Bill to eliminate Alabama Senate special elections advances

[GennGreymane]

http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/201...bama_sena.html

A bill to eliminate special elections when there are vacancies in the U.S. Senate is in position for a vote in the Alabama House of Representatives next week.

It comes in the wake of last year's bruising battle to fill the seat Jeff Sessions left to become attorney general, won by Democrat Doug Jones.

House Ways and Means General Fund Committee Chairman Steve Clouse, R-Ozark, said his bill to eliminate Senate special elections "has nothing to do with the personalities in last year's election. It has everything to do with the cost to the General Fund."

Clouse said $11 million has been allocated to cover the cost of the three rounds of the special election to fill Sessions' seat.

The bill won approval this week by the House Constitutions, Campaigns and Elections Committee, setting it up for a possible vote by the full House.

The bill would amend a law that led to some disagreement over interpretation when it came into play last year.

Under the current law, if a vacancy occurs in the U.S. Senate more than four months before the next general election, as happened with Sessions' seat, the governor appoints a replacement and schedules a special election "forthwith."

Gov. Robert Bentley appointed Luther Strange in February and scheduled the election to coincide with this year's election cycle, causing some to contend that Bentley was not following the requirement to schedule it "forthwith." Bentley cited the cost of a special election as one reason for his decision.

When Gov. Kay Ivey replaced Bentley, she rescheduled the election for 2017, saying the law clearly stated that the election should be held as soon as possible.

Under Clouse's bill, if a vacancy occurs, the governor would appoint a replacement and the election to fill the remainder of the term would be held at the next general election for which candidate qualifying has not already started.

For example, candidate qualifying for this year's elections started January 8. So, if a Senate vacancy had occurred January 7 or sooner, the election to finish the term for that vacant seat would be held this year. If the vacancy came January 8 or later, it would move to 2020.

The Alabama Legislature has completed two weeks of the 2018 session, with this week disrupted by the snowstorm, which led to cancellation of the usual slate of Wednesday committee meetings.

There hasn't been time for any bills to gain final passage, but some have passed their house of origin, including:

HB 58 by Rep. Dickie Drake, R-Leeds, would provide free admission to Alabama state parks to all men and women who have served in the military, active and retired.

HB 83 by Rep. Connie Rowe, R-Jasper, would expand a tax credit for businesses with fewer than 50 employees who hire unemployed veterans or veterans who served in a combat zone.

HB 92 by Rep. Barry Moore, R-Enterprise, would allow any veteran awarded the Medal of Honor, Purple Heart, Army Distinguished Service Cross, Navy Cross, Air Force Cross, Silver Star or Bronze Star or any former prisoner of war to request from the state Department of Veterans Affairs a removable windshield placard to park in spaces designated for veterans holding those honors.

SB 13 by Sen. Greg Albritton, R-Range, would eliminate marriage licenses and instead have probate judges accept affidavits from marrying couples that would serve as the official marriage documents. The bill would eliminate the requirement for a marriage ceremony.

SB 84 by Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, would require state, city and county police to keep new records of traffic stops showing the race of the driver and the officer and whether there was a warning, ticket, search, arrest or officer injury. Law enforcement agencies would report the information to the attorney general, who would compile a report and could withhold funds and require training for agencies if racial profiling is indicated.

SB 98 by Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, would allow counties to abate some property taxes on properties used for economic development projects with at least $50 million in capital investment and meeting other criteria. The bill is related to the Toyota-Mazda plant in Huntsville.

A bill with bipartisan support by Sen. Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro, would establish a statewide regulation framework for Uber, Lyft and similiar "transportation network companies." It was approved by a Senate committee on Thursday. A version of the bill is also pending in the House. Gov. Kay Ivey spoke at a press conference in support of the measure.

Proponents say uniform regulations will help the ride-sharing companies offer their services statewide. About 15 Alabama cities allow the companies to operate under local regulations.

Gov. Kay Ivey introduced her budget proposals this week. Her plans include funding for a 3 percent cost-of-living raise for state employees, which would be their first since 2009, and a 2.5-percent raise for education employees.

Lawmakers are probably a few weeks away from moving the budgets.

[Wyrt]

Republicans sure hate democracy.

[Sunseeker]

The State of Alabama can't afford $11 million on elections? Yikes.

[pathora44]

The State of Alabama can't afford $11 million on elections? Yikes.

Well when your living on federal welfare check to federal welfare check you really can't afford things like this.

[GreekLife]

Well when your living on federal welfare to federal welfare check you really can't afford things like this.

Too bad Alabama didn't try to get some of that Medicare Milk Money from Obama because it was Tainted by a Democrat.

[pathora44]

Too bad Alabama didn't try to get some of that Medicare Milk Money from Obama because it was Tainted by a Democrat.

Hmm they don't seem to have any problem taking all those tainted Democrat dollars that New York and California send them every month. It could be that they just tell themselves over and over again that all the money they get comes from Texas and Texas only.

[Lenonis]

So now the GOP is just resorting to blatant power grabs eh?

You might even call them a bunch of sore loser snowflakes!

[Zaydin]

Yeah, this screams of them trying to change the rules so they can't lose again in the future.

