Shortly after the House convened this afternoon at 1:00 pm, Rep. James Thomas (D) of Wilcox, Lowndes, Dallas, and Autauga counties was recognized and given time to speak on the House floor during which he angrily expressed his resentment for the raid on White Hall Casino last week. He stated that officers, under the authority of the Governors Gambling Task Force, went into the establishment with weapons drawn on unarmed, innocent workers. During the raid machines were confiscated as well as cash.
Representative Thomas said that all of this took place over a legal discrepancy, not a criminal offense, and innocent people could have been hurt over a legal disagreement. “No court has ruled that what White Hall is doing is criminal and they have a right to exist until such time as the court says that what they are doing is wrong. These officers went in on law abiding, tax paying citizens.” He further said that he “resents to hell that the Governor allowed my people to be treated like that…I could not stand still as a representative of my people if I did not let the public know how I feel.”
Representative Thomas intends to take this matter to the US Attorney General in Washington D.C.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Senate Commerce, Transportation, and Utilities Committee Meeting
Today the Commerce, Transportation, and Utilities Committee of the State Senate passed HB 282 sponsored by Representative Mac Gipson. This legislation encompasses issues related to driver’s licenses and driver training programs, sets age requirements for licensed drivers with a student, age requirements for licensed drivers accompanying a driver with a learner’s permit, places restrictions on persons 17 years of age with a regular drivers license, and creates a three-stage graduated licensing requirement.
According to the bill, the following are the three stages for the graduated license: stage 1 – learner’s permit. Stage 2 – a regular driver’s license with restrictions based on age and date of issuance. Stage 3 – an unrestricted driver’s license.
HB 282 now awaits action by the Senate.
According to the bill, the following are the three stages for the graduated license: stage 1 – learner’s permit. Stage 2 – a regular driver’s license with restrictions based on age and date of issuance. Stage 3 – an unrestricted driver’s license.
HB 282 now awaits action by the Senate.
An Entertaining End to the 12th Legislative Day in the House
Some comedic relief came to the House this afternoon as representatives attempted to garner enough votes to adjourn for spring break. After a couple of failed attempts to adjourn had already taken place, Representative Guin made yet another motion to adjourn and stated that he would continue to make motions after every bill.
A little over-confident that they would have enough votes to head home, a few legislators began walking toward the door when a tied vote came in. Yells and laughter filled the room and they returned to their seats. HB 559 was then passed, and Representative Guin returned to the podium to make his third attempt to adjourn. This time he was successful by 2 votes.
The House of Representatives observe spring break next week and will return to work on Tuesday, March 24th.
A little over-confident that they would have enough votes to head home, a few legislators began walking toward the door when a tied vote came in. Yells and laughter filled the room and they returned to their seats. HB 559 was then passed, and Representative Guin returned to the podium to make his third attempt to adjourn. This time he was successful by 2 votes.
The House of Representatives observe spring break next week and will return to work on Tuesday, March 24th.
Filibustering in the House Continues Into the Afternoon
The twelfth legislative day in the Alabama House began as a productive day this morning while legislators voted on resolutions and passed the first item on the agenda, Officer Houts Act, which had been delayed from Tuesday for clarification.
The bill was amended to zero in on the type of officer that can actually make an arrest of an individual eluding an officer. It also protects citizens from being charged with eluding an officer while trying to find a safe place to pull over so long as they perform some type of activity (such as slowing down or turning hazard lights on) to alert the officer that they are aware of him / her.
Things slowed to a virtual stand-still after the second bill, HB 175, relating to alcoholic beverages was introduced. Opponents of the bill as well as others opposed to a bill further down the calendar began filibustering. Representative Rogers said that he was going to filibuster until Representative McClendon agreed to carry over his bill, HB 152, to another day. Shortly thereafter, Representative Laird made a motion to adjourn since the legislature will be on spring break next week. The motion failed by a vote of 18 yea’s and 49 no’s.
The filibuster continued after the lunch break and another failed attempt was made to adjourn for spring break by Representative Bridges.
At 2:00 the filibuster broke and HB 175 passed; however, activity has slowed as representatives continue to take advantage of the full time allowed for debate.
The bill was amended to zero in on the type of officer that can actually make an arrest of an individual eluding an officer. It also protects citizens from being charged with eluding an officer while trying to find a safe place to pull over so long as they perform some type of activity (such as slowing down or turning hazard lights on) to alert the officer that they are aware of him / her.
Things slowed to a virtual stand-still after the second bill, HB 175, relating to alcoholic beverages was introduced. Opponents of the bill as well as others opposed to a bill further down the calendar began filibustering. Representative Rogers said that he was going to filibuster until Representative McClendon agreed to carry over his bill, HB 152, to another day. Shortly thereafter, Representative Laird made a motion to adjourn since the legislature will be on spring break next week. The motion failed by a vote of 18 yea’s and 49 no’s.
