A divided Alabama Senate delayed a vote on a proposal to exempt economic developers from the state law that governs lobbyists.

Senators on Tuesday postponed a vote as the proposal threatened to get bogged down in an unrelated filibuster because an anti-racial profiling bill had stalled in the House of Representatives.
Senators had also engaged in contentious debate over whether the ethics exemption is a job recruitment necessity or a dangerous new hole in the ethics law.

Under the bill, economic developers would not be considered lobbyists under the state ethics law. Alabama Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield said site selectors will not work in Alabama if they must register as lobbyists and go public with possible projects.

Opponents argued the bill opened up a wide loophole.

(Associated Press, copyright 2018)