[Dontrike]

Nothing like tearing down democracy because you're a whiny piss ant that hates they couldn't get a pedophile into office.

[Allybeboba]

People always trying to change to rules in their favor when they lose something. Reminds of just recently when people were screaming to get the Electoral College dismantled.

Cheers

[Santti]

People always trying to change to rules in their favor when they lose something. Reminds of just recently when people were screaming to get the Electoral College dismantled.

People have been wanting to get rid of EC for a long time now.

False equivalence is false.

[Low Hanging Fruit]

So now the GOP is just resorting to blatant power grabs eh?

You might even call them a bunch of sore loser snowflakes!

Now? The only reason they own the house and senate now is they have gerrymandered all the states to hell. I live in Texas where most of the population of the state lives in Dallas, Austin, Houston and San Antonio. These major cities are blue. So each of these cities are sliced into about 4-5 districts each to make sure they cannot be used to flip a district blue. In a lot of cases its like a long narrow arm that just snakes in and grasps a 4th of the city and then balloons into a massive district in the west. The only reason these people aren't with the dinosaurs is pure exploration. This country is so fucked. Sad because I live here.

[Allybeboba]

People have been wanting to get rid of EC for a long time now.

False equivalence is false.

The people that lose each time want to get rid of it.
They just want to manipulate the system to their favor. It is the same thing my friend. Don’t let your biasness blind you.

Cheers

[Dontrike]

People always trying to change to rules in their favor when they lose something. Reminds of just recently when people were screaming to get the Electoral College dismantled.

Cheers

People wanting to get rid of the Electoral College isn't new though.

[Allybeboba]

People wanting to get rid of the Electoral College isn't new though.

Already replied.

I did not state it was a “new” concept. You just took it as one.

Cheers.

[Machismo]

People always trying to change to rules in their favor when they lose something. Reminds of just recently when people were screaming to get the Electoral College dismantled.

Cheers

It's nice to know you support affirmative action.

Have a wonderful day!

- - - Updated - - -

Already replied.

I did not state it was a “new” concept. You just took it as one.

Cheers.

Ummm:

"Reminds of just recently when people were screaming to get the Electoral College dismantled."

Recently... Man, I love using your own words against you... it's awesome.

Have a wonderful day!

[Allybeboba]

It's nice to know you support affirmative action.

Have a wonderful day!

- - - Updated - - -



Ummm:

"Reminds of just recently when people were screaming to get the Electoral College dismantled."

Recently... Man, I love using your own words against you... it's awesome.

Have a wonderful day!

Affirmative Action wasn’t mentioned. Mental gymnastics anyone?? Lol...
Still didn’t state it was a “new concept”. You know the rules my friend. It’s awesome proving you wrong.

Cheers

[Mormolyce]

Anti-democratic practices got us into this mess, and by gum, they'll get us out of it.

[Machismo]

Still didn’t state it was a “new concept”. You know the rules my friend. It’s awesome proving you wrong.

Cheers

You mentioned that it was done recently, your words.

Also, the other poster didn't say you said it was new... so you were not even really addressing what the other poster said... You were trying to argue against something he never said.

Man, I do love pointing out your logical missteps and lies, it's rather fun.

Have a wonderful day!

[Mormolyce]

People always trying to change to rules in their favor when they lose something. Reminds of just recently when people were screaming to get the Electoral College dismantled.

Cheers

Just FYI, the electoral college has ALWAYS been unpopular.

Time and again over the past seven decades, Americans have told Gallup they would like to be done with the Electoral College system for electing U.S. presidents. In 1948, Gallup found 52% of Americans correctly identifying what the Electoral College is, and of these, only 31% said it should be continued; 56% said it should not be.

Eliminating the Electoral College picked up steam in the 1960s when Democratic Sen. Birch Bayh of Indiana joined the cause, holding congressional hearings on the issue in 1966. In 1967, the American Bar Association came out for repeal, and Bayh sponsored his first resolution calling for a constitutional amendment to abolish the existing system and replace it with a direct popular vote. Between 1967 and 1968, Gallup found an increase in the percentage of all Americans in favor of repeal, from 58% to 80%. Over the next decade, Bayh mounted several more attempts at getting a constitutional amendment to pass in Congress, culminating in a failed last hurrah in 1977. That year, Gallup found 75% of Americans supporting the proposal vs. 14% opposed.

George Gallup wrote in early 1977: "With the battle to abandon the Electoral College once again joined in Congress, the American people have added their voice to the debate -- by a 5-to-1 margin the public favors a constitutional amendment that would eliminate the Electoral College." Supermajority support was found among the young and the old, the highly and not-so-highly educated, and Republicans as well as Democrats.

Gallup last asked about this in 2013 in a referendum format, finding 63% of Americans saying they would -- if they could -- vote for a law that would do away with the Electoral College.

http://news.gallup.com/vault/192704/...l-college.aspx

Literally the only reason you still have that embarrassment of a system is lack of political willpower and the indolence of the electorate.

Of course, the last two Republican Presidents have briefly made it a partisan issue due to their astonishing lack of popularity...



Still, the majority have always wanted it replaced with something, you know, democratic.