• 64°
franklin county times

Broken legislature makes mess of gift giving

Lawmaking is supposed to be a deliberative process.
The legislative system is designed to foster careful consideration. There are two separate chambers of the Legislature where each bill must pass. There are hearings in committees where citizens can comment. There are amendments to fix problems.
Most importantly, there is debate on each bill before a vote is taken. The back and forth of honest engaged debate is important to expose problems and correct them before a bill becomes law. Floor debate is often the only time when common sense gets introduced in the statehouse.
Yet, for many bills passed by the new legislative majority, deliberation was cast aside. In the last year, there were more votes to forcibly end debate than in the past twenty. Ramming bills through was the mode of operation for leaders in the House and Senate.
Now many Alabamians are feeling the ill effects.
This Christmas season, teachers are hurt by the lack of common sense in the new ethics law. Legislative leaders had already slashed their pay, cut funds for school supplies, provided no new textbooks, and made hundreds of teachers retire mid-year. Adding insult to injury, now teachers cannot accept Christmas gifts from their students.
That’s right, if little Johnny or Jane comes to class this month bearing a gift certificate to a store for classroom supplies, or even a holiday ham or turkey, they will be breaking the new state ethics law. Those who break the law could be charged with a misdemeanor, and sentenced to up to a year in jail and be fined up to $6,000.
Jim Sumner, director of the Alabama Ethics Commission said students may still bake cookies, or bring in something consumable such as a candle or a potted plant, but the days of teachers being given a $25 gift card to Target or Walmart are a thing of the past.
If it seems ridiculous to make giving gifts to teachers illegal, that’s because it is.
The nonprofit Center for Ethics in Government, a national expert in state ethics laws, said they weren’t aware of any other state that banned gifts to classroom teachers. It would seem that Alabama stands alone in criminalizing the good wishes of a family toward their child’s teacher.
It didn’t used to be this way. The old state ethics law exempted seasonal gifts, as long as they were less than $100. Rarely if ever did a child’s gift approach that figure, yet many families did give something so a teacher could restock her classroom.
Now, it is illegal.
The state ethics laws needed to be changed. For far too long lobbyists and others lavished gifts on legislators and other decision makers in state government. There needed to be tighter controls. Yet, in their haste, the majority didn’t allow the normal deliberative process to fix what is obviously a ridiculous outcome of banning small gifts to teachers. Floor debate was killed, amendments were not considered, and the majority passed what leaders wanted without thought.
What’s worse, there are still loopholes in the new ethics law that allow lobbyist to purchase meals and trips for legislators, as long as they are deemed “educational.”
We have seen a steady stream of lawsuits, court actions, and controversy over laws passed in a slipshod and hurried manner. Problems will continue to grow as other new laws come into effect, laws with flaws that could have been caught had careful consideration been used.

Johnny Mack Morrow is a state representative for Franklin County. His column appears each Wednesday.

Features

Beekeeping is buzzy business

Franklin County

Maj. William Russell: City owes its name to pioneer settler

News

Expect closures for U.S. 43 at Walmart 

Franklin County

RCS, FCS offer seamless summer meal programs

Belgreen

Belgreen FFCLA hosts basketball tournament to help hunger

Franklin County

Phi Theta Kappa inducts honorees from Franklin County at NEMCC

Belgreen

Congratulations to the Class of 2023!

News

PHOTOS: West Elementary enjoys color run

Lifestyles

Strawberry farm offers u-pick fun

News

PHOTOS: RHS Class of 2023 seniors graduate

Belgreen

PHOTOS: Tharptown, Phil Campbell, Belgreen, Vina, Red Bay seniors graduate

Franklin County

Charles Parrish: Superintendent’s love for school system sees stadium named in his honor

High School Sports

Kiel helps obtain funds for TES bleachers 

News

Area residents among those on ICC honors lists

Franklin County

FC chooses new assistant county engineer 

News

Red Bay’s Weatherford Library gears up for summer reading program

News

NW-SCC students to showcase their art at Tennessee Valley Museum of Art

Franklin County

Tharptown High School rocketry team blasts into second place in nation

News

Vina High School holds Spring Spectacular 

News

RES fifth grade chorus presents “RES Goes Country” 

News

Addie’s Flip Tip and Tap holds 18th annual dance recital

Franklin County

Chucky Mullins: Football legend makes lasting impact

Franklin County

ACA awards foundation scholarship

Franklin County

FCS provides Seamless Summer meal programs

x