Why No One Opposed a $31M Transfer From Alabama’s Education Budget
MONTGOMERY — In the last days of the legislative session, in late May, lawmakers quickly and quietly transferred a tax revenue worth nearly $31 million a year from the state’s education budget to the General Fund budget to fill a "hole" created by other financial commitments. Those normally opposed to diverting money from schools to other state expenses didn’t complain. Education advocacy groups were relieved the education budget didn’t get stuck with the growing expense of the Children’s Health Insurance Program, so losing a small, flat revenue source was an acceptable tradeoff. Some Republicans have said they didn’t know many details of the transfer, but leadership said the idea wasn’t new. Democrats in the House say they didn’t have time to oppose it. They found out about it when it was on the House floor on the second to last day of the session via an amendment to an economic incentives bill they supported. If they tried to kill the transfer, they’d kill the incentives. “What do you do?” said House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels, D-Huntsville. “You go on record voting against a bill for rural incentives?” Daniels said. “Or do you approve an amendment that there’s a year to contend with?” Read more.
