|
|
| Black Lawmakers Blast Ala. Gov.'s Veto |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 07/03/2003 |
|
Black lawmakers said Gov. Bob Riley scarred Alabama's image when he vetoed a bill restoring voting rights for former felons, but they won't use it to block his record tax hike. 'Those two issues will be separate,' Sen. Rodger Smitherman, chairman of Alabama's Legislative Black Caucus, said at a news conference June 26. The Legislature on May 16 passed bills to require voters to show identification at the polls and to restore voting rights for many former felons. The bills passed as an agreement between white Republican legislators, who wanted voter ID, and black Democratic legislators, who wanted felon voting rights. The Republican governor signed the voter ID bill, but decided to kill the felon voting rights bill June 24 by not signing it. 'His veto has brought another national scar on Alabama's image,' Rep. Yvonne Kennedy, the bill's sponsor, said in a statement. Riley's veto had prompted some members of the Legislative Black Caucus to speculate that the group might retaliate by opposing the governor's $1.2 billion tax plan that goes before voters Sept. 9. But the caucus decided last week not to do that because the state faces a $675 million budget shortfall and drastic cuts in state services. 'We really have a crisis in this state,' Smitherman said. The governor's press secretary, David Azbell, said Riley was gratified the group looked at what was best for the long-term interest of the state. He said Riley's tax package would benefit many of the black legislators' constituents by reducing income taxes on low-income and some middle-class families. Some members said the veto still will hurt Riley among black voters Sept. 9. 'Many of the black people are disappointed in the position he has taken,' Rep. Alvin Holmes said. Marc Mauer, assistant director of the Sentencing Project in Washington, said Alabama is one of six states that take voting rights away from all felons and have a cumbersome process for restoring them. The others are Florida, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi and Virginia. In Alabama, felons who have completed their sentences must apply to the parole board to restore voting rights. The waiting list contains 2,000 names and some inmates have been waiting years. |
advertise
|
privacy policy
|
add URL
|
about us
|
terms/disclaimer
|
contact us
|
join our team
|
help
Comments:
No comments have been posted for this article.
Login to let us know what you think