Alabama Politics in
Doc’s Political Parlor
& Home of Lawn Mower Repair

March 31, 2007

Saturday 3/31/2007 DAILY NEWS DIGEST

Filed under: Daily News — G @ 7:06 am

Daily Home - St. Clair, Talladega lawmakers review past legislative week for local paper.

Decatur Daily - Presidential hopeful Giuliani plans fund raising trip to Montgomery next month.

Gadsden Times - Gadsden couple say they won’t appeal dismissal of case attempting to void election of Sen. Larry Means (D-Attala).

Associated Press - Divided State Supreme Court upholds death sentence.

Anniston Star - The Anniston Star comments on the impact of this weeks N.Y. Times‘ article about Alabama’s lack of adequate counsel for death-row inmates.

Tuscaloosa News - Siegelman asks supporters to send messages detailing his good deeds to sentencing judge in corruption case.

Tuscaloosa News - State’s unemployment rate holds steady at 3.3%.

(more…)

March 30, 2007

Ghosts in the Machine

Filed under: Housekeeping — Danny @ 1:20 pm

Lost posts today (including the Daily News Digest) and lost comments from readers… I know that it is a problem.

My experience with the webhosting company has been positive enough to this point that I am hopeful they will be able to get us through this frustration, recover what is lost, and work everything out as they upgrade servers.

I will re-post the Daily News Digest immediately below this.

Friday 3/30/2007 DAILY NEWS DIGEST

Filed under: Daily News — G @ 5:09 am

Birmingham News - Continuing corruption of community college system points to Shelton State president.

Birmingham News - Riley, state board of education members expected to propose actions to limit number of legislators working in community college system.

Birmingham News - Slowdown halts work in Senate.

Birmingham News - The Birmingham News comments on expected 8600 Alabamians expected to lose Medicaid benefits April 1st for failing to provide proof of identify and citizenship.

Huntsville Times - Knight introduces tax fairness plan, proposes to remove state sales tax from food, increase threshold.

Daily Home - The Daily Home says report comparing Alabama’s income tax with other states reveals further evidence of need to decrease tax burden on poor.

Decatur Daily - Bill introduced that would require elected officials, spouses to report other state jobs.

Decatur Daily - Judge dismisses suit challenging election of Sen. Larry Means (D-Gadsden).

Montgomery Advertiser - Former chief justice joins Birmingham law firm.

Montgomery Advertiser - The Montgomery Advertiser urges lawmakers to approve measure that would end legislative immunity.

Anniston Star - The Anniston Star urges Senate to approve measure requiring disclosure of campaign advertising financing.

March 29, 2007

Political Parlor’s Servers in Slowdown Also

Filed under: Housekeeping — Danny @ 3:15 pm

The Senate has slowed down and the servers hosting the Political Parlor seem to be matching it step for step. Filibusters may have their place, but I don’t want to experience one from a web page trying to load. I haven’t seen Doc this hopping mad since he ran over a dirt dauber’s nest with the tractor mower.

Turns out that our hosting company is upgrading servers which should be much better in the long run, but it is causing some frustrating hiccups in service today. The host company believes that by tomorrow, the site’s behavior will be back to normal (or better!).

Thank you for bearing with us. And watch out for dirt daubers.

AL-2 Rumors and Facts

Filed under: AL and DC — Danny @ 8:01 am
U.S. Rep. Terry Everett
U.S. Rep.
Terry Everett

Alabama’s second U.S. House District looks like the only Alabama Congressional seat that may have much drama to it in 2008 (though, to be fair, there are some who believe Democratic Agricultural Commissioner Ron Sparks could mount a challenge to incumbent GOP Senator Jeff Sessions in ‘08).

The unknown about AL-2 is whether seven-term, Republican incumbent Terry Everett will run for re-election.

The circulating rumor that I have heard from disparate sources is that ambitious state Representative Jay Love (R - Montgomery) plans to run for the seat in ‘08 whether or not Everett retires. Politicos on both sides of the aisle believe Love to be a strong contender for the seat after Everett bows out. The idea is that if the 70 year-old Everett is undecided about whether to run again, then the rumor of a challenge from Love may nudge him off the fence toward retirement.

However, a source in the know tells me that while Love “would almost certainly run for the seat if Everett were to retire,” there is no chance that Love will run against Everett. The source believes that the rumor was started to raise the incumbent Everett’s anger against Love. And, “as far as Everett goes, I believe he is going to run again, but I don’t think you or I will know for sure until the last day of qualifying.”

