FlexiGate: The Two Versions of The School Accountability Act
By Bill Britt
Alabama Political Reporter
MONTGOMERY—Two versions of the School Accountability Act have surfaced over the last week. One was passed out of Conference Committee, and out of the Legislature, the other is now listed on the State Legislative website as a different version.
On Thursday, February 28, the Joint Conference Committee met to work out the details of a compromise between the House and Senate on HB84. However, when Republican Legislators returned to the committee after a recess they introduces at substantially different bill call The School Accountability Act of 2013.
Within seconds after the Conference Committee dismissed we conducted a quick interviewed with Representative Laura Hall (D-Huntsville). At the end of the interview Representative Hall gave us her copy of the new bill. The copy included notes that she had made on the bill during the Conference Committee, see doc. The number for, “Substitute for HB84, As Engrossed,” was 149517-7, the 7 means version 7 of the bill. The bill that we received in the press box on Thursday night before the Senate Voted also read 149517-7. Republican Scott Beason (R-Gardendale), said that there were four or five copies on HB84 on his desk before the Senate vote. When interviewed for this story he verified that the copy he had taken home was indeed 149517-7. Another Republican who did not want to be mentioned in this article verified that his version of HB84 was also 149517-7, which meant it was version 7. Both indicated that thought that version 7 was the bill they were voting on.
However, according to the Legislative site Alison the version that went of Conference Committee was version 8