Friday 4/11/2008 DAILY NEWS DIGEST
Birmingham News - State postsecondary system appeals order blocking implementation of ban against “double-dipping.”
Birmingham News - Bill aimed at reducing state’s solid waste gets final legislative approval, goes to Governor for his consideration.
Huntsville Times - The Huntsville Times says state must look to education, tax reform and job recruitment to address widening gap in income between wealthiest and the poor.
Montgomery Advertiser - State Board names Alexander City Schools Superintendent to position as Deputy Superintendent of State Department of Education.
Montgomery Advertiser - House rejects proposal that would have required school menus to be reviewed by state nutritionist.
Montgomery Advertiser - Montgomery County judge promises quick ruling on case that could wipe out one-third of funds in next year’s General Fund.
Associated Press - House passes bill that would place more restrictions on teen drivers.
Daily Mountain Eagle - Sen. Charles Bishop (R-Arley) files ethics complaint against House Majority Leader Ken Guin (D-Carbon Hill).
Tuscaloosa News - Construction expected to begin later this year on federal prison near Aliceville.
Tuscaloosa News - Senate continues locked up over bingo bill.
Tuscaloosa News - Summary of yesterday’s legislative activity.
Gadsden Times - Sponsor of bill to tax pornography pulls bills for this session.
Decatur Daily - The Decatur Daily says egos stand in way of bill to provide incentives for movie industry.
Times Daily - Times Daily comments on findings of new national report that contend that 600 adult Alabamians died in 2006 due to lack of health coverage.
Anniston Star - The Anniston Star calls for legislature to approve tax reform measure that would remove sales tax from food, increase threshold at which income tax is paid.
Dothan Eagle - House committee approves measure that would reduce speed limits.
News link - Seattle historian visits Alabama, part 1.
News link - Seattle historian visits Alabama, part 2.
News link - Americans United for Separation of Church and State reports on the Alabama House passing measuring that officially names Easter week as “Christian Heritage Week.”
FROM TODAY’S ANNISTON STAR:
Rogers’ power drops: Ranking of Congress members gives District 3 representative low score
Capitol Correspondent
MONTGOMERY — U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Saks, leads the pack of Alabama congressmen who have seen their influence on Capitol Hill take a dive since Democrats swept Republicans out of office during the last election cycle.
A recent ranking of individual Congress members’ power and ability to be effective in Congress rated Rogers 402 out of 435, according to Knowlegis, a private, non-partisan company that provides data and software to lobbyists.
Rogers ranked 151 and 138 in 2005 and 2006, respectively, but plunged to 346 last year.
Fellow Republican Congressmen Terry Everett, Jo Bonner and Roger Aderholt all ranked in the 300s this year, while Democratic Congressmen Artur Davis and Bud Cramer remained in the top 100.
U.S. Rep. Spencer Bachus, R-Birmingham, also remained in the top 100, thanks to his eight terms in Congress. He is a ranking member of the House Financial Services Committee.
Each member was ranked according to their tenure in Congress, the committees they serve on, the bills they pass, their indirect influence and the earmarks they bring home, said Knowlegis CEO Brad Fitch.
“This is just another tool to provide more transparency to constituents,” Fitch said of the rankings. “But we always add the big caveat that it does not represent the totality of a legislator to his or her constituents because we can’t see or measure the way he or she exerts power behind the scenes.”
Fitch said Alabama’s mostly Republican delegation took a hit because they are no longer members of the ruling party.
“The universal truth of Washington is when you lose power you don’t have the ability to exert power as you did before,” he said.
While a low power ranking might seem like a political death knell, Rogers isn’t too worried.
“The only rating that matters to Congressman Rogers is his ability to get things done back home for the Third District,” said Shea Snider, press secretary for Rogers. “From securing $26 million on the Armed Services Committee to helping strengthen the Anniston Army Depot this past year, to securing support for our local drug task force initiatives — Mike is working tirelessly to ensure Congress is working for all of east Alabama’s interests.”
Political experts in the state say that in the long run, the ability of Rogers and other members of the state delegation to bring money home might mean more to constituents than how much clout they have with Washington insiders.
For instance, Rogers’ score plummeted because he’s only a three-term member of Congress, he’s a Republican, and he’s not a national media darling.
But his positions on the House Armed Services Committee and the Committee on Homeland Security, and his ability to earmark funds for those interests in his district keep him from being at the very bottom.
“Sometimes you can get a gap between the perceived power that member has back home and the actual power the member has inside the institution,” said Jess Brown, professor of political science and justice studies at Athens State University. “If a member is very visible, personable, has good media relations, then the member is perceived back home as a great congressman; but in the internal operations, frankly he may not be a strong player at all.”
Brown said Alabama has a history of having strong players in Congress who have real influence at home and in Washington because of their long tenures and appointments to powerful committees.
Most notable are the late Congressmen Tom Bevill and Bob Jones, who both were considered elder statesmen after each served 30-year terms.
With Cramer and Everett retiring at the end of this term, Alabama’s power ranking could be headed a bit south.
Cramer is a 17-year member of the House, a member of the ruling party, and serves on a money committee: the House Appropriations Committee.
“We’re going to take a hit there,” Brown said. “I don’t see in any way a freshman getting positioned that well inside the organization in the U.S. House.”
Alabama political expert Bill Stewart said the rankings could be good fodder for the upcoming election cycle.
Rogers will face Montgomery Democrat Joshua Segall this year.
“If I was an opponent looking at running against an incumbent, I could say that according to this national ranking this person is not as influential, or effective,” Stewart said. “It gives them some ammunition, but the member can always dispute that and I’m sure they could come up with a good rebuttal.”
Legislature seeks state water-management plan
Capitol Correspondent
MONTGOMERY — A joint resolution that creates a committee to develop a statewide water management plan is on its way to the governor’s desk.
Sponsored by Sen. Kim Benefield, D-Woodland, and Rep. Greg Canfield, R-Vestavia Hills, the resolution creates a 14-member Permanent Joint Legislative Committee on Water Policy and Management that will include seven members from each chamber, and representatives from the U.S. Geological Survey and the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs’ Office of Water Resources.
The resolution passed the House last week, and the Senate version passed Thursday.
It is one of the few measures that has passed the Senate, which has stalled on a bingo bill for Macon County.
If Gov. Bob Riley signs the resolution, the committee will be responsible for assessing water resources, conservation practices and technology to recommend the most efficient and effective use of the state’s water resources.
Benefield said the move would not only help the state get a handle on its water resources, it also might help the state in its long-standing water feud with Georgia and Florida.
“I know from personal experience the impact a lack of water has on agriculture, economic development and recreation,” she said. “A statewide water-management plan will help us mitigate the effects of drought on our state.”
Canfield said the Geological Survey is undertaking a three-year groundwater assessment, but he doesn’t think it will take that long for the state to develop a plan.
“The underlying issue is determining what resources we have and what resources we require,” he said.
The committee will be responsible for working with federal and private entities to identify conservation and efficient water-use management strategies, and develop conservation programs for public, commercial and residential consumption.
It also will be responsible for promoting water-management technologies and encouraging their producers to come to Alabama.
Tara Hutchison, press secretary for Riley, said the governor is aware of the resolution and will review it upon his return from a trade mission in China.
