MONTGOMERY, Ala. — One Alabama Senator says he is returning his paycheck for the Special Legislative Session because his conscience won’t let him accept payment for a job he didn’t do.
Senator Gerald Dial (R-Lineville), who is currently serving his tenth term in the Legislature, told Yellowhammer Tuesday morning that this isn’t the first time he’s refused to collect a check for working during a Special Session.
“Historically, ever since I’ve been in the Senate I haven’t taken a paycheck during the Special Session,” Sen. Dial explained. “I’ve always felt like we’ve been sent down here with a mission and if we can’t do it during the Regular Session we shouldn’t get paid.”
Dial introduced a resolution during the Regular Session calling on lawmakers to forgo their paychecks during the Special Session. Thought it passed the Senate unanimously, the resolution was never considered by the House.
The senator said he isn’t trying to pressure his colleagues into making the same decision, but thinks that if they examined their own consciences, they would come to the same conclusion.
“It’s not my job to embarrass, or to put my fellow colleagues in an awkward situation, but I think if they let their conscience prevail, they wouldn’t take money and expenses for something that we didn’t do… They’re being paid to paint the house, but they actually didn’t paint it,” he quipped. “But I can’t be the conscience of 140 people, I can only be the conscience of one.”
Each Special Session, which can only be called by the governor to address a specific issue area, costs taxpayers nearly $100,000 a week according to the Legislative Fiscal Office. Special Sessions can only last a total of 12 legislative days over 30 calendar days.
The current Special Session was called to address the projected shortfall in the General Fund budget. The Session is set to conclude Tuesday afternoon, and the Legislature has failed to come to a compromise, and will almost certainly be called into a second Special Session shortly.
Sen. Dial estimates his paycheck for this first Special Session will be about $937.
“I’m going to take that check across to the Treasurer’s office today before I leave town.”
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— Elizabeth BeShears (@LizEBeesh) January 21, 2015
