Sims: Alabama budget battle a 'true test of conservatives in the Legislature'

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Commenting on the various budget plans recently proposed by state legislative leaders and Governor Bentley, Yellowhammer Radio host Cliff Sims issued a challenge Wednesday to Republican lawmakers.

Alabama House GOP leadership on Tuesday introduced a General Fund budget compromise that would make targeted cuts, but also acquiesce to the Governor’s call for higher taxes. The proposal includes an approximately $100 million tax hike, as well as measures to consolidate a few agencies and cut costs.

Sims opined that the litany of options before legislators right now has created an opportunity for conservatives to take a stand in the face of growing pressure to abandon their limited-government principles.

“This is the true test of conservatives in the Legislature,” he said. “We’re going to find out what they’re made of. It’s one thing to buck the Governor; there’s natural tension between the legislative branch and the executive branch… It’s going to be a lot more difficult now when rank and file Republican legislators have their Leadership saying, ‘We want to raise taxes to the tune of $100+ million on the people of Alabama,’ and they’re going to have to look Leadership in the eye and say, ‘We can’t do that. We were elected to reform state government. We were elected to apply conservative principles to solve these [problems] and raising taxes is not a part of that.’ Looking Leadership in the eye and saying that is a lot tougher deal [than bucking the Governor]…”

Sims said people around the state are waiting for a “conservative hero” to step up and take on the challenge of bringing true reform to Alabama’s budgeting process.

“You can’t abandon your principles on something like this,” he explained. “I’m looking for a conservative hero. I’m looking for multiple conservative heroes in the Alabama Legislature who stand up and say, ‘I ran on reforming state government, and if that costs me my seat, I’m willing to do it because I came here to do the right thing.’ And that’s going to be tough to look Leadership in the eye and do that, but I’m telling you, there is a political opportunity for somebody out there right now. A conservative Republican senator who stands up and says, ‘There will not be a tax hike on my watch, I will not allow this to happen,’ that individual will be rewarded by the voters of Alabama. Somebody right now who has aspirations to be governor has an opportunity right now to make a name for themselves for being the guy who stood up in the Legislature and said, ‘I’m not going to stand for this.’”

In addition to the budget proposed Tuesday by House leadership, legislators also have before them plans to institute a lottery and expand gambling, increase taxes by $541 million, or none of the above, triggering deeper budget cuts.

Listen to the entire audio clip above.

Yellowhammer Radio airs every weekday from 12-1 p.m. and can be streamed live on the show’s flagship station, Superstation 101.1, WYDE.