A successful session wraps up in Montgomery
By By Rep. Ronald Grantland, Guest Columnist
The 2009 Legislative Session ended last week, and it was one of the most productive sessions in recent memory. Important legislation was passed, and a sense of bipartisanship and cooperation flourished during the session time.
Most importantly, the Education and General Fund budgets passed.
The Education Budget was remarkable for several reasons. First, it passed both the House and Senate unanimously, an event that even the longest serving legislative hands couldn’t remember happening. Usually somewhere, someone has a problem with a budget and will vote no, often as a protest.
Yet, this year there weren’t any opposing votes, and the reason was a universal consensus that the budget was the best possible solution for a troubled time.
It prevented teacher layoffs while protecting the important programs like the initiatives in Math, Science and Reading that have had such a positive impact on student achievement.
It is a hardscrabble education budget, slashing everything from textbooks to transportation. Yet, classrooms and teachers were protected, and everyone agreed in a year like this, with the economy as tough as it is, it was no small accomplishment.
Other important education legislation also passed. A bill raising the dropout age from 16 to 17 passed with wide majorities.
The hope is that an additional year of maturity and classes will help students make the right choice about staying in school and getting a diploma.
A bill for university-based regional autism centers that will help schools with the influx of autistic students passed. Another bill changes the law on school nurses to help rural school systems hire LPNs, as long as they serve under the supervision of RNs.
The General Fund budget passed with healthy majorities as well, funding health care and important state services.
Other than the budgets, a healthy amount of legislation passed that will serve Alabama well in the future.
Economic development was promoted with the passage of legislation providing tax credits and other incentives to attract company headquarters, research and development facilities, data processing centers, and companies focusing on alternative and renewable energy. Alabama has been a leader in attracting manufacturing jobs and our economic development folks say these tools will help us be successful in recruiting white-collar jobs as well. We also passed legislation to help attract film productions to our state, projects that could generate much needed revenue.
Things that did not pass were also notable. Foremost was the failure to eliminate the sales tax on groceries.
This is where the vote fell on partisan lines, with Democrats in favor and Republicans against. It was a simple bill that would stop the state’s four percent tax on food and pay for it by closing the federal income tax deduction on the state income tax.
Independent analysis showed that 92 percent of Alabamians would receive a tax cut under the plan, and it would have been a giant step in making our state tax structure fairer. There were some GOP members that changed their vote, but not enough to overcome a procedural hurdle and the measure died.
However, there was much more that united us than divided us, and the people’s business was accomplished.
A successful session makes all involved optimistic for the future, and in these troubled times that in and of itself is an important accomplishment.