Who are other candidates for Everett’s seat when he retires? Sources speculate that besides Jay Love, GOP candidates might include state Rep. Greg Wren (Montgomery), state Rep. Steve Clouse (Ozark) and state Sen. Larry Dixon (Montgomery) who lost the GOP nomination to Everett in 1992. State Sen. Harri Anne Smith (Slocomb) is often mentioned in any discussion for the seat, but I hear that she has “no interest” in going to DC. A source adds, “All of these exclude any potential statewide people who might already live in that area like State Auditor Sam Shaw, State Treasurer Kay Ivey, and Public Service Commission President Jim Sullivan.”

One observer believes “the most likely scenario on the GOP side might be a Montgomery candidate vs a Wiregrass candidate in a runoff.”

On the Democratic side, Montgomery Mayor Bobby Bright was most often mentioned as a potential candidate. One source believed that Bright might run in ‘08 even if Everett does not retire. State Rep. Terry Spicer (Elba) could be a candidate, and state Sen. Jimmy Holley (Elba) should not be ruled out.

Related Articles:

Kudos to Sens. Byrne, Dixon, and Erwin

Filed under: AL Senate, AL House, AL Issues — Danny @ 7:43 am

Kudos to three GOP state senators who have taken a principled stance that would have given many of us pause.

Three state senators have refused their annual $18,840 expense allowance increase that House and Senate members voted themselves last week.

Sens. Bradley Byrne, R-Montrose, Larry Dixon, R-Montgomery, and Hank Erwin, R-Montevallo, said Tuesday they refused the pay raise and instructed the Senate paymaster to delete the raise from their monthly checks.

Erwin was adamantly opposed to the pay raise and even told the protestors in front of the Statehouse, “I will not take the pay raise today, tomorrow, or forever.” (He also said on the Senate floor that he would not accept the pay raise.)

Byrne and Dixon were adamantly opposed, though I can find no record of them saying that they would not accept the pay raise if it passed.

Still, these three stood on principle. They acted on their convictions that the pay raise was unreasonable by returning the taxpayers’ money back to the “cash-strapped General Fund.”

Hats off to these three.

An extra $1500 per month is not chump change, and walking away from it is no small act in my book.

Then there are legislators like Sen. Arthur Orr (R - Decatur) and Rep. Mike Hubbard (R-Auburn) who are opposed to the pay raise and have said they will not keep the pay raise, but they have not filled out the available form to refuse all or part of the increase. Instead, they have said they are going to give the money to charities. Sen. Jabo Waggoner (R - Birmingham) is also on record as saying he will give a “good portion to charity.”

If they feel that the raise is unmerited and that they cannot accept it, shouldn’t they acknowledge that this is money from Alabama taxpayers and return it to the “cash-strapped General Fund?” I respect their stances that the pay raise is unreasonable, but should Alabama taxpayers be footing the bill to support charities of these legislators’ choosing?

If they want to stand on principle that this pay raise is undeserved and that they will not accept it, their stance would have more meaning if they filled out the form to leave Alabama taxpayers’ money in the “cash-strapped General Fund.” An extra benefit for these gentlemen is that it would leave no room for anyone to doubt the veracity of their claims that they are not accepting the pay raise.

Again, hats off to Byrne, Dixon, and Erwin.

Edited for clarity, 10:32 a.m.

Related Articles:

Sparks May Decide in “Weeks or Months”

Filed under: AL and DC — Danny @ 7:31 am

Yep, Democratic Ag Commissioner Ron Sparks is considering a challenge to GOP incumbent Sen. Jeff Sessions in 2008.

Sparks said he would discuss the possibility of a Senate run with his advisors and hopes to make a decision in a “few weeks or months.”

Related Articles:

Thursday 3/29/2007 DAILY NEWS DIGEST

Filed under: Daily News — G @ 4:45 am

Birmingham News - Legislators considering size of bond issue for schools’ capital needs, split between higher ed and k-12.

Press-Register - House committee adopts bill to keep presidential primary on February 5th, but allows Mobile and Baldwin counties to conduct early voting so as not to interfere with Mardi Gras.

Press-Register - Press-Register calls for legislature to enact Riley’s proposed tax cut plan.

Huntsville Times - Medicaid commissioner tells budget committee that advocating for program expansion “not my job.”

Huntsville Times - The Huntsville Times comments on reports that Rep. Ken Guin (D-Carbon Hill) is earning $150,000 from state sources reveals a need for constitutional reform to prevent such “double-dipping.”

