Agriculture center bill passes Alabama Legislature amid controversy, filibuster threats

A joint committee of legislators Wednesday approved a bill establishing an new entity to oversee an agriculture center in Jefferson County after a senator threatened to stop other legislation from passing if the bill did not advance.

SB 219, sponsored by Sen. Shay Shelnutt, R-Trussville, would create the Agriculture Exhibition Center Corporation to operate the Alabama Farm Center on Hallmark Farm in Jefferson County.

The bill drew criticism from Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro, over the Alabama Farmers Federation (ALFA), a private entity, having more appointments than the governor.

ALFA said in a statement Wednesday that the center would “provide educational opportunities for young people and strengthen the local and state economies.”

“This legislation will ensure governance of the Alabama Farm Center represents the diverse agricultural interests of the state, including our historically black land grant universities,” the statement said.

The Senate concurred with the conference committee report Wednesday morning. The House voted 72-9 to approve the report Wednesday, moving it to Gov. Kay Ivey.

Shelnutt said the only change in the conference committee report from the House version was one name being submitted by the minority leadership rather than four.

The bill was originally scheduled for conference committee on Tuesday, but at least one House member did not attend the meeting.

Shelnutt accused House members of retaliating over the now-dead gambling bill. Rep. Andy Whitt, R-Harvest, a major drafter of the bill, and Rep. Sam Jones, D-Mobile, the Democrats’ point of contact on the legislation, were both members of the committee. 

A compromise proposal on the legislation passed the House last week but not the Senate, and a key senator pronounced the legislation dead on Monday. Alfa was a major opponent of the legislation. Shelnutt voted against the bills. 

Rep. Andy Whitt, R-Harvest, said in a text message after the conference committee meeting that he would not hold up legislation that could help state residents “over an unrelated issue.”

“The assertion that I’m attempting to negatively impact the farm center legislation is completely false,” he wrote. “In fact, I voted to pass this legislation out of my committee not just once, but twice. The truth of the matter is that I didn’t know the conference committee was meeting until after they had started.”

Whitt questioned the finances of the center on Wednesday. Shelnutt said they were not currently asking for state funding. 

Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, had concerns about the way that minority leadership would have their appointing function.

“I hope this the very last time that anybody bring that concept,” he said.

The bill, as passed the House, says that there would be “one member appointed by the governor from a list of not less than four nominees submitted jointly by the House Minority Leader and the Senate Minority Leader, who shall serve an initial term of three years.”

Whitt said he echoed Smitherman’s sentiments, and they both said he they would sign off on it.

The delay led Shelnutt Tuesday to threaten to filibuster House bills for the remainder of the session. The Legislature should end the 2024 regular session on Thursday. 

“As far as I’m concerned, you know, we just need to pass the budgets and go home because there’s no other House bills, local bills,” he said. “I’m sorry for you.”

Sen. Vivian Davis Figures, D-Mobile, who had a parental leave bill blocked by the Senate President Pro Tempore last week, criticized Shelnutt’s behavior.

“Why don’t you take it like a big boy just like I took mine like a big girl the other day?” she said. “I said my piece and I left it alone. Sen. Reed and I are fine.”

Figures also cited a pending bill, HB 136, that would allow family courts to remove children in case of findings of abuse or neglect. The bill has passed Senate committee and needs a final vote.

She said there was a situation in Mobile where a mother killed herself and her children when the judge knew they were not stable.

“That bill needs to pass because we cannot lose any more children like that and so if you are going to stand here and do that, and that bill doesn’t pass this session, the blood of every child that comes under those circumstances will be on your hands,” she said.

House Democrats criticized the reduction of minority appointments in the conference committee report, and suggested Republicans from the chamber on the conference committee had given in too quickly.

“When they diminish our wishes and reduce number of minorities, we would be remiss if we did not fight,” said Rep. Mary Moore, D-Birmingham.

Rep. Chris Blackshear, R-Smiths Station, one of the driving forces behind the gambling bill, was also critical of the measure.

“Somebody told me every time If I could win 99 times out every 100 I win the game, that’s pretty good,” he said. “What we’re learning here is that some entities want 101 out of 100 wins.”

Updated at 3:07 p.m. with House vote and comments.