Political Analyst Steve Flowers: Legislature has to Deal with Budget Crisis
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The Alabama Legislature reconvenes on Tuesday, and Governor Robert Bentley will give his State of the State Address.
With a 700 million dollar deficit in the general fund budget, he will propose two main tax hikes.
“An increase in the cigarette tax from 42 percent to 82 percent per pack, which will raise 210 million dollars,” said political analyst Steve Flowers. “He is also going to offer a 2 cent sales tax increase on automobiles, which will raise another 210 million dollars. His proposal is going to be a 540 million dollar proposal. And that’s about 80 percent of it in those two ticket items.”
While there may be other issues brought to the floor throughout the session, including a push for charter schools, Flowers says balancing the budget has to come first.
“They shouldn’t go in there and try to pass those look-good-right-wing issues, without addressing the basic functions. Are we going to have a school system or not? See, we’re on the brink of not even having a school system. Governor Bentley may have to go in there and just unlock Atmore and let all the prisoners out. It’s that bad. If these legislators want to spend the four months of the session deciding whether they are going to have charter schools or have prisoners running around in people’s front yards? That’s what they have got to decide,” said Flowers.
