Riley confident bills for Shoals project will pass

MONTGOMERY -- Gov. Bob Riley said Wednesday he's confident the Legislature will pass economic development bills that are crucial to luring a major employer to the Shoals.

"I think it will be passed and should be passed,'' Riley said Wednesday of the local bills sponsored by Sen. Bobby Denton, D-Muscle Shoals.

The bills, which will allow the Shoals to be a player in the recruitment of a boxcar manufacturing company, need to start moving in the next two legislative days or they're dead. The bills, including ones that would increase sales tax by a half-cent to provide incentives for economic development, have been held up in the quagmire as state senators have feuded over operating rules.

If the bills die in the session, it doesn't necessarily mean the project would die, too, the governor said.

Riley said Tuesday the project is "off the table,'' if the Legislature doesn't pass the necessary local economic incentive bills. He said Wednesday that statement was not meant to suggest that the project would be dead.

"Absolutely not,'' Riley said when asked if the project dies if the session ends without passage of Denton's legislation.

If the legislative session ends without passage of Denton's bills, Riley said he would not likely call a special session just for the Shoals economic development bills.

If the regular session ends without passage of the state budgets, however, there would be a special session that could include Denton's bills.

"I don't think it would be necessary (to call a special sessions just for the bills) because there are alternatives, Plan B,'' said Riley, who declined to elaborate. "I'm not so sure you still couldn't figure out a way to complete the project.''

Riley's office and Shoals Economic Development Authority officials have been negotiating to land a boxcar company that could bring 1,500-1,800 jobs to Colbert County. Since the announcement of ThyssenKrupp's decision to build in Alabama, the Shoals project is the largest known state industrial project not yet signed and delivered.

Delicate negotiations are still ongoing, and Riley said the local economic incentive package is a key part of the overall state strategy to attract this and other industry.

"It's a great reflection on that community they've come together as a region and develop economic development models I think will have benefit for years to come,'' Riley said. "What they're doing is taking (action) so all the different municipalities and counties will be able to have resources to compete with these projects.''

Denton's bills have been caught in a filibuster over Senate operating and budget rules. The rules are opposed by a minority coalition of 12 Republican and five Democratic senators.

Denton is one of 18 majority senators who have not allowed three of his four bills to pass, even after an offer was made to pass them two weeks ago. One of Denton's bills passed the Senate and it's in the House awaiting action.

Sen. Steve French, R-Birmingham, one of the 17 minority senators, said he believes Denton's remaining bills will pass. He added that if they don't, it will be Denton's fault and voters will have to evaluate his performance.

"We made an offer to Denton to support them,'' French said. "At some point, Senator Denton has to be willing to take his partisan blinders off because it's the right thing to do, and I'm confident Senator Denton will do it,'' French said. "What is disturbing is that anyone in the Senate would put anything ahead of what is good for their district and the state.

"It demonstrates the Senate has been broken this session because these are senators who care more about position and perks,'' French said.

Denton said there's enough blame to go around for Senate not passing his bills.

"I will admit some of our people on the Democratic side have not worked in good faith,'' Denton said of the 18 majority senators. "But it's the 17's fault if these don't pass.''

French said Denton had an opportunity to try to move his local bills recently when minority Sen. Del Marsh, R-Anniston, made an unsolicited offer to move them.

One bill passed but when minority senators asked to start passing bills by Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, the Democratic leadership objected.

Denton's House members, Rep. Mike Curtis, D-Greenhill, Rep. Tammy Irons, D-Florence, and Rep. Marcel Black, D-Tuscumbia, did not introduce identical local bills that include half-cent sales tax measures for Colbert and Lauderdale counties, the key to the local economic incentive package.

"I'm not taking all the blame on those bills,'' Denton said.

Curtis said previously there was no sense for the House members to introduce the bills because if they didn't pass the Senate, it wouldn't matter anyway.

Not only was Riley confident the legislation will pass in the remaining four legislative days, he said the industry that's been referred to by the code name Project Tiger, is not the only game in town.

"The Shoals has more than one economic development project,'' said Riley, who wouldn't identify it.

Riley said the "local economic development team'' in the Shoals is "hard at work.''

"I feel confident the projects we're working on will be successful,'' Riley said.

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