Senate Sketches # 1095
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 # 1095
By
Senator Hank Sanders
***********
The last day of the Senate Session commenced with great hopes and great fears. The hopes and fears centered on the Education budget. As the day passed, one emotion grew as the other diminished. Finally, it was all one and none of the other.
I asked that the Education budget be first on the day’s agenda. If it went down, I wanted it to be clear that the education budget was being killed, not some bill in front of it on the day’s agenda.
The focus of the looming battle was Higher Education’s demand for an additional $25 million as we struggled to cut nearly $400 million from the Education Budget. Really, it was not so much Higher Education as it was our state’s two largest and richest universities, Alabama and Auburn. For years, they have been threatening to kill the Education Budget if they did not get their way. This year they would not get their way.
Alabama and Auburn had carefully prepared to kill the Education Budget. As far back as two (2) months ago, their chief lobbyist, Joe Fine, who is the richest and most powerful contract lobbyist in Alabama, was asking senators not to vote to cut off their filibuster of the education budget.
When I finished explaining and answering questions about the $6.35 billion Education budget, Senator Jim Preuitt of Talladega seized the podium. He indicated that he intended to filibuster. The other leader of the filibuster was Senator Jimmy Holley of Elba. However, the architect and engineer of the filibuster was lobbyist Joe Fine.
We started shortly after 10:00 in the morning. Fine repeatedly said they wanted a vote on Higher Education’s proposed amendment to add $25 million to the bottom line. Fine said he had the votes. We said we had the votes. We urged them to bring the amendment to a vote. But they prevented a vote. We hoped and feared and waited.
Negotiations went back and forth all through the day. Governor Bob Riley came over around 6:00 p.m. and participated directly in negotiations. Still, no agreement was reached.
Since we could not agree, all we had to do was vote. The entire Senate could decide whether Higher Education would get an additional $25 million dollars of non-existent monies. However, Fine and his allies would not permit a vote.
The clock continued ticking. Since this was the last day, the Legislature would automatically adjourn when the clock struck midnight, ending the 2008 Regular Legislative Session. We hoped that it would be with the Education Budget. We feared it would be without.
Eventually we began to count votes to cut off debate (cloture). We were short but some said they would be ready later if it meant ending the session without a budget. We hoped. We waited. We worked. We feared.
Cutting off debate is never easy. However, we soon reached 17 votes for cloture. We needed 18. Eventually, three Republicans indicated that they would vote cloture. That made 20, two more than needed. We were more hopeful.
The time set to vote cloture was 10:33 p.m. If the vote to cut off debate carried, we would commence voting on the Education Budget at 10:35 p.m. We still had time to pass the education budget and related bills. We were very hopeful.
Then Senator Preuitt asked that the budget “be read at length” if the cloture vote won. It’s a right provided by the Alabama Constitution. That would take just under an hour. Even so, we still had a shot. We were racing the clock to midnight, but Preuitt and his allies were racing to kill the Education Budget.
At 10:33 p.m., the roll of senators was called in alphabetical order. I counted the “aye” (yes) votes. When two of the three Republicans expected to vote “aye,” instead voted “no,” I knew it was going to be close, maybe too close. The last potential Republican for cloture would vote near the end of the roll call.
My heart sank when that senator voted “no.” Hope took its last breath. The vote was 17 ayes, 14 no’s with 4 not voting. All 17 of those voting aye were Democrats. Every Republican voted no or did not vote. Our worst fears had come to fruition.
The Senate was in shock. Several senators spoke about how our failure to get an Education Budget would hurt our children. Even those who filibustered the Education Budget to death tried to blame others for killing the budget. It was a tragedy.
I did not intend to speak but my spirit kept saying “Speak! Speak! Speak!” so I spoke. I reminded them that Alabama and Auburn had been threatening to kill the education budget for years. I pointed out that the filibuster had been conceived and organized and engineered by lobbyist Joe Fine. The budget was not killed by the Senate, but by those who filibustered it to death. I said they would have the opportunity to kill the budget again in a special session.
Now on to the Daily Diary.
