http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/news/114380075766940.xml&coll=2 – Summary of yesterday’s legislative activity.

http://www.gadsdentimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060330/APN/603301075&cachetime=5 – Legislature gives final approval to Sentencing Commission bills.

http://www.gadsdentimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060330/APN/603300765&cachetime=5 – Compromise reached on “unborn child” bill.

http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060331/NEWS/603310337/1001 - Landlord-tenant bill goes to Riley for signature.

http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060331/OPINION01/603310310/1012/OPINION - Editorial urges Governor’s approval of landlord-tenant act.

http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060331/NEWS/603310305/1012/editorial1 - Editorial in support of income tax reform measure, expresses hope that this is first step toward comprehensive reform.

http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060331/NEWS/603310306/1012/editorial1 - Editorial speculates that constitutional reform, although delayed this year, “may yet prove to be the long-distance champion of issues in the Alabama Legislature.”

http://www.oanow.com/servlet/… (Opelika-Auburn News) - Editorial sees proposed child restraint bill as “not practical in the real world.”

FROM TODAY’S ANNISTON STAR:

EDITORIALS

Lawmakers and a certain natural law

In our opinion
03-31-2006

As we have noted on numerous occasions, of all the laws governing legislation passed down in Montgomery, the most important (and the one most often ignored) is the “law of unintended consequences.”

That is a natural law, as certain as laws of gravity and motion, that says that no matter what the intended purpose of a piece of legislation, once it is passed the consequence will be otherwise.

For example, our Legislature has been working on two matters that, on the surface, have little to do with each other.

The first, a bill that gives our citizens a wider range of options when they want to shoot someone to protect home or automobile, has passed and is going to the governor, who reportedly will sign it.

Opposition to the measure was pretty weak. We love our guns. We love our homes. We love our cars. Few legislators were bold enough to suggest that a person should be restrained from opening fire willy-nilly if they feel person or property is threatened.

More controversial is legislation that would add criminal penalties if a pregnant woman is killed or assaulted or if she miscarries as a result of an assault. Up till now, most of the debate on this has centered on the status of the fetus as a “person” and whether criminalizing harm to the unborn would eventually make abortion illegal in the state.

The chances are better than good that a bill upping the penalty for attacking a pregnant woman will pass and be signed into law.

Which raises the question, what if a pregnant woman breaks into your house and you shoot her? The state says you can.

But what if your use of deadly force to protect home and hearth results in the death of the fetus she is carrying?

Does this mean that you will be arrested for harming the unborn even though you were well within your rights as a citizen to protect yourself from the pregnant person?

Or does this mean that if the mother commits a crime, the fetus is guilty as well?

Which might lead some to suggest that the fetus does not have rights and responsibilities apart from those possessed by the mother.

Which might lead some to suggest that our legislators have, once again, forgotten about the law of unintended consequences.

It might.

http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/news/1143714175218550.xml&coll=2 – Legislators override Governor’s veto of Education Trust Fund Budget.

http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/news/1143714079218550.xml&coll=2 – House committee approves General Fund budget.

http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/news/1143713754218550.xml&coll=2 – Senate committee approves tax cut plan.

http://www.al.com/news/mobileregister/index.ssf?/base/news/1143713806218540.xml&coll=3 – Constitutional reform dead for this session, Sen. Little says this year’s efforts will improve chances of passage in 2007.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AL_XGR_EMINENT_DOMAIN_ALOL-?SITE=ALMON&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT – Senate ends filibuster to approve constitutional amendment to limit eminent domain powers.

FROM TODAY’S ANNISTON STAR:

LEGISLATURE

Bill to change state ethics law brings confrontation

By Brian Lyman
Star Capitol Correspondent
03-30-2006

MONTGOMERY – A public hearing on proposed changes to the state ethics law brought a testy exchange Wednesday between a powerful state senator and the director of the state Ethics Commission.

Jim Sumner, the Ethics Commission director, and Sen. Hank Sanders, D-Selma, got into a mutual cross-examination over a bill that would significantly change how the Ethics Commission operates.

The bill, currently in the Senate Judiciary Committee, would require the director of the commission to clear legal opinions with the commission; ban the director from deliberations of the commission; and require the commission to deliver copies of complaints, along with the names of those filing them, to respondents.

The bill also would provide for specific measures to remove the director of the commission, would ban the filing of complaints within six months of an election, and would require that all complaints be resolved within six months.

