Former Senator's Suit Seeks To Block Ala. Budget

A former State senator has filed a lawsuit in state court in Montgomery claiming that legislators violated the Alabama Constitution earlier this year by passing a 2013 budget that was not balanced. The 2013 General Fund budget, which goes into effect Oct. 1, relies on a transfer of approximately $467 million from the Alabama Trust Fund into state coffers over the next three years. Voters must approve the transfer in a constitutional amendment on the ballot Sept. 18. If the amendment is rejected, the state budget would have to be cut significantly. The suit, filed Tuesday afternoon by former state Sen. John Rice, names Gov. Robert Bentley, Finance Director Marquita Davis and Comptroller Thomas White as defendants. Rice wants the court to block use of General Fund money. Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.