Senate budget chairman Arthur Orr said Thursday he believes a second special session is inevitable. Lawmakers are at the halfway point of the session and have yet to pass a major revenue bill in either chamber. Governor Robert Bentley said funding cuts passed by the House of Representatives are unworkable. He says lawmakers must keep working to find a solution. The session must end Tuesday by law.
Fetal Tissue
While a second special session seems inevitable, that's not stopping legislators from passing bills. The Senate Finance and Taxation General Fund committee approved a bill that prohibits the sale of aborted fetuses or fetal tissue. It was brought as a response to the secretly recorded videos of Planned Parenthood staffers discussing the price of fetus parts. Republican Senator Trip Pittman of Daphne says a message needs to be sent. The bill received a favorable report from the committee and now goes to the full Senate.
Funding Cut
In the meantime, Governor Robert Bentley has announced he is eliminating state Medicaid payments to Planned Parenthood. Speaking of the recently released recordings, Bentley called the organization's practices "deplorable" and say he doesn't want Alabama to be associated with the group. In a letter, Governor Bentley says the state is terminating an agreement with Planned Parenthood Southeast as a Medicaid provider. State money had been used by the group for birth control for low-income women, but the exact amount wasn't immediately clear.
Forever Wild
A public hearing was held Thursday on a bill that would move funding for the Forever Wild Land Trust program into the State Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. The bill's supporters say the money would be used to salvage state parks in Alabama. But the Commissioner of the Conservation Department, Gunter Guy says state residents want both programs continued. Representative Phil Williams is sponsoring the bill in the House. He says some tough decisions need to be made. Members of the House Ways and Means General Fund committee will vote on the proposal at their next meeting.