Tuscaloosa News - Riley expects proposal to prohibit legislators from working in community college system to be filed this week.

Tuscaloosa News - Hundreds of adults with disabilities lobby legislators to end waiting list for services.

Tuscaloosa News - State’s schools using over 1300 portable classrooms.

Tuscaloosa News - The Tuscaloosa News urges Senate to move quickly to enact House-approved ban on pass-through appropriations.

Anniston Star - The Anniston Star states that the Alabama does not have “an illegal immigrant problem” and urges legislators to put package of bills aimed at nondocumented immigrants “on a back burner.”

Times Daily - The Times Daily calls for state to take action to decrease income tax liability for low-income families.

Times-Journal - Barron urges reform of payday loan industry, says placing transactions under Small Loan Act is not the answer.

March 28, 2007

Change of Pace, Change of Perception…

Filed under: Legislative Dispatch — Rep. Cam Ward @ 10:05 pm

During my first four years in Montgomery there was always a commonly held belief that it didn’t really matter what happened in the House of Representatives to most insiders because of the different volume of bills passed as opposed to the Senate. The House has always worked at a break neck pace to pass a lot of bills. Sometimes as many as 25 a day. It was always felt that it did not matter what the House did because the Senate would kill almost any legislation passed by the House due to some procedural debate going on in the Senate. Usually the Senate debate would delay the work of the Senate long enough to prevent very few bills from becoming law in either chamber. This is not really pointing fingers at one side or the other in the State Senate feuds, it is just the nature of the upper chamber and their workings.

Something began to change in this perception over the last couple of years. While the Senate continued to have some issues that slowed their progress the House also began to slow in the number of bills they passed also. What used to be a calendar of 25 bills a day considered by the House has now trickled down to only five or six bills a day. I have discussed the good and bad of this slower process before but what is interesting is the perception created by this slow down. Suddenly there is a bottle neck created by the limited amount of legislation passing. I mean there are roughly 1,600 bills introduced each session and if only 5 bills a day pass over a 30 legislative day session….. well the math shows how little will get passed compared to how much is being pushed. This has led to different strategies for groups or organizations looking to pass bills in the legislature. What used to be a guaranteed success in passing a bill through the House is no longer the case.. This has caused a lot of groups and legislators as well to scale back on their legislative agendas and also focus really hard on passing these few bills at the top of their list.

What does this mean for the legislative process? I am not really sure but as someone who really enjoys keeping up with the process and procedures of the legislature I think the long term impact could be worth watching.

Of course as with everything else in the Alabama Legislature, anything and everything could change tomorrow!

Cramer Most Powerful Alabama Representative

Filed under: National Politics, AL and DC — Danny @ 8:17 am

A reader has pointed me to Congress.org that ranks all members of Congress according to a “Power Ranking” (their criteria are found here).

The recent November flip in both Washington houses has helped make Alabama’s only two Democratic representatives, Bud Cramer and Artur Davis, the top-ranked Alabama representatives on the list from Congress.org. Republicans Spencer Bachus and Terry Everett are third and fourth respectively. Jo Bonner, Mike Rogers, and Robert Aderholt round out the list and are virtually tied.

Republican Senators Richard Shelby and Jeff Sessions are ranked 54th and 68th among the Senators.

House Bill Bans “Pass Through Pork”

Filed under: AL House, AL Issues — Danny @ 7:47 am

For the fourth year, the House has passed a bill banning “pass through pork.” This was one of the reforms touted in the Governor’s 2003 failed Amendment One tax reform campaign. The practice involves a legislator securing funds for an agency that are actually spent in a manner directed by the legislator, i.e. the funds only “pass through” the agency.

The bill also would create a legislative commission to review funds spent by the governor.

The bill, which now goes to the Senate, would require the governor to give the commission five days notice before he transferred funds appropriated for one program to another.

Some Republicans did not like the creation of the legislative commission added to the bill, though the bill passed unanimously, 103-0. (When the reform train pulls out, you want to be on board.) However, House Minority Leader Mike Hubbard (R - Auburn) seemed to agree that the bill was about accountability and transparency:

“I understand trying to stop people from hiding where money is going. That’s not right,” Hubbard said. “It ought to be where we can look at the budget and say this amount of money appropriated to wherever and know full well that money was spent there.”

FWIW, here is a Press-Register article from November on the Lt. Governor’s race that tells of Luther Strange and Jim Folsom’s support for banning “pass through pork.”

