• Look for LIVE tweets inside the House Education Appropriations committee where they will vote on PACT and Charter Schools. #
• George Talbot column: High Noon in Alabama: http://bit.ly/8ZPCtg #
• House Education Appropriations (EA) committee meeting should begin soon. -Standing room only #
• The House EA committee has come to order. #
• Mayor of Hoover Tony Petelos, former state legislator, takes a moment of personal privilege to speak in favor of the PACT program. #
• Petelos estimates that over a thousand citizens of Hoover are members of the PACT program. #
• 1st bill on the House EA committee is HB228 by Rep. Craig Ford (D). http://bit.ly/cyrguW,, #
• Ford: There is no negotiation for not guaranteeing these contracts for these children. #
• Rep. Gren Wren (R): We want to systemically change the PACT board. #
• Ford: The PACT program is currently funded 65%. This legislation would fully fund the program. #
• Ford: We are not taking money right out of the education trust fund budget. This would be new monies that would be going into the trust fund #
• Rep. Jeff McLaughlin: I want to make sure any lawsuits that may exist over PACT go away once we pass this bill. #
• Ford: I think if the contracts are honored then there would not be any lawsuits. #
• Representatives Buskey and Gipson praise the hard work of the Save the Alabama PACT program. #
• Rep. James Thomas: I just want to tell the audience, once this bill gets out of here it will pass the house and senate. #
• HB228, PACT, received a favorable report from the House EA committee. #
• House EA committee takes up HB123 by Rep. Wren, PACT Board of Directors, http://bit.ly/bOxzI4,, #
• HB123 as amended received a favorable report from the House EA committee. #
• HB124, protect the promise-advisory task force, is up for discussion in the House EA committee. http://bit.ly/dhoNXV,, #
• HB124 received a favorable report from the House EA committee. #
• HB189, Charter Schools, is up for discussion in the House EA committee http://bit.ly/aPF4nV,, #
• Rep. Mary Sue McClurkin discusses HB189, Alabama Innovative Charter Schools Act. #
• McClurkin: Enrollment is by parental choice. Parents get to choose if they want their child to attend a charter school. #
• McClurkin: A Charter School is a nonprofit organization. #
• Rep. Richard Lindsey (D): It bothers me that during this time of record deficits, we are going to be required to provide additional funding. #
• Rep. Mac Gipson (R): I believe a school system would be prudent in starting a charter school. #
• Gipson: There are certain areas (School Systems) around the state that need something in their arsenal to inspire change. #
• Rep. Betty Carol Graham: I would like to make the motion to indefinitely postpone this bill. #
• Rep. Buskey: I don't think the state is ready for this. #
• Buskey: I don't know what is wrong with the Governor with these controversial and weird programs. He needs to leave this stuff alone. #
• McClurkin: This is not the Governor, this is Mary Sue McClurkin. #
• McClurkin: This is about the school children. #
• McClurkin: Please come forward with something that isn't doing the same ole same ole, throwing $$ at things that don't make a difference. #
• Rep. Robert Bentley (R): I personally am not a strong supporter of charter schools. #
• Bentley: I think we could have a pilot program. Set a maximum of schools, I recommend 10. 5 technical and 5 charter. #
• Bentley: I think we need to limit the number of charter schools. I personally am not a big supporter of charter schools. #
• Bentley: I think charter schools could work in a technical program. #
• Bentley: Even if we don't have charter schools, we can still apply for Race to the Top monies. #
• Rep. Gipson moves to table Rep. Graham's motion so others can add amendments to the bill. #
• Rep. John Rogers: It boils down to 1 thing, we don't have the money for these charter schools. #
• Rogers (D) to Bentley (R): You are really gubernatorial, you are my man. #
• The House EA committee voted to indefinitely postpone HB189, Innovative Charter Schools Act. #
• Governor Riley: Rejection of Charter Schools Hurts Chances for Education Funds: http://bit.ly/aa1KTc #
• Look for LIVE tweets inside the Senate Judiciary committee meeting. Bills up for debate…graduated drivers license, Governor's authority… #
• The Senate Judiciary committee meeting has come to order. 1st bill up for discussion, HB65. #
• View HB65 by Rep. Mac Gipson (R), 3-stage graduated drivers license. http://bit.ly/aOfs5L, #
• Gipson: This is a bill that will help save the lives of our teenagers as they go through the process of learning to drive. #
• Gipson: 16 year olds could not drive from midnight thru 6:00 am. #
• Sen. Bedford (D): Let's hold this bill up until we see the affects of what we passed last year with the Mike Curtis law. #
• Bedford: This is about taking people's rights away. #
• Bedford asks the chair to carry over the bill to get statistics from Mike Curtis on the affects of last year's bill. #
• @SenatorZeb (Z. Little): If the bill will save 1 life then I support it. I do believe this bill will save at least 1 life, & its worth it. #
• Senator Singleton offers an amendment that changes the bill to allow 2 passengers instead of just 1 passenger. #
• The committee adopts Singleton's amendment. #
• @SenatorZeb offered an amendment that allows a 16 year old to drive to go hunting or fishing. #
• @SenatorZeb's hunting and fishing amendment to HB65 was adopted. #
• SB302 by Sen. Keahey passed the Senate Judiciary committee. #
• SB326 received a favorable report from the Senate Judiciary committee. #
• HB144 by Rep. Payne received a favorable by the Senate Judiciary committee. #
• The Senate Judiciary committee takes up SB375 by Sen. Singleton http://bit.ly/awhFri,, #
• DA Association rep: This bill opens up a potentially disastrous situation for DA's across the state. #
• DA Association rep: Gambling has absolutely nothing to do with why I am here. This is not a partisan issue. #
• DA Association rep: Bad facts make bad law. We are concerned about the law of unintended consequences. #
• DA Association rep: We have had a situation in the past, when we could not get the AG to act so we had to get the Gov to ask the AG to act. #
• DA Association rep: This bill essentially creates super powers for the attorney general. #
• DA Association rep: This bill gives the AG the ability to superintend the way I conduct court. #
• DA Association rep: This does not have anything to do with who the AG is now. #
• DA Association rep: This short term attempt to fix a problem will create long term affect for the DAs of this state. #
• DA Association rep: We think this is a bad bill and we ask that you vote it down. #
• Sen. Pittman (R): I think elections solve problems, they have certain philosophies. #
• Sen. Smitherman (D) to Pittman: I respectfully disagree with you and say that I do not think elections solve problems. #
• Tommy Smith (DA-Tuscaloosa): I want to remind everyone that District Attorneys are a part of the executive branch of government. #
• Smith: This bill allows the Attorney General to stop an investigation. The public should be concerned by that. #
• Corey Maes, Solicitor General for the State: With this bill the Governor would no longer be able to appoint a supernumerary. #
• Sen. Singleton (D): This bill is dealing with the gambling raids that we are having across the state. #
• RT @GOT2SNAP: @AlabamaPolitics Can you tweet links or articles? I would like to look up. View Bill: http://bit.ly/awhFri,, #
• Singleton: I am happy to work with the DAs before putting this on the calendar. #
• Bedford: This is not a vehicle that I am willing to support on the floor. #
• Singleton: Even though the DAs are here, I do expect good faith and work from them. I intend to move this bill forward. #
• Sen. Ben Brooks (R): I want to make sure we don't let the passions of the day outweigh what is best for the state. #
• Singleton: It really disturbs me that no one sees a problem with what is happening today. We have to do something about this. #
• The Senate Judiciary committee gave SB375 a favorable report. Vote-7 to 3. #

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