The filibuster continued after the lunch break and another failed attempt was made to adjourn for spring break by Representative Bridges.
At 2:00 the filibuster broke and HB 175 passed; however, activity has slowed as representatives continue to take advantage of the full time allowed for debate.
Senate Republicans Continue to Filibuster
Filibustering continues in the Alabama Senate. Senator Rusty Glover’s SB15 pertaining to eluding a police officer is up for a vote currently. For the past hour and a half the senate republicans have been filibustering on Senator Glover’s bill but not because of the piece of legislation rather because of the lack of the rules chairman, Senator Lowell Barron, to provide the senate republican’s with the special order calendar one day before the following legislative day.
According to Senator Scott Beason (R), this filibuster is about good government, transparency, honesty and openness in the senate for the people of Alabama. Senator Beason noted that not only senators, but the people of the state should know what will be debated in the senate ahead of time. Receiving the special order calendar ahead of time would give senators time to do research on legislation so they will know exactly what a piece of legislation is going to do and how it will affect the state.
According to Senator Scott Beason (R), this filibuster is about good government, transparency, honesty and openness in the senate for the people of Alabama. Senator Beason noted that not only senators, but the people of the state should know what will be debated in the senate ahead of time. Receiving the special order calendar ahead of time would give senators time to do research on legislation so they will know exactly what a piece of legislation is going to do and how it will affect the state.
Filibustering in the Senate this 12th Legislative Day
This morning the Alabama Senate convened at 10:00 am CST and opened by discussing the murders in South Alabama. Senator Smith introduced Congressman Bobby Bright who flew home from Washington to help after the events of Tuesday afternoon. Congressman Bright commended the law enforcement, the community and Governor Riley for their help in the wake of this tragic incident.
After committee reports and introductions of bills, Senator Barron presented his resolution from the Rules committee for the Special Order calendar. Upon the introduction Senator Jabo Waggoner rose to the mic to discuss the fact that Senator Barron did not present this calendar to the minority 24 hours before the following legislative day as previously request on the 11th legislative day.
Senator Beason also rose to agree with Senator Waggoner. Beason further stated that as a legislator it is unwise not to receive the calendar ahead of time because it does allow legislators the appropriate time to do their homework on the bills.
It appears that the minority party, republicans, is looking to filibuster on the Senate floor this afternoon. Currently Senator Marsh is filibustering SB383 introduced by Senator Little however, he is speaking in regards to the timeliness of receiving the special order calendar further conveying what Senators Waggoner and Beason have already addressed.
Senator Marsh noted that it’s the people of the state that deserve as much or more than the legislators to know what the senate is dealing with so they have the opportunity to come attend the meetings. According to Marsh this issue gives citizens of Alabama no opportunity to come to Montgomery and have a voice in government.
The Senate recessed until 1:00 in the midst of Senator Marsh taking his hour to speak on SB383.
After committee reports and introductions of bills, Senator Barron presented his resolution from the Rules committee for the Special Order calendar. Upon the introduction Senator Jabo Waggoner rose to the mic to discuss the fact that Senator Barron did not present this calendar to the minority 24 hours before the following legislative day as previously request on the 11th legislative day.
Senator Beason also rose to agree with Senator Waggoner. Beason further stated that as a legislator it is unwise not to receive the calendar ahead of time because it does allow legislators the appropriate time to do their homework on the bills.
It appears that the minority party, republicans, is looking to filibuster on the Senate floor this afternoon. Currently Senator Marsh is filibustering SB383 introduced by Senator Little however, he is speaking in regards to the timeliness of receiving the special order calendar further conveying what Senators Waggoner and Beason have already addressed.
Senator Marsh noted that it’s the people of the state that deserve as much or more than the legislators to know what the senate is dealing with so they have the opportunity to come attend the meetings. According to Marsh this issue gives citizens of Alabama no opportunity to come to Montgomery and have a voice in government.
The Senate recessed until 1:00 in the midst of Senator Marsh taking his hour to speak on SB383.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Star-Studded Committee Meetings in both the Alabama Senate and House
It is not everyday that you sit down in a committee meeting at the Alabama Statehouse only to have country music legend George Jones take the seat behind you accompanied by his wife, see Darryl Worley standing in the back of the room, and then hear Tracy Lawrence sing the chorus to “Paint Me a Birmingham” live at the request of the committee chair, but that is exactly what happened during the House Tourism and Travel Committee meeting this afternoon.