Saturday - I went to work about 9:30 a.m., which is later than usual on Saturdays. I handled various matters before having lunch with Dr. James Mitchell at 11 o’clock. I returned to the office, worked until 3 o’clock and left for the nearly 400 miles round trip to Arab, AL. I made remarks at a 70th Birthday Celebration for Senate President Pro Tem Hinton Mitchem and former Senator and businessman Sid McDonald, who were born on the same day in the same year. I talked with the following: Lieutenant Governor Jim Folsom, Jr; Senator Lowell Barron; Senator Parker Griffith, Senate staff members Louise Fenn, Ruth Cochran, and Sharon Wheeler; Lobbyists Joe Fine and Sabra Barnett; Consultant Rick Heartsill; businessman Milton McGregor; State Superintendent Dr. Joe Morton; former Lieutenant Governor Steve Windom; Dr. Paul Hubbert of the Alabama Education Association (AEA); Representative Jeff McLaughlin; and Senator Roger Bedford. I arrived back in Selma after midnight.
Sunday - I did Radio Sunday School and Sunday Review and participated in Sunday School and Church Service. I talked with the following: Senator Bobby Denton; Representative John Knight; Joyce Bigbee of the Legislative Fiscal Office (LFO); and Senator Harri Anne Smith. I worked into the night on the education budget, the sales tax off food bill, and other items.
Monday - I was in Montgomery early for the last day of the 2008 Regular Legislative Session. As we worked continually to pass the education budget I talked with many leaders such as the following: Senator Lowell Barron; Senator Quinton Ross; Senator Kim Benefield; Senator Zeb Little; Senator Roger Bedford; Senator Rodger Smitherman; Senator Del Marsh; Governor Bob Riley; Senator E. B. McClain; and Dr. Paul Hubbert. I participated in several press conferences concerning the Education Budget. The filibuster of the Education Budget ended at midnight, killing the education budget and many other bills.
Tuesday - I finished Sketches and gave the “Charge to Graduates” at the Fifth Grade Graduation for Clark Elementary School. I talked with the following: Dr. I. B. Hopson; Governor Bob Riley; Dr. Paul Hubbert; Senator Del Marsh; and Senator Ted Little. I traveled to Greene County where I talked with School Board member Lester Brown and other leaders. I returned to Selma to make remarks at a posthumous celebration honoring the years of great work by Mrs. Ora Lee Gaines for McRae Learning Center.
Wednesday - I talked with Sally Howell of the Alabama Association of School Boards and traveled to Montgomery to record a segment for Alabama Public Television (APT) about the just concluded legislative session. I talked with Laddi Jones of the Greene County Democrat, returned to Selma and handled a few matters before traveling to Birmingham. I made remarks at the Julian Smith Retirement Celebration from Alabama Power Company. I talked with numerous leaders including the following: George McMillan, Dr. Carol P. Zippert, Willie King, Dr. Samory Pruitt, and Felecia Jones of the Black Belt Community Foundation (BBCF); Charles McCray, Steve Spencer, Leslie Sanders, and Harry Wormley of the Alabama Power Company; and John Zippert of the Federation of Southern Cooperatives. I returned to Selma.
Thursday - I worked on numerous issues before having a touching lunch with Kay Doherty of Braintree, MA who, through Sharing, Inc. continually provides special books for school children in Senate District 23, which I represent. I talked with the following: Senator Bobby Denton who had a recent operation; Representative John Knight about the Sales Tax Off Food Bill; Senator Lowell Barron; Senator Zeb Little; Senator Del Marsh; Representative Richard Lindsey; Ralph Paige of the Federation of Southern Cooperatives; Josephine Curtis of Selma; Governor Bob Riley; and George McMillan of Birmingham. I introduced Dr. C.A. Lett, the speaker for the Tuskegee Airmen Celebration in Selma. I worked into the night on Sketches and other matters.
Friday - I continued to work on Sketches and handled various matters. I had a conference call concerning the upcoming special legislative session. I traveled to Montgomery to work on the education budget for the special session. I talked with various persons including the following: Representative Richard Lindsey; Representative John Knight; Senator Roger Bedford; Governor Bob Riley; Dave Stewart of the Governor’s Office; Dr. Joe Morton; Dr. Paul Hubbert; Dave White of the Birmingham News; Senator Lowell Barron; Senator Zeb Little; Joyce Bigbee of LFO; and Lobbyist John Teague. On my way back to Selma from Montgomery, I stopped in White Hall for a fish fry. Among those I talked with were Bob Mants, a Civil Rights leader from the sixties and James Walker, a vocational teacher in the Lowndes County School System.
EPILOGUE - Hope die sometimes but like the phoenix, it often rises up from its own ashes. I am hopeful that we will get an education budget during the Special Legislative Session called by Governor Riley Tuesday, May 27th. Still, we will not compromise our children or the integrity of the Education Budget.
Index of Sanders' Senate Sketches