Sumner said during the hearing that most of the bill’s provisions are impractical at best. Ethics complaints, he said, usually take between six and nine months to investigate fully, and staffing at the commission does not allow investigators to move any faster.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more punitive piece of legislation than this,” Sumner said. “… It would make it impossible for the commission to function as a body.”

Sanders was cleared earlier this year of allegations that he used his position as chairman of the Senate’s Education Finance and Taxation committee to benefit nonprofits with links to his family.

After the hearing of that case, Sanders said Sumner should be fired, and the senator did show any new affection for the director Wednesday.

In a series of pointed questions, Sanders implied that Sumner’s presence during deliberations of the Ethics Commission was inappropriate and could sway the committee in its decisions.

“Your presence influences the process,” Sanders said, arguing that the director’s attendance at commission hearings was akin to a prosecutor sitting in on the deliberations of a grand jury.

Sumner said he does not participate in the committee’s votes or final decisions.

“I’m there, but I really don’t say anything unless I’m asked,” Sumner said.

The discussion between the two men got tense, and each alluded to Sanders’ case without addressing it directly.

Sen. Quinton Ross, D-Montgomery and committee chairman Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, insisted that the proposed legislation had nothing to do with Sanders’ case. “Senator Sanders has not said a word to me about it,” Smitherman said.

The committee did not vote on the bill Wednesday.

Boos greet Riley’s final try for expanded tax cuts

By Brian Lyman
Star Capitol Correspondent
03-30-2006

MONTGOMERY — The House turned back a final attempt Wednesday night by Gov. Bob Riley to take money in the Education Trust Fund for an expanded tax cut.

The governor sent an executive amendment to the House that would have cleared $60 million out of the Education Trust Fund budget by taking $8 million out of the Community Service Grants, which allow legislators to fund projects in their districts, and $52 million from the state’s two rainy day funds.

Riley’s proposals were greeted with loud boos from the floor of the House as Education Finance and Appropriations chairman Richard Lindsey, D-Centre, announced them to the membership.

The House voted 63-38 to table the governor’s amendment. Lindsey said the amendment would undo the work of several months.

“We have worked for weeks to prepare a responsible tax cut,” Lindsey said. “You have voted for it, it has passed this House, and I don’t understand what the governor is trying to do with this executive amendment.”

The tax-cut plan that passed the House two weeks ago would reduce income taxes for a family of four making $20,000 a year or less, while providing smaller tax cuts for those making $20,000 to $100,000 a year. Riley originally proposed a tax cut that would have given relief of some kind to all Alabama taxpayers.

“Gov. Riley believes the amendments he offered were the right thing to do,” said Jeff Emerson, Riley’s spokesman. “We need to cut taxes for as many Alabamians as we possibly can. He proposed a way to do that without cutting any educational programs.”

The tax-cut plan that the House has approved still needs to be voted on in the Senate. It would cost the Education Trust Fund about $60 million next year.

A compromise plan reached by Riley and Rep. John Knight, D-Montgomery, earlier this year would have raised the minimum income tax threshold for families of four making less than $200,000 a year from $4,600 to $12,600. That compromise was amended by Democrats to form the plan now before the Senate. The compromise plan would have cost about $133 million, and Democrats argued that it would have taken too much money from education.

Emerson did not say how the tax plan would have changed with the additional $60 million available, or whether the governor would sign the amended plan.

“(The governor) says the plan has a lot of merit,” Emerson said. “He’s said all along since he ran for governor that we need to increase the threshold. He’s going to work to try to expand it to get the benefit.”

http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/news/1143628662184120.xml&coll=2 – Senate committee passes bill to add “unborn persons” to those who can be victims of assault, murder, etc.

http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/news/1143627869184120.xml&coll=2 – Immigrant advocates rally in Birmingham for reform.

http://www.al.com/opinion/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/opinion/1143627929184120.xml&coll=2 - Editorial on Roy Moore’s opposition to proposal to register farm animals.

http://www.al.com/news/mobileregister/index.ssf?/base/news/1143627729184100.xml&coll=3 – Senate slows action yesterday to avoid eminent domain measure, today likely last day bill could move.

http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060329/NEWS02/603290330/1009 - Deadly force measure gains House approval, now to Governor for signature.

http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060328/APN/603280974 - Parker aide announces campaign for Supreme Court seat, will focus on incumbent’s decision to remove Roy Moore from Chief Justice position.

http://www.decaturdaily.com/decaturdaily/news/060329/labor.shtml - Business, labor agree to increase in unemployment benefits.