Wednesday 3/28/2007 DAILY NEWS DIGEST

Filed under: Daily News — G @ 5:35 am

Senate Sketches - This week’s “Senate Sketches,” Sen. Hank Sanders’  (D-Selma) weekly column for his constituents, focuses on the legislative appropriation  to rebuild Enterprise schools.

Birmingham News - Report reveals that Alabama tax burden for low income families  lightens; state moves up from highest to second place in ranking of states taxing low-income families.

Birmingham News - 8600 in state to lose Medicaid benefits on Sunday for failing to provide proof of identity and citizenship.

Birmingham News - Lawmakers give final approval of $32 million from ETF to assist efforts to rebuild Enterprise schools.

Birmingham News - The Birmingham News calls for the legislature to adopt formula for state assistance to destroyed or damaged schools to avoid controversy similar to that surrounding appropriation for Enterprise schools.

Tuscaloosa News - House passes measure to ban “pass through” pork from state budgets, bill now goes to Senate.

Tuscaloosa News - Cheney plans trip to Alabama for Sessions’  reelection campaign stop.

Decatur Daily - The Decatur Daily sees proposal by Attorney General to require sentences of 2-20 years for fleeing police as one that “panders to voters’ emotions.”

Gadsden Times - Three senators refuse to accept pay raise.

Gadsden Times - The Gadsden Times endorses package of crime bills pushed by Attorney General, urges legislature’s approval.

Montgomery Advertiser - The Montgomery Advertiser calls for legislature, governor to work together to push further tax breaks for low-income families.

March 27, 2007

Two Competing Minimum Wage Bills

Filed under: AL House, AL Issues — Danny @ 2:33 pm

Dollar SignRep. Patricia Todd (D - Birmingham) has sponsored HB331, a bill to raise the minimum wage in Alabama from $5.15 to $7.25 over two years. (The Decatur Daily appears to have misread the bill and mistakenly said that this bill would require a constitutional amendment.)

Rep. Jack Williams (R - Birmingham) is sponsoring HB322, a bill that would prohibit the legislature and any local government from raising the minimum wage above the federal minimum of $5.15, which hasn’t changed since 1997.

I have a friend who would say of Rep. Williams’ bill, “that’s one of those real good ideas that just don’t make no sense.”

First, he wants to make it “illegal” for the legislature to raise the minimum wage above that set by Congress? I do not understand the sense of that. If a majority of the state legislature wants to raise the minimum wage, they will repeal Williams’ law. All that is needed for the legislature to raise the minimum wage, with or without Rep. Williams’ law, is a majority in each house.

Second, I’m surprised that he would want to give authority to Washington over Alabama matters. This, because of something that “almost” happened in Illinois. (Williams heard “reports about a minimum-wage hike that almost stopped a Wal-Mart project near Chicago.”)

Third, in …say… six years, if a local government wants to consider raising its minimum wage because it may be in its community’s best interests, who would be in the best position to know if the idea is in the local community’s best interests? The legislature from six years prior? Or the local community at the time?

Related Articles:

Guin, Two-Year Colleges, and the Smell Test

Filed under: AL House, AL Issues — Danny @ 12:43 pm

Ken GuinNo one is accusing Democratic House Majority Leader Ken Guin of breaking the law, but his cozy relationships with Shelton State Community College and Bevill State Community College aren’t passing the smell test for reasons already covered elsewhere. (Three part-time jobs, including state Representative, at around $50,000 each is good work if you can get it.)

We hear there is more to be uncovered in the symbiotic and unhealthy relationships between legislators and the two-year community college system. I had hoped that Tom Corts (as interim Chancellor of the two-year system) was going to be able to right the ship. For example, he sent the investigating team to Shelton State that gave us this report, “College personnel interviewed by the committee indicate that this person [Ken Guin] has no office on campus, does not regularly appear at the campus and is of limited service to the college.” Ultimately, the task may have been too frustrating for Corts.

Corts’ suggestion that the two year system may need its own Board to receive proper oversight was not well-received. Now that Corts is out amidst complaints about his leadership from the state Board of Education, the state Board will no doubt be feeling increasing pressure “to drain the swamp that is Alabama’s Department of Postsecondary Education.”

Taxpaxers and voters, you and I, deserve better.

Bills for the Week…

Filed under: Legislative Dispatch — Rep. Cam Ward @ 7:40 am

I have a couple of bills that will be coming up this week in the House and while these issues will not set blog world on fire they do make a difference in the criminal justice world.

