Contract spending rises in Hubbard, Marsh’s offices
By Brian Lyman, Montgomery Advertiser, Ala. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
Spending on contracts in the office of Speaker of the House Mike Hubbard climbed from
Both offices have spent less on the contracts this year. Through
Professional service contracts can cover a wide variety of services, but usually go toward legal, financial and communication matters.
Both offices say the contracts reflect the challenges of being the majority party and efforts over the past four years to shrink government, a priority of Republicans since winning power in 2010.
"The question I ask is, 'Where does the state get the most bang for its buck?'" Marsh said in a recent interview. "We're going to put money where we get best return."
Budgets for the contracts have also climbed: The Speaker's Office budgeted
Where the money is going
Some of the contracts have gone toward studying consolidation of the state's law enforcement and information technology operations, aimed at saving money in state government.
The contracts also reflect legal challenges to laws passed by Republicans in
"We contract with outside legal counsel because the points of interest between the role of the Attorney General, as the top legal official of the executive branch, and the members of
The legal contracts signed by the offices were generally aimed at defending the Speaker and the President Pro Tem from lawsuits brought against them by the
In 2010,
The passage of the Alabama Accountability Act in 2013, which allowed families of children in failing schools to use tax credits toward private education, was especially controversial. Republicans massively expanded what had been a school flexibility bill in conference committee. In its initial lawsuit against the act, the AEA said
"Lawmakers make their decisions based on whether it's the right thing to do for the state, not whether a lawsuit will be filed against them," Adams wrote. "Liberal special interests are now using the court system to circumvent the will of the people who elected a conservative Republican legislature that passes legislation (these liberal interests) disagree with."
"Every question you ask, the answer is 'It's AEA, it's AEA, it's AEA,'" she said. "Is that because we're the only people who dare stand up to them?"
Both Hubbard and Marsh were sued by the AEA in their official capacity. Hubbard hired the law firm of Capell & Howard to defend him in the suit. The office paid Capell & Howard about
Why not state attorneys?
Marsh, who contracted with the
"I'm not an attorney, I don't get it," Marsh said. "Personally, I think they should handle it. But by the time I argue that, and I can get a solution, we have to take action."
Marsh's office paid Bradley Arant a total of
In a statement, the
"In Pettway v. Marsh (the Accountability Act lawsuit), we represented other state officers, e.g. Lt. Gov. who had available to them different arguments than the legislators," the statement said. "Although there may not have been a technical legal conflict, the (
In the past legislative session, Republican lawmakers seemed more reluctant than previous years to pass legislation that would land the state in court. A bill that would ban abortions at the detection of a fetal heartbeat, which can occur six weeks after conception, was shelved in part amid concerns about potential court battles that could erupt.
PR contract quadrupled
Other expenditures vary.
Both Adams and
"When Republican numbers rose from a minority to a supermajority in 2010, the firm hired additional staff to help service the contract," Adams wrote. "The contract was adjusted to reflect the additional work that was requested and the additional staff that was needed."
The firm hired
Costs could lead to huge savings
The largest of Marsh's contracts is with Auburn Montgomery, a contract worth a maximum of
Marsh said that contract with AUM identified areas of state government that could be consolidated. Work from that committee, he said, has identified gaps in the audit of state health insurance process that has led to the recovery of
"Since that time AUM has been on board, we've looked at the audits and how they do them, and brought
The consolidation efforts have also helped lead to the formation of the
The heads of both offices said last week that they strongly believed the potential for savings were there, but said it was too early to discuss actual savings at this point.
"The state is about as complicated an organization as can be," he said. "You have office workers, those who work outdoors, (and) people who work in prisons. It's as complicated a time and attendance system as you can have."
Brunson said the ultimate savings could be "more than
Hubbard's office has spent about
"The database has worked flawlessly and has moved our office operations into the 21st century," Adams wrote. "It is an ongoing project because, like all technology, it requires periodic updates and upkeep."
The state faces a potential
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