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| Ala. Gov. set to sign inmate release bill |
| By Mobile Register |
| Published: 09/29/2003 |
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Lawmakers sent the Alabama's governor a bill Wednesday that would speed the release of more than 5,000 state inmates and ease voter registration for certain felons who have completed their sentences. The bulk of Alabama's two main budgets also won approval. Differences between the House and Senate on the spending plans will likely be resolved today, according to legislative leaders. Legislators are pushing to write the operating budgets before the new fiscal year begins Wednesday. A spokesman said Gov. Bob Riley would sign the prisoner bill after reviewing it. "We have to have it to comply with federal court orders requiring us to reduce our prison population," said Press Secretary David Azbell. Riley wants to expand the Board of Pardons and Paroles so prisoners in the state's packed prison system can be released early. The bill also included the measure that would expedite the process by which some felons are granted voting rights. The Senate's 21-11 vote Wednesday fell largely along party lines, with Republicans opposing the measure, but there was little debate. "You'll never get complete consensus, but I think people understood what was at stake," said Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, who guided the bill through the Senate. The governor included felon voting right provisions after vetoing a similar bill earlier this year, a move that angered black leaders. Some observers have speculated it cost Riley support in the black community for his $1.2 billion tax plan, which voters rejected Sept. 9. Rep. Yvonne Kennedy, the bill's sponsor, and some other black leaders withheld public support for the tax plan until the governor met with them in August to come to an agreement on the felon voting rights issue. Under Kennedy's bill, a felon who has completed his or her sentence and paid all restitution would, following a series of reviews by Pardons and Parole Board officials, receive clearance to register to vote. Those convicted of murder, treason and a host of sex crimes, among other offenses, would not be eligible to regain their vote. Kennedy, D-Mobile, also spoke at a rally Wednesday on behalf of community corrections programs, which were seeking an additional $5.5 million from the state. Kennedy said the programs can help the state deal with prison overcrowding and provide needed support to help offenders ease their way back into society. |
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