Special Session Has Call Waiting

Editorials across the state are supportive of the news that last week Governor Riley called a special session (beginning this Monday) reportedly to deal with incentives to lure industries and jobs to Alabama and to “create irrevocable trusts to pay billions in health care costs for retired teachers and state workers.”

Special sessions may deal only with the agenda items specifically mentioned in the call. (Editor’s Note: Not exactly. See update below.) What specifically is in the Governor’s call? We don’t yet know for sure.

One lobbyist told me that the Governor’s Press Office told him this week, days after press reports about the special session being called, “that the call has not yet been issued, but would be at a ‘later date.’” While copies of proclamations for other special sessions have been available beforehand, the lobbyist could not get one at last check yesterday. Says he, “It does give the Governor lots of flexibility to slide issues other than those reported in the newspapers into the call at the last minute.”

For whatever reason, the details of the special session have been slow to come together. I have heard reports that many legislators learned of the upcoming special session from lobbyists and others who knew more about it than they did.

Update: Matters that are in the call for the special session require a simple majority in each chamber to pass. (Plus, there is no BIR.) Matters that are not in the call may be taken up but they require a 2/3 vote in each chamber to pass. Except, in either case, if we are talking about a constitutional amendment, which requires a 3/5 vote to pass.