** Confession- I am one of those horrible, lowlifes in our society commonly referred to as an attorney so I often bring a number of these bills that I think will improve the criminal justice process.

The first bill is HB 391 which changes the way testimony can be taken from an underage child who is the victim of violent crime or other form of abuse. Currently under the law a judge can take testimony from a child in the judge’s chambers as long as the person accused of committing the crime is seated the room with the child. Now you can imagine what that does to a child’s psychology and how it would be to get the truth behind what really happened in the case. This bill will do what several states across the country have already done and that is allow for closed circuit testimony where the child testifies in a separate room and the defense attorney and prosecuting attorney can both ask questions without the accused being present.

The second bill is HB 424 which is commonly referred to as the “Notoriety” bill. Currently in Alabama there have been several cases of someone being in prison for a shocking crime of rape, murder, child exploitation or sometimes all three and the convicted felon decides to make money off of his crime. The felon makes their money by selling art of the crime committed, stories of how they committed the act, and even re-enacted poems of these horrible crimes. Believe it or not, are you ready for this, people have bought these items online sometimes for thousands of dollars. Under Alabama law this is perfectly legal. This bill would bar this from ever happening again.

Now I know the reactions to some of these bills are “well this is just feel good stuff.” I often hear from people who say that “you should be writing a new constitution or something big and bold.” While all of this may be true it is also a fact that there are many issues big and small in our state that must be addressed even if they do not produce the kind of grand legislative debate that people want to see. Sometimes the legislature just a responsibility to enact laws that tweak the system here and there but make a big difference in the lives of a whole lot of people.

Tuesday 3/27/2007 DAILY NEWS DIGEST

Filed under: Daily News — G @ 5:15 am

Birmingham News - Senate expected to take up appropriation to rebuild Enterprise schools today.

Birmingham News - The Birmingham News reviews the multiple state jobs of House Majority Leader Ken Guin (D-Carbon Hill), and finds that his “hands are full -  but with more money than work.”

Tuscaloosa News - Riley visits classroom in bid to improve state funding for advanced placement classes.

Tuscaloosa News - The Tuscaloosa News says that House Majority Leader’s situation is an example why state lawmakers should not be allowed to work for community colleges.

Decatur Daily - Legislators introduce opposing minimum wage legislation.

Gadsden Times - The Gadsden Times finds merit in Governor’s proposal to pay bonuses to teachers for exemplary performance.

Montgomery Advertiser - The Montgomery Advertiser calls for ADEM to implement EPA recommendations for reducing allowable amounts of cancer-causing pollutants.

(more…)

March 26, 2007

Sparks to Challenge Sen. Sessions?

Filed under: Campaign & Election, AL and DC — Danny @ 1:17 pm

Ron SparksSwing State Project has identified Democratic Agricultural Commissioner Ron Sparks as a potential challenger for Republican Senator Jeff Sessions in 2008. On one hand, Sparks has pulled in a lot of votes, has been largely effective, and will be unable to run again because of term limits. On the other, well… he’d be up against an incumbent Republican senator in Alabama.

It’s a tall order. Regular readers of the blog knew some time ago (from our Alabama Line) that at this distant date, Ron Sparks was believed to have better odds than any other Democrat to claim the seat - though still long odds.

Still, if you want to see lefties talking about a possible upset of Republican Jeff Sessions in 2008, however remote the chances, you should head over to Daily Kos where they are talking about Sparks for Senate.

Dispatches from the Legislature

Filed under: Housekeeping — Danny @ 7:59 am

In the Political Parlor’s Posts from the Legislature, Representatives Randy Hinshaw and Cam Ward are talking filibuster.

Monday 3/26/2007 DAILY NEWS DIGEST

Filed under: Daily News — G @ 4:10 am

Daily Home - The Daily Home endorses proposal that would allow Medicaid recipients eligible for nursing home placements to choose home and community based services.

Press-Register - “The Political Skinny,” the  Press-Register’s weekly political roundup from Mobile, Montgomery and Washington.

Birmingham News - Data shows very few carpooling as Birmingham region considers development of HOV lanes to reduce traffic congestion.

Gadsden Times - Governor says he proposed a smaller graduated pay raise proposal for state legislators.

Associated Press - Counties in which state prisons are located say that the community notification requirements for sexual offenders places an undue burden.

Montgomery Advertiser - The Montgomery Advertiser  endorses proposal by Rep. Mac Gipson (R-Prattville) that would strengthen authority of Ethics Commission, reducing unreported spending by lobbyists.

