MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The Alabama Legislature agreed on its last day to sell bonds to borrow $130 million to repair tornado-damaged schools, improve school technology equipment and build National Guard armories.
The Senate voted 26-6 Monday afternoon to give final passage to the $30 million bond issue for school repairs. The bill now goes to Gov. Robert Bentley for his review.
The bill would provide $15 million for Mobile’s Murphy High School, which was damaged by a tornado on Christmas Day. There is also money for five other schools damaged by tornadoes on April 27, 2011. Three schools in the Tuscaloosa area would benefit, with $3 million for Alberta City Elementary and $2.5 million each for University Place Elementary and Holt Elementary. Phil Campbell High School will receive $6.4 million and Plainview High School $604,000.
The House voted 93-1 Monday night to approve a $50 million bond issue to build armories. That measure is a proposed constitutional amendment that won’t take effect unless approved by Alabama voters in a statewide referendum next year.
Democratic Rep. Joe Hubbard of Montgomery questioned the state’s method of building during a period of tight budgets.
“When we can’t raise money for good purposes, we borrow it,” he said.
Also Monday, the Senate and House agreed overwhelmingly to borrow another $50 million through bonds to purchase technology training equipment in Alabama’s public schools. The bond issue is designed to support the State Board of Education’s goal of having all high school graduates ready for college or a career. That bill now goes to the governor.
Another bond issue to provide $50 million for school security measures passed the House but died because the Senate never received a report from a committee that approved the bill. The measure was recommended by a legislative committee that studied security issues in Alabama schools after the deadly mass shootings at Sandy Hook elementary school in Connecticut, but opponents said no bonds should be sold until there is more study of schools’ individual needs.
The bill’s sponsor, Republican Rep. Allen Treadaway of Morris, said he will bring back the bill when the next legislative session begins in January.
A fifth bond issue, allowing the sale of $100 million in bonds to help public school students switch from traditional paper textbooks to electronic textbooks on computer tablets, passed in the House but died in the Senate without coming to a vote on the last night of the legislative session.
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Associated Press writers Bob Johnson and Kathy Wingard contributed to this story.
