Sen. Gerald Dial Returns His Check for 2nd Special Session to the Senate
Dial says Legislature should have passed a workable budget in regular session
After Governor Robert Bentley vetoed the Legislature’s budget in the regular session that concluded in June, over the summer the Legislature met for a first and then a second special session to negotiate a budget the Governor would find agreeable. The Governor finally agreed to sign a new budget the Legislature passed last week.
But as with the first special session, Senator Gerald Dial (R-Lineville) refused to accept his paycheck for the second special session, saying the Legislature was called back because it didn’t do its job in the regular session of passing a workable budget for state agencies. On Wednesday, Senator Dial returned his paycheck of $643.20 to Pat Harris, Secretary of the Senate.
“You know, I believe the Legislature’s duty is to pass a workable budget in the regular session, and frankly, we didn’t do that,” Dial said. “So we had to come back for two special sessions, but the people of Alabama shouldn’t be on the hook for it.”
In the first special session, Dial introduced a resolution in the Senate urging all legislators to refuse a paycheck for the special session. The resolution passed unanimously in the Senate, but the House refused to consider the measure.
Senator Gerald Dial represents District 13 in the Alabama Senate, which includes all or parts of Randolph, Lee, Cleburne, Clay, Cherokee, and Chambers counties. He serves as Chairman of the Senate Health & Human Services Committee. Gerald and his wife Faye reside in Lineville.