Senator remains optimistic about local bills

MONTGOMERY – State Sen. Bobby Denton remained hopeful during a rare Monday night legislative session that the Shoals’ economic development bills will pass before the session ends.

But his hope is tempered by reality that with only seven legislative days left beginning today, it will get tougher to pass bills during the waning days of the session.

Denton, D-Muscle Shoals, has been pleading and cajoling senators who have been filibustering almost since the session started in March to pass his four bills that will help the state attract a major employer to the Shoals. Denton said the bills need to go to the House soon or they’ll be dead this legislative session.

To add to the difficulty in passing bills in the Senate, in two more legislative days, any one senator can block Denton’s and other’s bills from being sent to the House.

“That’s what we’re facing in the bills for the Shoals area,” Denton said Monday.

Senators are fighting over Senate rules. The 35-member Senate is almost evenly divided. There are Denton’s majority 18 Democrats led by Sen. Lowell Barron, D-Fyffe, and Sen. Zeb Little, D-Cullman, and then there’s the 17-member minority clique of Republicans and dissident Democrats.

Members of the minority do not like the rules passed by the majority but with 17 votes, the minority can only block legislation, not pass it. The 18 won’t change the rules and the 17 won’t give the majority its due.

And that, at least as of Monday, is what’s holding everything up, including the two state budgets, Sunday liquor referendum bills, political financing reform, tax relief and red light traffic enforcement legislation.

Senators are beginning to have concerns for a majority of the bills that would pass under ordinary circumstances.

Last year, in regular session, the Senate passed 202 Senate bills.

The Senate as of Monday had passed 13 of 512 bills that have been introduced.

The Senate had passed only 13 House bills, and most of those simply renewed state boards requiring annual approval. Meanwhile, the House keeps passing bill after bill, sending them to the Senate and adding to the logjam.

University of Alabama political science professor William Stewart said the Senate’s inaction may reveal its irrelevancy.

“Nowadays we have to rely on gubernatorial leadership,” Stewart said.

“I don’t think we will get out of this position until we just pass the budgets or unless the people get totally out of patience,” Stewart said.

Dana Beyerle can be reached at (334) 264-6605 or dtb12345@aol.com.