Alabama taxes.

We fear the Add Back bill might not pass. It cannot pass if the filibuster by Alabama and Auburn burns up precious hours.

There are so many other bills we hope will pass on the last day. However, we fear they will not even get a shot. Failure to pass some legislation such as the education budget will bring us back in a special session. Other legislation will be lost at least until next year and maybe forever. We fear that failure on the last day will bring us back into special session. We hope that we will not have to come back in special session.

Our hopes for the last day are many. So are our fears. I just hope our hopes produce more bountiful fruits than our fears. We will see because the last day is upon us.

Now on to the Daily Diary.

Saturday - I worked on various matters including Sketches, the education budget, and the Sales Tax Off Food bill. I explored community issues with Dr. James Mitchell over lunch and worked into the night.

Sunday - I did Radio Sunday School by phone with Dr. Margaret Hardy as I traveled the 90 miles to Tuskegee, Alabama. I attended the Tuskegee University Graduation where my sister by marriage had three children to graduate. I made remarks at a gathering after the graduation. In addition to sharing special Mother’s Day communications with Faya Rose, my daughters Malika and Ainka, and others, I called three mothers of the Twenty First Century Youth Leadership Movement to share Mother’s Day greetings: Norma Jackson of Tuskegee, Dr. Carol P. Zippert of Eutaw, and Barbara Pitts of Auburn. I also tried to get Roberta Watts, a key mother in Alabama New South Coalition (ANSC). I returned to Selma and worked into the night.

Monday - I commenced a new eating routine and visited the hospital to see J. L. Chestnut, Jr., my long time law partner, friend and fellow community leader. He was full of hope. I worked on Sketches and talked with the following: Barnette R. Hayes of Selma; Lowndes County Administrator Jackie Thomas; Shelley Fearson of ANSC; Sarah “Cookie” Jones of Selma who is recovering from illness; and Godfrey King of Wallace Community College Selma (WCCS). I traveled to Greene County where I talked with school board member Lester Brown and others.

Tuesday - I met over breakfast with Selma Renaissance Commission members Dr. James Mitchell, Wayne Vardaman, Jim Hodo, and Gail Lovelady. I talked with the following: Joyce Bigbee of the Legislative Fiscal Office (LFO); Representative John Knight, House sponsor of the Sales Tax Off Food bill; Governor Bob Riley about the education budget; Dr. Paul Hubbert of the Alabama Education Association (AEA); Representative Richard Lindsey, Chair of the House Education Budget Committee; State School Superintendent Dr. Joe Morton; Senator Lowell Barron; Lowndes County Commissioner Marzette Thomas; and others. I worked into the night.

Wednesday - I was back at the hospital supporting someone very dear to me. I talked with the following: Eileen Jones and Ken Selvaggi of Channel 12 Television Station; Phil Rawls of the Associated Press; Georgia Blackmon, businesswoman and community leader in Pensacola; Lobbyist Paul Hamrick; Wilcox County School Superintendent Dr. Rosie Shamburger; Josephine Curtis of Selma; Porter Banister of UAB (University of Alabama Birmingham); Joe Turnham of the Alabama Democratic Party; Laddie Jones of the Greene County Democrat Newspaper; and Greene County School Superintendent Isaac Atkins. I had several meetings, and I worked on many issues.

Thursday - I talked with the following: John Sullivan about Alabama and Mississippi legislative practices (he lobbied for years in Mississippi); Billy Atchison of the Alabama Power Company; Consultant Rick Heartsill; John Brady of Alabama Public Television; Chip Davis of Birmingham; Faye Carstarphen of Monroe Senior High School; Bob Johnson of the Associated Press; David Stout of AEA; Senate Majority Leader Zeb Little; Representative Joe Mitchell and his wife Jeanetta Mitchell of Mobile; Helen Stewart of the Selma Public Library; Yvette Patterson of the Lowndes County Public Schools; Lobbyist Phillip Kinney; and Que Lane and Robert Lane of Lowndes County. I traveled to Montgomery to record a TV editorial and returned to Selma. I had lunch with Margaret Bentley and Kenny Coleman of Alabama Power Company and participated in a conference call concerning the last legislative day. I reported on the education budget at a school board meeting in Lowndes County that night.

Friday - I met with Willie “Bo” Wilson on political matters. I started Sketches and talked with the following: Sharon Wheeler of the President Pro Tem’s Office; Dr. Walter Hill, Frank Kummel and Dr. Carol P. Zippert, Board members of the Black Belt Community Foundation (BBCF); Selma School Superintendent Dr. Verdell Dawson; Lobbyist Paul Hamrick; Jim Thornton, Chair of Talladega College Board of Trustees; and Rita Lett of WCCS. I participated in a Black Belt Community Foundation (BBCF) Board meeting, participated in a reception where I presented the candidate for the U. S. Senate, State Senator Vivian Davis Figures. I also attended a performance at Wallace Community College of Selma.

EPILOGUE - It’s amazing how one looming moment can hold so many possibilities that are exactly opposite in nature. However, when I really think about it, I realize that most moments hold such possibilities, but they are not always clear. Few things make moments of opposite possibilities as starkly clear as a looming last day.

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