Tuscaloosa News - The Tuscaloosa News sees quick passage of NRA-backed proposal by feuding state senate reflects the power of special interest groups.  

March 25, 2007

It Depends on Who is Talking…

Filed under: Legislative Dispatch — Rep. Cam Ward @ 7:05 pm

One of the things I like the most about this blog is that it offers a great opportunity to see into the internal debates of the legislature. While it is somewhat amusing to watch the spin doctors, consultants and party officials from both sides of the aisle talk about who is and is not winning the political debate, this blog offers us the chance at a real discussion.

My good friend Rep. Randy Hinshaw posted a good blog about the current slow down in the House of Representatives. I tend to sponsor a lot of bills so I typically do not like it when the process runs slowly. As I have gotten older (I did turn 36 this weekend but feel like I am 56 because of the legislature) I have come to realize that closely examining the legislation being debated is important and critical to enacting good laws. Of course in all honesty it depends on who is talking when it comes to the terms “good laws” and “filibuster.” When a bill I support is being debated to death it MUST BE a filibuster, but when there is a bill I hate it HAS TO BE just well thought out debate. ** Confession- I have been on both sides of this argument and it is not fun when it is your bill being talked to death.

All this being said I have watched for two weeks as bills slowly made their way through the legislative process. In fact one of the first bills this session was brought forward by Rep. Paul DeMarco (R) of Birmingham. It took nearly four hours to move this bill off of the floor of the House. Why? Because of —– here it comes— a filibuster led by Rep. John Rogers (D) of Birmingham. Why did he filibuster a bill that was requiring mandatory ethics training for legislators? I quote Rep. Rogers- “Mr. DeMarco I will filibuster this bill because you filibustered one of my bills last year, so it is pay back time.”

This has gone on between both parties back and forth this session. While I do not think it will last all session I do not mind being deliberative and slow as we examine legislation. How many times have we read the newspaper and read the quote “I didn’t even know what was in that bill?”

The points are simple. First being slow and deliberative is not such a bad thing. Better to be thorough than make bad laws. Second, BOTH SIDES engage in slow down tactics but it depends on who is talking as to who is called an obstructionist and who is called deliberative.

Sunday 3/25/2007 DAILY NEWS DIGEST

Filed under: Daily News — G @ 5:20 am

Birmingham News - Investigative report details contracts with House Majority Leader Ken Guin (D-Carbon Hill) and two community colleges.

Birmingham News - Advocates push bill to allow midwife assisted births outside of a hospital.

Birmingham News - The Birmingham News see Rep. McLaughlin’s bill to ban PAC-to-PC transfers as not “perfect, but the best we’re likely to get.”

Birmingham News - The Birmingham News calls for the legislature to enact committee-approved measure that would end judicial override of jurys’ recommendations in capital penalty cases.

Birmingham News - Robin DeMonia offers commentary on the one issue that seems to bring feuding senators to an agreement

Huntsville Times - Commentary by Gary Palmer of the Alabama Policy Institute argues that legislative pay raise vote “illustrates much of what is wrong with the Legislature.”

Decatur Daily - Experts say Alabama voters likely to forget legislative  pay hike controversy by next election.

Decatur Daily - M.J. Ellington’s summary of the legislative week for the readers of The Decatur Daily.

Montgomery Advertiser - GOP senators who broke party ranks and voted to override pay raise veto say they did so out of concern that the rising cost of serving in public service would keep out the middle class.

Montgomery Advertiser - The Montgomery Advertiser calls for the legislature to move swiftly to give approval of funds to rebuild Enterprise schools.

Anniston Star - The Anniston Star reflects on legislative efforts to ban Darwin, include the Bible in school curriculum; suggests that inclusion of the 1901 Alabama Constitution in a course on the Bible and Darwinism would reflect the efforts of the rich to ensure survival of the fittest, and the scores of Biblical tenets violated by the document.

Tuscaloosa News - “Alabama Exposure, ” Dana Beyerle’s weekly political roundup for the NY Times regional papers.

Times Daily - The Times Daily urges ADEM to adopt new, stiffer EPA guidelines limiting pollutants in state’s waterways.

(more…)

March 24, 2007

An odd strategy

Filed under: Legislative Dispatch — Rep. Randy Hinshaw @ 7:00 pm

Filibusters have been used since the beginning of the republic. I have been involved on both sides of a filibuster.