What would bring such an assortment of country music stars to the statehouse for a committee meeting? Both the House and Senate committees on tourism addressed bills today relating to electronic bingo in the state of Alabama (HB676, SB470, SB471), and the Country Crossings development in Houston County which these personalities are involved with is slated to feature electronic bingo machines as a portion of the entertainment it will provide.
This has been a controversial and hot topic of discussion recently, and the issue at hand, electronic bingo, can easily become convoluted to appear as a disagreement over whether or not Country Crossings should come to fruition. That is not the case. The developers of Country Crossings stated during the committee meetings today that because of last year’s real estate debacle and current conditions in the economy they are unable to borrow and / or find enough investment dollars to cover the costs that will be incurred up-front to proceed with the project. Mr. Ronnie Gilley told the committee today that an operation such as Country Crossings usually operates in the red for the first 3 – 7 years, and they cannot afford to sustain losses for such a long period of time; however, by adding the electronic bingo element to the project, those dollars can be made up in a shorter period of time acting as an “economic catalyst”, and thereby, allowing them to continue as planned.
Virtually the same discussion took place in both the House and Senate meetings. Opponents of electronic bingo take the position that it is illegal according to a 2004 ruling by the Alabama Supreme Court in addition to an interpretation of Section 65 of the Code of Alabama, and bills HB 676 and SB 471 would seek to legalize what is currently illegal.
Proponents of these bills argue that by enacting this legislation, the state will benefit financially from the tax dollars coming from these entities, be able to control the spread of gaming by limiting electronic bingo to only nine venues throughout the state, and will establish a gaming commission to oversee licensing and regulation of the operations. It also provides for an initial infrastructure prerequisite of $100 million that any existing or future development must meet before electronic bingo would be permitted on the premises.
The opposition states that these criteria, in essence, would create a monopoly on gaming in the state of Alabama benefiting only a few individuals who are already invested here as SB471 also includes a profit-sharing clause.
An alternative bingo bill presented by Senator Erwin, SB 470, which would prohibit the use of an electronic device to engage in gambling activity and provide that no current or subsequent constitutional amendment may authorize such electronic device was sent back to sub-committee for review. SB 471 did not make it out of committee either and is scheduled to be voted on at the next committee meeting. HB 676 was passed by the committee.
If any version of these bingo bills is passed, it will go before the people of Alabama for a vote in the form of a constitutional amendment.
What would bring such an assortment of country music stars to the statehouse for a committee meeting? Both the House and Senate committees on tourism addressed bills today relating to electronic bingo in the state of Alabama (HB676, SB470, SB471), and the Country Crossings development in Houston County which these personalities are involved with is slated to feature electronic bingo machines as a portion of the entertainment it will provide.
This has been a controversial and hot topic of discussion recently, and the issue at hand, electronic bingo, can easily become convoluted to appear as a disagreement over whether or not Country Crossings should come to fruition. That is not the case. The developers of Country Crossings stated during the committee meetings today that because of last year’s real estate debacle and current conditions in the economy they are unable to borrow and / or find enough investment dollars to cover the costs that will be incurred up-front to proceed with the project. Mr. Ronnie Gilley told the committee today that an operation such as Country Crossings usually operates in the red for the first 3 – 7 years, and they cannot afford to sustain losses for such a long period of time; however, by adding the electronic bingo element to the project, those dollars can be made up in a shorter period of time acting as an “economic catalyst”, and thereby, allowing them to continue as planned.
Virtually the same discussion took place in both the House and Senate meetings. Opponents of electronic bingo take the position that it is illegal according to a 2004 ruling by the Alabama Supreme Court in addition to an interpretation of Section 65 of the Code of Alabama, and bills HB 676 and SB 471 would seek to legalize what is currently illegal.
Proponents of these bills argue that by enacting this legislation, the state will benefit financially from the tax dollars coming from these entities, be able to control the spread of gaming by limiting electronic bingo to only nine venues throughout the state, and will establish a gaming commission to oversee licensing and regulation of the operations. It also provides for an initial infrastructure prerequisite of $100 million that any existing or future development must meet before electronic bingo would be permitted on the premises.
The opposition states that these criteria, in essence, would create a monopoly on gaming in the state of Alabama benefiting only a few individuals who are already invested here as SB471 also includes a profit-sharing clause.
An alternative bingo bill presented by Senator Erwin, SB 470, which would prohibit the use of an electronic device to engage in gambling activity and provide that no current or subsequent constitutional amendment may authorize such electronic device was sent back to sub-committee for review. SB 471 did not make it out of committee either and is scheduled to be voted on at the next committee meeting. HB 676 was passed by the committee.
If any version of these bingo bills is passed, it will go before the people of Alabama for a vote in the form of a constitutional amendment.
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