Riley threatens to kill legislative session

MONTGOMERY -- Shoals-area senators Bobby Denton and Roger Bedford are sticking to their guns in the face of Gov. Bob Riley's threat Thursday to kill the rest of the legislative session even if it means Shoals economic development bills do not pass.

Riley told his 17 senators to kill the rest of the session if need be over a $44 million fund in the state school bond issue that would be controlled by three Democrats.

Riley said he'd call a special session on financial and other issues if need be should the session that has five working days remaining ends in a stalemate.

Riley said his 17 Democratic and Republican senators also don't have input into the state budgets because of a rule that gives the opposing 18 senators complete control of the budgets once they hit the Senate floor. The 17 have been using stalling tactics since the beginning of the legislative session over a rule change that limits debate on the state budgets.

Denton, D-Muscle Shoals, one of the majority 18 senators, said giving in to the demands of the 17 minority senators is not on his agenda. "If I have to give up my principles to get something out of the governor's office it will be a long time coming,'' Denton said.

Bedford, D-Russellville, said if the session ends without passage of the economic development legislation vital to the Shoals, it will be on Riley's conscience, not his.

"I think it's very sad that Gov. Riley puts his own personal political agenda against the need for 1,600 jobs in Colbert County,'' Bedford said. "Clearly the jobs are more important (than the budget impasse) because of their lasting impact on the Shoals, but Gov. Riley's arrogance is going to kill the session because he doesn't have control over the (school) bond issue.''

Flanked by his senators, Riley said if the session ends without the budgets and the bond issue, he'll call a special session to reconsider ethics legislation, the economic development bills and possibly the state budgets that must be passed by the Sept. 30 end of the fiscal year.

The Shoals needs Denton's legislation for its portion of the state incentive package to help lure a major employer to Colbert County.

Shoals Economic Development Authority board chairman Macke Mauldin said he didn't know enough about the Senate infighting to adequately comment. But he said the economic development project is important.

"I just know our community has come together like it has never come together, and we're at the door of a new reality for the Shoals, for these two counties and several cities,'' Mauldin said. "We're very disappointed we haven't been able to get it through. I'm confident we will get it through.''

Riley said although he'd like the Shoals legislation to pass, it does not have to in this session that can last no later than June 18.

"I don't think there's going-to be a problem with that up there,'' Riley said. "The timing is not critical.''

Bedford disputed Riley.

"That is incorrect,'' Bedford said. "We've had people from Canada down all week trying to finalize the deal (with the Alabama Development Office) on the boxcar plant. Why he would jeopardize that just to try to have Republicans take over the Senate is unbelievable.''

Forrest Wright, executive director of the Shoals Economic Development Agency, was asked to react to the possibility that the economic development bills won't pass in the regular session.

"I would like to see all the bills down there moving forward on their merits,'' Wright said, declining comment on Denton's and Riley's statements.

Riley said he hopes the Legislature can pass the two state budgets but "we have something going on with the bond issue'' that changes control of its interest from the governor's office disenfranchising 17 senators and their constituents.

"We're not going to develop a pattern where certain select legislators have an inordinate advantage over the rest of their peers to the point they can include or exclude different areas,'' Riley said.

"If it means we have to come back in a special session, whatever it takes, I hope they will give us their support in making sure that the bond issue is equitable across the state,'' Riley said.

Riley said his 17 senators represent nearly half the state's population but under Senate rules would have only 30 minutes to provide input in the budgets once they hit the Senate floor.

The 18 Senate districts represented by the majority have only about 22,000 more residents than the Senate districts represented by the 17 minority senators, according to the last census.

Riley said never before has nearly half the Senate not had input in budgets. He also questioned whether the Legislature can control money in the bond issue. "We're looking into that,'' he said.

The two sides can't even agree on what they disagree on.

Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, said disagreement in the Senate is over a rule that limits input by the 17 minority senators into the budgets and over legislative control of the $44 million in the bond issue.

Bedford said the minority want to kill prohibitions on campaign contributions and ethics reform.

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