I have filibustered bills that I opposed. Just three years ago, I was filibustered for 3 weeks on the bill (Disclosure Bill) that I just passed on Thursday by a vote count of 105-0. This does not take into account the 3 week filibuster of the same bill by the Senate 2 years ago. All told, I spent six weeks of my legislative life being filibustered on the Disclosure Bill. So, I am extraordinarily grateful that it finally passed this year in the House. A unanimous vote on any legislation is rare in the House.

There is nothing innately wrong with a filibuster; I think it’s just another use of the rules. I was only subjected to a “slowdown” this year when it came to the Disclosure Bill. A slowdown apparently differs from a filibuster, in that you are not opposing a bill, but protesting an action.

In the beginning of this legislative session, it seems that my Republican friends are slowing down the House due to the make up of House Committees or so I’m told.

After the elections, the Speaker of the House, on behalf of the majority, reduced the number of Republicans on three (3) committees. This was done through rules adopted by the majority during the organizational session. It was, in my opinion, a light slap on the wrist for some very vicious campaign tactics employed by the past, as well as the present, Chairman of the Republican Party. We had elections. They were tough. The winners, the Democratic majority, adopted rules favorable to the majority. I would assume had my friends on the other side won that they would have rewritten the rules to their advantage. It is the political process. However, there are consequences of slowdowns or filibusters. While a slowdown allows us to read more bills, more thoroughly, a consequence of this is that good legislation can be lost. It’s the funnel effect. As the legislative days dwindle and more time is spent “killing” legislative days, less time will be available to consider all bills.

A bill has to be read according to the Constitution three (3) times in the House: (1) Introduced, (2) Reported out of committee, and (3) Passed by the whole legislative body. The process is then repeated in the Senate, a deliberative body whose rules are designed to be slow.. This means a six (6) day minimum on passage of legislation. We can only meet to consider bills for 30 days, per the Constitution. The math speaks for itself. We have already spent 6 days in a slowdown. In the last few weeks of a session, there will be many “good” bills whose sponsors will be competing for a place on the calendar. A filibuster this long and this early has already sealed the fate of hundreds of bills.

How many of these sponsors of bills will people remember were also “the filibusterers” and thereby the killers of their own bills?

National Campaigns and the Web

Filed under: Campaign & Election, National Politics — Danny @ 8:33 am

For your weekend reading…

Hotline On Call has asked 22 of “the best Democratic Internet strategists” what they thought of the Democratic and Republican Presidential candidates’ Web sites.

A couple of weeks ago they asked the “24 of the best Republican Internet strategists” the same question.

Saturday 3/24/2007 DAILY NEWS DIGEST

Filed under: Daily News — G @ 5:35 am

Birmingham News - New poll shows Alabamians’ trust in military holds, but falters when considering other national institutions.

Daily Home - St. Clair, Talladega legislators offer opinions on the past legislative week.

Montgomery Advertiser - The Montgomery Advertiser urges legislature to approve measure that would prohibit young people from using cell phones while driving.

Dothan Eagle - FEMA offers clarification:  state appropriation to rebuild Enterprise schools won’t negatively impact FEMA’s  financial participation.

Tuscaloosa News - State Board of Education members questions new interim chancellor’s decision to retain personal defense attorney as investigation of community college system continues.

March 23, 2007

Pondering the Pay Raise

Filed under: AL Senate, AL House, AL Executive Branch — Danny @ 9:31 am

A commenter here raises a point…

If Alabama’s Governor is being paid 60.7% more now than in 1990, does a 62% raise for legislators in that time span (since 1991) feel so unmerited, relatively speaking? After all, 40% of the Alabama governors in that span became convicted lawbreakers.

Related Articles:

Bob Riley / Joe Reed Showdown

Filed under: Misc. AL Politics, AL Executive Branch — Danny @ 8:34 am

State Democratic Party heavyweight Joe Reed has received a letter from Republican Governor Bob Riley saying that Reed’s term on the Alabama State University Board of Trustees will end unexpectedly early. Democratic Governor Don Siegelman appointed Reed to a 12-year term to the Board in 1999, but Riley’s letter informs Reed that Reed’s term will expire next year instead of 2011.

From a release…

Reed says Board members do not serve at the pleasure of the current governor, they serve by law for fix terms. … “This governor cannot undo an appointment of a previous governor by shortening or extending the term,” said Reed.

Joe Reed’s release indicates that he is not going to slip away quietly. While both sides may be expected to dig in their heels, Reed may be especially motivated as he is on something of a losing streak in the public arena.

