URGENT - LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

["President's Office" <auemail@groupwise1.duc.auburn.edu>]

May 18, 2001

Dear Members of the Auburn Community:  

	The education bond issue (Senate Bill 626) passed the Alabama
House of Representatives on Thursday after debate was cut off in a very
close cloture vote.  The cloture vote was 57-35 with 5 abstentions and 8
not voting (3/5 of the members voting are required for cloture).  The
margin was 1.8 votes in this case.  The following recap shows the voting
in the House yesterday on this issue.  Members voting "yes" were opposed
to the universities' position on the bond issue and those voting "no"
were our supporters on this crucial motion.  Please thank those who
advanced our position on this very important matter.

House Votes Against Higher Education
Speaker Hammett; Baker; Bandy; Beasley; Black, L.; Black, M.; Boyd;
Bridges; Carothers; Carter; Clark; Dukes; Dunn; Ford, C.; Ford, J.;
Galliher; Gipson; Graham; Grantland; Greeson; Guin; Hall A.; Hayden;
Hilliard; Hogan; Holmes;  Hurst; Jackson; Johnson;  Jones; Kennedy;
Knight; Laird; Layson; Letson; Lindsey; Mancuso; Maull; McClammy;
Melton; Millican; Morrow; Newton, D.; Oden; Page; Perdue; Robinson, J.;
Schmitz; Spicer; Starkey; Thigpen; Thomas, E.; Thomas, J.; Turner;
Vance; Warren; Willis

House Votes In Support of Higher Ed
Allen; Barton; Beason; Buskey; Carns; Clouse; Crigler; Curry; Gaines;
Gaston; Greene; Haney; Hawkins; Hill; Houston; Hubbard; Humphryes;
Major; McClurkin; McDaniel; McKee; McMillan; Morton; Newton, C.; Parker,
T.; Parker, W.; Payne; Penry; Pringle; Robinson, O.; Rogers, J.; Rogers,
M.; Sanderford; Sanderson; Wren

Abstains:  Hall, L.; Mitchell; Morrison; Seibenhener; Venable
Not Voting:  Boothe; Dolbare; Hamilton; Hooper; Martin; McLaughlin;
Thomas, D.; White

	Because the House made some changes in this bill, the Senate
must address this bond issue once more.  That will be done on this
Monday, May 21st, the last day of the regular session.  We have one
remaining slim chance to let our voices be heard to legislators, and I
urge you to make one more round of calls and emails.  

1. 	Ask them to be present and vote "NO" on any cloture vote that
may be petitioned on the bond issue bill.  (A cloture vote is a
parliamentary procedure that requires an agreement of a 3/5 majority of
the legislative body that debate on a given bill shall cease at a
specified time, thus forcing a vote.)  If the legislator is unwilling to
vote "NO," then ask him/her to be present but simply abstain from the
vote.

2. 	Finally, ask them to vote "NO" on the final passage of the bond
issue bill.

The telephone number for the Alabama Senate is (334) 242-7800.  The
email address for the Alabama Senate is alsenate@mindspring.com 

You can find individual phone numbers and email addresses on the
following websites:  
http://www.legislature.state.al.us/senate/senators/senateroster_alpha.html

http://www.legislature.state.al.us/house/representatives/houseroster_alpha.html
	

	Your responses to my many calls for assistance have been both
gratifying to those of us on the battlefront and heard by legislators
and the governor.  Auburn is clearly worth this effort.  I thank you for
your action.
	
Sincerely,

William F. Walker
Interim President
Auburn University