FROM TODAY’S ANNISTON STAR:

EDITORIALS

Searching for voters

In our opinion
03-29-2006

So far this campaign season has generated about as much interest as a good grass-growing contest. With the primaries a little over two months away, most of the candidates are yet to find that elusive issue that will excite the public.

Conventional wisdom says that gubernatorial candidate Lucy Baxley, who is currently lieutenant governor, will wait until the legislative session is over so she can point to what she has done and what Republicans kept her from doing, then use that to focus the spotlight on her campaign. However, this has been a session with more consensus than controversy, which does not give Baxley much to work with.

This also leaves Baxley’s Democratic opponent with little to say about the lieutenant governor, but in a campaign where his own conduct will sooner or later be an issue, former governor Don Siegelman has other fish to fry. Faced with well-publicized legal troubles, he is doing all he can to blame his problems on the man he hopes to be running against in the fall.

But Siegelman’s assertion that the criminal charges he faces were brought by the "wife of Bob Riley’s campaign manager" simply does not hold water. True, U. S. Attorney Leura Garrett Canary is the wife of prominent Republican Bill Canary, but Mrs. Canary withdrew from the case nearly four years ago, and though Mr. Canary is a close friend of the governor, he is has no official role in the Riley campaign.

You can always tell that an assertion is falling flat when the person doing the asserting says that the charge is "technically correct" — which is what the Siegelman campaign is doing here. It would be better for us all if candidates would just stick with the "correct" and avoid the technicalities.

Meanwhile, defrocked chief justice Roy Moore, unable to generate much excitement with his high-minded refusal to accept PAC money (has any been offered?), drifted off into conspiracy theories when he wondered at the "strange coincidence" that mad cow disease was discovered in the state just when legislators were considering setting up an animal-identification system. (Did he also notice that Alabama debated making the peach our state fruit just when Georgia was getting a new auto plant and we weren’t?).

Maybe Moore is trying to patch up things with anti-identification small farmers whom the candidate said last week were not capable of casting an intelligent ballot on the issue of constitutional reform. Or maybe he is just exhibiting signs of another malady — hoof-in-mouth disease.

Perhaps we need a politician-tracking system.

As for Riley …

In our opinion
03-29-2006

Running well ahead in the polls, with the economy booming and unemployment lower than it has been in years, the governor has been able to relax a bit, visit troops in the field and do little things that will remind his core supporters that he is the man who can bring their enemies to bay.

Now, Republicans would like to defeat Don Siegelman and Lucy Baxley. But what they really want is a candidate who can clip the wings of the most powerful Democrat in Montgomery — Paul Hubbert, head of the Alabama Education Association.

For years, the GOP has demonized Hubbert, pointed to him as the roadblock standing in the way of all their party wants to do. In the process, Republicans have made the teacher lobbyist an issue in every campaign they wage. (Strangely, the Democrats have not been able to do the same with ALFA, which has stymied so many of that party’s plans. Could campaign contributions have anything to do with this?)

So it follows that if a candidate wants to win the GOP nomination, that candidate has to convince Republican voters that he or she is the one to take on Hubbert.

Which is what Riley is doing.

Out on the campaign trail, the governor seldom mentions Roy Moore ("my opponent" he calls him). Instead, he castigates Hubbert. And the Republican faithful love it.

Meanwhile, the head of AEA goes about his business. Over the years, he has been attacked by the leaders of both parties — Wallace, James, Folsom and now Riley. He’s the perfect enemy, one a candidate can go after but really can’t do anything about.

Hubbert might be the key to Riley’s renomination, and maybe even his re-election.

http://www.al.com/opinion/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/opinion/1143540993107710.xml&coll=2 – Editorial on Roy Moore’s recent comments that the voters of Alabama are incapable of voting for a new constitution.

http://www.al.com/news/huntsvilletimes/index.ssf?/base/news/1143540965107700.xml&coll=1 – Alabama ministers join demonstrations against bill to tighten restrictions on support to undocumented immigrants, encounter with Sen. Sessions makes news.

http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060328/NEWS02/603280338/1009 - House expected to take up deadly force bill, Senate to consider eminent domain in today’s activities.

http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060328/NEWS02/603280336/1009 - Senator calls for review of financial practices of Department of Corrections.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AL_MAD_COW_ALOL-?SITE=ALMON&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT – Moore continues questions about proposed animal registration, draws ire of state Commission of Agriculture, others.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AL_BRF_UNEMPLOYMENT_ALA_ALOL-?SITE=ALMON&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT – State’s unemployment rate drops in February.

http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060328/NEWS/603280330/1012/editorial1 - Editorial criticizes proposed general fund budget’s allocation of funds to Department of Corrections as inadequate.

http://www.decaturdaily.com/decaturdaily/news/060328/fund.shtml - Knight says General Fund will be on House floor for debate on Thursday.

