Legislative End of the Week Recap…
This week in the House started off with four bills that were the result of a year long study conducted by the Alabama Commission on Infrastructure. The Commission, which was created primarily by economic development interests in Alabama, was a bi-partisan effort to figure out what can be done to improve Alabama’s clogged infrastructure system. I served on that Commission along with about 40 business leaders, public transportation advocates and other local officials from throughout Alabama. While came up with several suggestions for improving Alabama’s problems the first four bills in the package were introduced and passed out of the House on Tuesday. Those included the Independent Transportation Commission to oversee ALDOT which I sponsored, a bill to provide more flexibility for the development of toll roads in our state, and two bills that would streamline the process for investing more in rail and waterways in our state. These four bills aren’t the kind of stuff that will just set the blogs on fire at night and surely don’t make for fun partisan warfare but they are long over due in how we look at economic development and allowing easier transport of people in Alabama.
The House also passed Rep. Mary Moore’s slavery apology resolution. This was done after the resolution was amended to bar any sort of reparations from being paid as a result of the resolution. This debate had the typical fights that most of these resolutions have had around the country where proponents insisted on the need for an apology to make amends for wrongs against their ancestors versus the opponents who voiced dismay about the fact that no one in that chamber who was being asked to apologize had ever engaged in slavery or agreed with it. In the end it passed by an overwhelming margin. In the end I am glad it is off the table but I have support the position voiced by Rep. Jay Love (Montgomery) when he said “I never engaged in the practice of slavery and have never condoned it, so why should I say I am sorry for something I didn’t do.”
By Thursday of this week it was painfully obvious that the House had just about run its course with regard to our work schedule. While the Senate was meeting for a couple of hours each day before recessing the House continued its work schedule of debating 6 to 7 hours each day on a host of bills and resolutions. Tempers flared a few times (unfortunately including mine!) during the end of the debate on Thursday when the House refused to consider a bill sponsored by Rep. D. Newton (Birmingham) that would restrict a judge’s power to override a death penalty verdict given by a jury. This defeat was primarily a result of NO votes by Republicans and Conservatives Democrats. As a result of this clash the bill I am sponsoring to prohibit the felons from profiting from their crimes while in prison, was prohibited from coming for a vote by a filibuster from the House Black Caucus.
If all this sounds like it can be frustrating at times, it is but that is the nature of the legislative process.
So, following the logic on your vote on the resolution expressing regret for Alabama’s role in slavery - you should vote against any measure that comes before the body that does not directly relate to some issue in which you have a personal stake? There doesn’t appear to be much argument that the State of Alabama supported the “peculiar institution” of slavery. While the resolution states that the legislature is expressing regret, that expression is on behalf of the state, not necessarily as a personal statement of each individual member, is it not?
Comment by Anonymous — April 28, 2007 @ 7:09 am
I think you make a good point about the state’s terrible role in slavery but my logic or argument does not mean I do not think I should not vote for something for which I do not have a “personal stake.” There have been many many crimes committed over the years in our country– Native Americans, Japanese Internment Camps, Irish Americans, Italian Americans, the list goes on and on. While obviously slavery was worse than the rest where do the apologies end and even more important what do we do to make the FUTURE better?? We spend days in debates in Montgomery trying to determine who should be sorry for what events in history but that is easer than spending time on figuring out how to solve problems for the future. Do I think slavery was wrong? Yes. Do I think the state should have apologized for the issue? Yes. Will this resolution change one thing about the current sad state of life for some many of the poor, and disadvantaged in our state? No.
Comment by Rep. Cam Ward — April 28, 2007 @ 9:18 am