Alabama legislators are desperate to end a legislative session marked by frustration and disagreements over how to handle a gaping hole in the state's General Fund budget.
The Alabama Senate will vote today on a General Fund budget expected to include significant cuts after lawmakers failed to reach an agreement on new taxes or moving revenue from the state's education budget.
Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh says a special session to try and patch some of those budget holes is looming.
However, Marsh says he hopes the governor will wait until August to call a special session in order to give lawmakers time to try to reach a consensus.
Legislators rejected Gov. Robert Bentley's call for $541 million in new taxes.
There are two meeting days remaining in the current legislative session, but some legislators say they could adjourn after passing a budget today.
Today is the last day for parents to apply to the Huntsville City School District to join the new Desegregation Committee. The group will be tasked with reporting on the process of integration in the district.
Keith Ward is the Director of Communication for Huntsville City Schools. He says there’s no telling how long the process will take. But, he says the committee is the first step towards success for the district.
“Our goal is to make sure that every child in every school can get the same quality education. That’s the court’s goal. That’s everybody’s goal. What this does is puts in a series of checks and balances.”
The committee will examine the federal consent order and prepare a report to be presented next summer to the district superintendent, the school boards, and the courts. Ward says the district wants a cross-section of parents to serve on the committee. Two high school seniors will also serve on the board.
The U.S. Justice Department is currently investigating the treatment of juvenile inmates at the Jefferson County Jail in Birmingham.
The Department of Justice announced the investigation yesterday, saying they received complaints alleging that juveniles were regularly housed with adult inmates where they were sometimes propositioned for sex and that juveniles were improperly kept in prolonged isolation.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, head of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, said prolonged isolation can lead to psychological harm.
The Alabama-based Southern Poverty Law Center sent a letter last year urging DOJ to investigate conditions at the jail. The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department has not yet commented on the investigation.
The Department of Justice also announced a settlement agreement with the state last week over conditions at Julia Tutwiler Prison, Alabama's only prison for women.
High school students with disabilities will graduate today from the Alabama Governor's Youth Leadership Forum.
The weeklong event at Troy University provides leadership activities and lessons on how state government works. This year’s forum has thirty five participants.
Karen Jenkins is with the Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services. She says she couldn’t be more optimistic of things to come for these delegates.
“I hope they learn how to be better leaders, to be better advocates for themselves. I hope they learn how to go back into their communities and advocate for different disability laws that can give individuals with disabilities better access to different things.”
Jenkins says the forum happens once a year and the delegates receive a certificate after attending the weeklong event. This year's forum included sessions on career exploration, self-advocacy, and setting life goals.