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On the first day of the Senate’s session, Sen. Charles Bishop (R – Arley) left (presumably for home and family) saying he would consult with a lawyer and be back next week. This after the Senate passed a resolution, saying
if a senator hits another senator, staff member or citizen in the Statehouse, then a majority of the Senate may vote to have security accompany the senator into and out of the Senate chamber and while moving around the chamber.
After 10 legislative meeting days, the Senate can vote by a two-thirds margin to remove the security escort, provided the senator has completed an anger management course.
The article adds, “Bishop said that provision was aimed at him.”
You think?
Another item that is no small thing:
Also, the Democrat-controlled panel that determines senators’ committee assignments pulled Bishop off most of the Senate committees where he served, including the important General Fund budget committee.
I have said before and I still believe that if I were a member of Bishop’s district, I would be concerned about his ability to pass legislation important to me or my district. It’s a Democratic-controlled Senate, and he hit the powerful Rules Chairman in the head. (And was celebrated for doing so). Now he’s stripped of most committee assignments…
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Guess he felt rooked.
Why does he need to speak with his attorney? If they actually enforced the rule on him I could see it.
What I don’t get is that it takes a majority to enact this, but 2/3s to revoke it. Seems pretty heavy handed.
Heavy handed is not the half of it. When the Senate organized last year and passed its operating rules it put in a rule that the rules, which were passed by a majority of 18, can only be changed with 21 votes.
Now the majority finds itself in a situation where it cannot change the rules of the Senate to put any kind of punishment in place. So, they introduce a resolution but they do not call it a rule change. so it does not have to follow the normal procedures for being adopted.
After the resolution was introduced and read a Senator challenged that it was not following the proper procedures for a rule change. The Lt. Governor looked at him with a straight face and said all that had been introduced was a resolution and it did not need to follow the rule procedure. If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck it is a duck, unless you are in the Alabama Senate.
I suspect if a member of the minority in the Senate introduced a resolution to change a rule tomorrow the Lt. Governor would rule that it was a rule and would take three days notice in writing and require 21 votes to be adopted.
Different rules for the different sides in the Senate does not a healing make. Look for more of the same.
Well, if you hit the CEO of your company in the
mouth, I think you would get more than just a minor rebuke. This man who is supposed to uphold the law and be an example, broke the law, Then to to top it off the R’s with the value system of thou shalt not gamble but lets give the man a standing ovation for failing to turn the other cheek. What hypocrisy!!! I think it is time for everyone to take a step back and take an honest, candid, assesment of what is going here. This has nothing to do with the well being of Alabama nor does it have anything to do with Christian values or just good ethics. It’s about power, money, and position. Without position you can’t have power and money. The R’s rolled the dice and lost. Tough stuff but it’s time to suck it up and quit taking up for Bishop. They are getting to be like a union group standing up for the worker who refused to do his job.
I am not taking up for Bishop, I disagree with the procedure behind this resolution
Makes me wonder if TPTB have decided to settle scores and put some points on the board for the 2010 election.
Oh well, the circus is town now and its time to make popcorn.
[...] Senate Minority Leader Jabo Waggoner (R – Birmingham) may appoint Sen. Charles Bishop (R – Arley) to the Senate Rules Committee. The Senate Minority Leader may designate Senators to take his place on standing committees (see examples here) and two Parlor sources confirm that Waggoner is telling colleagues that he is considering appointing Bishop to the Rules Committee since Senate Democrats stripped Bishop of committee assignments yesterday. [...]
TPTB?
TPTB = The Powers That Be jargon from hanging around SF/Fantasy fora. Generally refers to off stage power brokers, e.g. Red Mountain Molemen, Red Eagle Honor Farm Hunting Club, etc.