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Very little happening in the Alabama Senate

Bickering, arguing, and in-fighting.

Otherwise, there's not much happening at the State Capitol.

The inaction could devastate schools across the Alabama.

The first thing state legislators did this legislative session was vote to give themselves a pay raise.

Since then, very little has passed through the Senate, including this years education budget.

"The public perception is accurate, nothing is getting done," says Democratic Senator Parker Griffith.

He says the reason is partisanship.

Every vote on every issue ends 18-17--nay.

So what is going on in Montgomery? Some might argue, a whole lot of monkeying around.

One issue yet to be decided, the state's education budget, still swinging back and forth in the Senate.

Teachers argue that any further stalemate could result in a downward slide for schools across Alabama.

"In the final analysis, all this in-fighting that's going on is going to hurt no one but the children," says Rex Cheatham. 

Cheatham works with the Alabama Education Association.

He argues that prolonged political battles over the education budget hold school systems hostage.

"If the budgets do not pass, our local school boards and superintendents, there's no way they can hire teachers on money they don't have," says Cheatham.

"The teachers are real concerned about the budget, they want that education budget passed. We really need to pass it for them because they're waiting to see what's going on," says Griffith. 

Nothing's going on now and with only five days left in this legislative session, teachers hope something changes soon.

Tomorrow is described as a make or break day in the state Senate because it normally takes about five days for legislative process to fully pass.

So if nothing happens tomorrow, you can likely expect a special session.

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Very little happening in the Alabama Senate

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