Sponsored Legislation 2008 Regular Session

When one sponsors legislation, the responsibility is almost like raising a child. The bill has to be tended to all through the process. There is no automatic progression of a bill as it moves through the many hurdles it must survive in order to become law. The process is so arduous that about 80% never make it to the finish line. If the process were not stringent, citizens would never be able to keep up with the thousands of new laws each year. Fortunately, every bill offered is subjected to a great deal of scrutiny before making the final cut.

The sponsor of a bill shepherds the bill through the process. The more bills you sponsor, the more likely you will have to be at two places at once to help the bills along. For that reason, legislators limit the number of bills they carry, and limit the kinds of bills they carry. It is easier to have a special interest group interested in a bill so they can help with the process. For example, the folks from the Veterans Administration are interested in my Purple Heart bill, and they will help me keep up with the progress of the bill, assist in research, and communicate with legislators about the bill. We do not have a staff to assist us, so we often rely on folks that have an interest in passage.

All too often legislators introduce bills with no intent of completing the process. The most common reason for this is to placate a constituent. Legislators get requests from home folks, introduce the bill, then let is die on the vine from lack of attention. This way the legislator claims credit for trying. I was amazed as this practice when I first figured out what was going on. Certainly a waste of time and effort, and although not exactly dishonest, it is deceptive.

Co-sponsoring a bill is a piece of cake. It means you get your name listed on the cover of the bill following the sponsor’s name, but you are not obligated to spend any time helping the bill along. It is expected that you will vote for the bill when and if you get a chance, both in committee and on the floor. Legislators have been known to co-sponsor bills that they have no intention of supporting, and a perfect example was an illegal immigration bill in the senate. 25 of the 35 senators co-sponsored the bill. Then they did not attend the meeting to vote it of committee, so now the bill is bottled up. The senators will go home and tell their voters that they co-sponsored the bill, but they will not tell them the undermined the progress of the bill. Talk about smoke and mirrors.

The following is a list of the bills I am sponsoring this session. One of the things I enjoy about the legislature is the diversity of the subjects one must deal with. I am about maxed out on what I can deal with for this session. It is easy to load up on bills, but there is a law of diminishing returns. You can easily find out for yourself the bills that each legislator sponsors by following the path:

http://www.legislature.state.al.us/ > Legislation, Code and Constitution > BILLS > BY SPONSOR > Scroll to legislators name then GET BILLS. This will give you a summary of the bills, and to see the bill in its entirety, click on the bill number, then click on VIEW.

HB16 Safety Zones: This is a bill in which the governor wants, and it allows DOT and county commissions to temporarily reduce speed limit in areas that have data that shows a high number of crashes. The details are still being worked out among the affected parties. Pending committee action.

HB17 teen Cell Phones. Bans cell phone use by 15, 16 and 17 year olds while operating a motor vehicle. I and many others are trying to drum up legislative support, and not having much success. Stuck in committee.

HB18 Municipal jail fees. When a city houses a prisoner in a county jail, allows city to recoup full cost from prisoner. The law now has a $20/day cap, and the city has to absorb any amount over that. Supported by cities. Out of committee.

HB31 Optometry Scholarship. When doctors pay back loans, puts money back into scholarship fund instead of general fund of state. Will eventually be perpetual fund without relying on legislature’s lean budgets and fat budgets. Supported by profession. Passed house. Sent to senate.

HB213 Pilots bill. Bar pilots skipper big ships in and out of Mobile Bay. This increases qualifications, more stringent training. Supported by Bar Pilots. Before house next week.

HB559 Abolish supernumeraries. Eliminates future county paid retirees. Anyone seeking retirement benefits in the future must meet standards of Retirement System of Alabama, and get paid from state system, not county. Will save the county hundreds of thousands of dollars over next several years. Grandfathers in current recipients. Supported by County Commission. Passed house, sent to senate.

HBXXX St. Clair County School district lines: resolves issue of attendance and voting lines for St. Clair County Board of Education and Pell City Board of Education. Supported by both boards. Almost ready to introduce.

HB558 Purple Heart. Purple Heart recipients eligible for free tuition and fees at public colleges, universities, and community colleges. Supported by patriots, veterans. In committee.

HB 583 Prison industries. Allows private industries to have production facilities within prison walls. Prisoners learn job skills, earn some money, and some of that money is earmarked for restitution for crime victims. Supported by the Department of Corrections. In committee.

HB628 Private property sign act. Disallows fees charged to home owners to place signs in their yard. Allows the city to regulate size, height, and placement. Free speech issue. In committee.

Feel free to comment on any of these bills. Use CONTACT US to let me know how you feel.