Tuesday 3/27/2007 DAILY NEWS DIGEST

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.

FROM TODAY’S ANNISTON STAR:

Senate Democrats, Republicans not likely to compromise today

MONTGOMERY — The state Senate heads to work today with Democrats refusing to budge on rules and Republicans still threatening to filibuster the chamber’s work.

Senators said Monday they expect to pass an appropriations bill this week to help rebuild Enterprise High School in Coffee County. The school was destroyed by a tornado March 1.

After that, a filibuster is likely, although Senate Majority Leader Zeb Little, D-Cullman, criticized Republicans Monday for a “selective” filibuster, noting Republicans had passed a bill backed by the NRA on Thursday.

“They’ve already shown they’re going to cave into pressure when it starts,” Little said. “They couldn’t stand up to it last Thursday. It’s really a shame that it takes a bill backed by a special interest (for them) to back down.”

A slowdown extending to the Legislature’s April 16 spring break or beyond was possible.

“Sometime around spring break, I think we might be able to get some things (through),” said Senate President Pro Tempore Hinton Mitchem, D-Union Grove.

The 18 Democrats who won the Senate’s organizational battle in January — and put Mitchem in the Senate president pro tem position — put through a series of rules that limit debate on the state’s two budgets and reapportionment. Lengthy debate, or the threat of it, is one way for a minority in a parliamentary body to win concessions, and Republicans and five “dissident Democrats” who tend to side with the GOP have threatened a slowdown until the rules are changed.

“We do think there needs to be the opportunity to debate multibillion dollar budgets,” said Sen. Bradley Byrne, R-Fairhope.

There have been no negotiations between the sides. Republicans have given their requests to Mitchem, and Mitchem said he has met with those who presented the Rules in the chamber in January, but that nothing has been worked out. The members from both sides have not sat down to speak.

“I’m trying to mediate both sides, and I try to mediate both sides,” Mitchem said. “I know I was elected on an 18-17 vote, and that makes it even harder.”

Little said he sees no need to negotiate the rules.

“We debated the rules in January, we passed them by a majority vote, and they’re fair,” he said. “If they want to proceed down this road, they’ll kill a lot of good legislation.

Byrne said he was “not optimistic” an agreement would be reached soon, though he said he expected something in this session. The senator said several lobbying groups have spoken to him about legislation they want to get through the Senate during the session.

“That will become the point at which people want to change the rules, because the lobbyists want them to,” he said. “It is already working to our advantage. I’m already hearing from people.”

Byrne did not name the groups, saying the conversations were confidential.