For now, though, let us note four particular issues that deserve quick action without being bogged down on the legislative calendar behind the budget mega-bills that too often are used to slow things down.

First, the governor said he would send to legislators a list of criminal sentencing and procedural reforms that were developed by a special commission of judges, prosecutors and victims' advocates after thorough and searching review.

Legislators polled on the issue overwhelmingly say they support the reforms -- and with state prisons being vastly overcrowded and subject to continuing lawsuits, the need for reform is obvious. Sentences should be more consistent and predictable, and non-violent lesser offenders should be punished if possible through alternative means (rather than lengthy incarceration) so that prisons will have more room to keep the more violent offenders behind bars and off the streets.

Yet legislators have punted on these issues for several years, and some predict they will do so again for fear of being labeled "soft on crime." First, they shouldn't be such cowards that they fear to do what's right. Second, if they can't explain that sentencing reform will allow the state to get tougher, not more lenient, against heinous offenders, then they are too incompetent as opinion leaders to merit re-election in the first place.

The second issue should be simple. Attorney General Troy King will push legislation to set a zero tolerance for child pornography, especially by cracking down on computer-generated child porn. Alabama's children deserve the protections that Mr. King's legislation would provide.

Third, Alabama ought to join the 32 other states that already treat the murder of or assault on an unborn child as an offense on its own, so that violence against pregnant women can be treated by the courts as two offenses instead of just one -- and thus twice punished as well.

Women deserve to have their unborn children protected from third-party assault. The governor's wise proposal would do that.

Finally, the fourth issue does have a more explicit budgetary component, but at heart it is more a policy reform than a budget issue, more common sense than dollars-and-cents. The governor noted that Alabama is one of only three states that does not mandate a school year of at least 180 days in the classroom, and he proposed that Alabama be brought up to the 180-day norm.

He explained it well: "Our students and teachers are held to the same standards as those in other states. To expect them to accomplish the same amount of work in fewer days just doesn't make sense and it's not fair."

In a previous paragraph in his speech, Gov. Riley also called for a 5 percent pay raise for teachers. He did not explicitly tie that issue to the 180-school-day issue, but he should.

Teachers already received a hefty raise last year. To get a new one, they should provide their pupils the extra classroom days the students deserve.

Back to News