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New Dates for “It’s a Thick Book”

Filed under: AL Issues — Danny @ 7:43 am

“It’s a Thick Book,” the entertaining and informative documentary about our state’s 1901 Constitution continues to be shown around the state. (Yes, that’s right. It is entertaining.)

I continue to hear from people who are pleasantly surprised at how glad they are that they saw the documentary. (The only other bloggers that I know have seen it are Nick at the Alabama Poverty Project blog and Demopolite at Between the Links, both of whom recommend it.)

Dates have been added for shows in Birmingham (April 23 & May 22), Troy University in Dothan (2 showings on April 9), Livingston(March 29), Eutaw (March 30), and Selma (April 5).

Details on the shows and additional dates as they are available can be found here.

An online preview is here.

Here are pieces from The Huntsville Times, The Birmingham News, and The Anniston Star on the documentary.

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Friday 3/23/2007 DAILY NEWS DIGEST

Filed under: Daily News — G @ 5:35 am

Birmingham News - Current interim chancellor acknowledges that she has retained defense attorney in continuing federal probe of community college system.

Birmingham News - State Board reverses decision, releases $20 million in workforce development funds after Governor tells them that their actions are “an affront.”

Birmingham News - The Birmingham News urges legislators to enact merit pay system to reward state’s best teachers.

Birmingham News - The Birmingham News calls for legislation to open juvenile court proceedings.

Huntsville Times - House passes “electioneering communications” bill, Senate bogs down again.

Daily Home - The Daily Home praises Senate committee for approving measure to provide $32 million to rebuild Enterprise schools.

Decatur Daily - GOP senators block bill that would provide pension to former Republican governor.

Montgomery Advertiser - The Montgomery Advertiser praises bill by Sen.  Arthur Orr (R-Decatur) that would require candidates unopposed in elections to report all campaign contributions.

Anniston Star - The Anniston Star calls for “increased accountability and more openness” by legislators after override of pay raise veto.

Dothan Eagle - Legislative appropriate to rebuild Enterprise schools may mean no FEMA assistance.

Times Daily - The Times Daily blasts freshman legislators Rep. Mike Curtis (D-Greenhill) and Rep. Tammy Irons (D-Florence) for abstaining on vote to override veto of pay raise.

(more…)

March 22, 2007

Recent Legislative Dispatches

Filed under: AL House, Housekeeping — Danny @ 4:43 pm

In our Posts from the Legislature, Rep. Cam Ward comments on the slow start of the legislative session, and Rep. Randy Hinshaw recommends liberating the hops.

Payday Loans: Bad Bill, Good Bill

Filed under: AL Senate, AL Issues — Danny @ 3:50 pm

Payday Loan StoreIf you subscribe to the idea that payday loans are predatory and bad for consumers, there are two state Senate bills to watch.

FWIW, U.S. Congress recently passed legislation to cap rates of payday loans for military personnel at the urging of military leaders who said that military members who “accumulate heavy debts risk security clearances and can jeopardize their careers. In some cases, those with severe financial woes cannot be deployed to the world’s hot spots.”

And this week, Georgia’s House of Representatives narrowly “struck down a bill Tuesday which would have lifted a 2004 ban on payday lenders.” One observation made in the defeated effort to lift the Georgia ban was “the more liberal laws of [Georgia’s] bordering states.”

Lowell Barron, D-Fyffe, claimed to see the light last fall. The former President pro tem said then that he would get out of the payday loan business and propose reform for the industry this session.

Unfortunately, his bill SB 119 “clearly appears to be drafted by the payday loan industry” as it is almost identical to other “reforms” proposed by the industry around the nation. (A policy analyst confirmed for me comments that were left here at the Parlor.)

The real oversight would comes from SB 121 from Sen. Bradley Byrne, R - Fairhope. Byrne’s bill would repeal our statute regulating payday loans so that they would be regulated by the Small Loan Act.

Which bill will we get, Barron’s weaker SB119 or Byrne’s stronger SB121? Or will they both wither on the vine?

As I noted here before, Byrne’s bill has the support of Democratic Party Chair Joe Turnham and the Christian Coalition of Alabama.

A key question… if SB121 makes it out of Senate committee, will Lowell Barron as Rules Chair allow it on to the Senate floor? Or will he “pull a Preuitt” (in honor of last quadrennium’s Rules Chair Jim Preuitt, D-Talladega, who was known to keep bills off the Senate agenda for no expressed reason)?

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