If Gov. Bentley calls a special legislative session to address a teacher pay raise, Sen. Scott Beason, R-Gardendale, is encouraging him to include bills to repeal Common Core and allow gun-owners to carry pistols in their cars without a permit.

The 2014 Regular Legislative Session came to an abrupt end last Thursday when legislative leaders got word that Gov. Bentley was moving to send back the Education Budget with a 2 percent pay raise for educators attached as an executive amendment. GOP legislators have maintained throughout the session that there was not enough money available to give the raise.

As a result, the governor now has until April 13 to decide if he is going to sign the budget as is, or call the Legislature back to Montgomery for a Special Session. During a Special Session, only legislation on the subjects included in the Governor’s proclamation may be enacted by lawmakers without the support of a supermajority.

Beason said Monday that legislation to repeal the Common Core standards is vital to protecting Alabama children against a federal takeover of education, and that Alabamians should have the right to exercise their Second Amendment right without paying for it, as is currently the law in other Southern states. He’s calling for both of those issues to be included in the governor’s proclamation, if he calls for a Special Session.

“If Governor Bentley calls a special session to address a teacher pay raise, I strongly encourage him to include my bills to repeal Common Core and protect our Second Amendment rights in the call,” Beason said. “I can’t think of two more important topics than defending our children from a federal takeover of education, and protecting our Constitutional right to bear arms — without having to pay for it. As a fellow conservative, I know the Governor is a supporter the Second Amendment and an opponent of Common Core. Because of this, I hope Governor Bentley will give this request serious consideration.”

UPDATE:
Jennifer Ardis, a spokesperson for Gov. Bentley told Yellowhammer Tuesday that the governor is currently weighing his options and it is too early to tell what he is going to do.

“It’s always been specific to the pay increase,” Ardis said of a potential special session. “So, I can’t speak to what may or may not be included in a call. Then again, he may not even do a special session. There are a lot of questions still out there. He’s taking this week to evaluate it.”

Beason, who is currently running for the U.S. House of Representatives in Alabama’s 6th Congressional District, is serving in his final year in the Alabama Senate.

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