FROM THE DAILY MOUNTAIN EAGLE:

Guin: Legislative session may end 1-2 days early

ED HOWELL
The Daily Mountain Eagle
Published March 27, 2006 9:52 PM CST

House Majority Leader Ken Guin, D-Carbon Hill, feels good about the remainder of the regular session, adding Monday that the Legislature may take off a day or two early as a result.

"I think if everything goes well, we’ll be at least one day early, and hopefully a couple of days early," he said. "In the 12 years I’ve been here, we’ve only been early one time."

Guin, who is up for re-election this year, said with seven maximum days to work with, the session will hold three days this week and next week, take off 10 days to allow legislators to override any veto when they come back, and then hold a final day.

A resolution has already been passed to attempt trimming what would have been an eighth day, he said.

If legislators pass any bill on the last day, the governor has 10 days to sign the bill. If he doesn’t take any action on any bill passed on the last day, the bill is pocket vetoed after 10 days and does not go into law.

As for the House Rules Committee, Guin, who chairs the committee, said he usually carries over bills to the next day if they are not handled on the calendar as scheduled. With little time left, instead he is going to give each member of the Rules Committee one pick each day among the bills to put on the calendar. That will give more legislators a voice in deciding what comes up, he said.

Guin said he is hopeful of passing a number of bills with the time left, including one to keep career development centers throughout the state if some problems are worked out in the bill. The bill is on the calendar for Wednesday.

"This is a very important bill. These centers are very important to our area," Guin said.

A bill that would expand protections for self-defense for homeowners and which has garnered some publicity this year is another he hopes to pass. The House will take up the Senate version of the bill, he said.

"The General Fund is really looking pretty good," he said, adding the bill has been sent from the Senate to the House for approval.

Guin said he hoped to restore funding for child development centers that help at-risk children, as those centers received a substantial cut a few years ago. He also wants $4 million for mine inspections and mine safety.

"Overall, I think the General Fund looks good. We’ve still got a lot of agencies that are lean and need improvements," he said.

However, he said funding will be made in the budget for trooper raises already passed separately by the Legislature and he is confident state employees will have "a modest raise" passed.

Guin did not hold much hope for bills in both houses that could ban the use of certain types of boats on Smith Lake, as well as 10 other man-made lakes in Alabama. It would regulate the use of houseboats, vessels of large sizes and vessels with certain speed ratings on specified Alabama lakes that do not have locks available for river navigation. Existing law does not limit the type or size of vessels or the speed rating of vessels that may be used in Alabama lakes.

Criticism has grown around the state, and Guin said he has received negative calls about the bills.

"People have become unglued," he said. "In the calls I’ve received, no one has called with a boat that size, but they want to someday," said Guin, adding with a laugh he tended to sympathize as he’d like some boats that size, too, one day.

He said a bill that would add more controls on vicious dogs is "a bill that may need a little work," he said, adding he will be looking at that bill this week to see if it should be put on the calendar soon.

"There is clearly a need for some regulation of vicious attack dogs," he said, adding that there have been reports of attacks. "But there has to be a balance with preserving rights to protect property. We’re looking at this bill real carefully."

State Sen. Curt Lee, R-Jasper, could not be reached for comment Monday afternoon.

http://www.al.com/news/mobileregister/index.ssf?/base/news/1143454765110060.xml&coll=3 – “The Political Skinny,” the Mobile Register’s weekly political roundup from Mobile, Montgomery and Washington.

http://www.al.com/news/huntsvilletimes/index.ssf?/base/news/1143454548110080.xml&coll=1 – GBM representative answers questions related to constitutional reform.

http://www.dothaneagle.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=DEA%2FMGArticle%2FDEA_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1137834959724&path=!frontpage – Siegelman says that Riley is a “do nothing governor.”

http://www.timesdaily.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060325/NEWS/603250307/1015/OPINIONS01 - Editorial on recent report that reveals that Alabama continues to lag nation in prenatal health care.