Another Year, Same Story – Alabama Lawmakers Repeat Their Mistakes

Yesterday, Alabama legislative leaders in the House proved they have learned nothing from their mistakes and that they don’t care at all about the pain and suffering of all Alabamians.

They have rushed through a so-called reform bill that will do nothing to alleviate the economic and humanitarian crisis that is gripping our state because of HB 56 – Alabama’s draconian anti-immigrant law. This law harms the economy, runs counter to our fundamental principles of faith and returns Alabama to its dark past of racial hatred and division.

The bill House members passed today does not come close to adequately addressing the problems plaguing the state – for citizens and noncitizens alike. These problems were caused by HB 56. It fails to address the labor shortage farmers across the state are struggling with and it completely ignores the $1 million dollars our state is losing every day in state and local tax revenue – revenue we cannot afford to lose in the midst of deep budget cuts.

Last year, these same lawmakers promised that this hateful law would be an economic stimulus for the state – ridding freeloaders from public programs and driving unemployment down. Instead, this law has proved to be anything but that.

Once again, their half-hearted efforts fall dangerously short of what Alabama deserves. Instead of addressing the problems they created, they are charging forward with a bill that will serve only to dig our state into a deeper hole and perpetuate the hate rhetoric and bigotry that has endangered the lives of anyone who appears “foreign” in Alabama.

Alabama deserves better. Illegal and harmful bills like this will not go unchallenged.