Voters still skeptical of amendment to tap trust fund - WAFF-TV: News, Weather and Sports for Huntsville, AL

In three weeks, the voters will be asked to change the state's constitution to tap into the oil and gas trust fund to help balance the books.

But a forum on the vote Monday night showed how skeptical some Alabamians are.

With the municipal elections Tuesday and the presidential elections this fall, a referendum on changing Alabama's constitution may not have much splash but this is a health issue that Alabama leaders said could hit just about everyone in this state if leery voters say "no."

Donald Williamson, chairman of the state's Medicaid Transition Task Force, said it's all about protecting hospitals and health care.

Williamson said the way the state pays for health care, Medicaid in particular, is a complex web of financing tricks that will take years to unravel enough to get the system out of the red.

"The problem is that you can't do all that in one year. So what the amendment does is that it provides a bridge," he said.

Robert Jones was one of several worried skeptics who said threats of cuts to prisons, hospitals, and health inspections are scary but unpersuasive, and seem to be just an excuse to avoid getting responsible with the state's money.

"When you start taking money from something, it's very hard to stop," said Ellie Lienau, Huntsville resident.

On September 18th, lawmakers are asking Alabama voters to approve an amendment to the state's constitution to release $437-million dollars from the state's oil and gas royalties' trust fund into the general fund to help pay the bills. 

"Talk to your people who work in these agencies across the state. This affects so many agencies under the general fund," said Rep. Mac McCutheon.

Some lawmakers laid out their case at this forum, and learned they still have some persuading to do.

Advocates like Williamson say the state has missed chances to reform Medicaid in the past, like when it was using federal stimulus money to cover the gaps in its finances, but this time the only use for the money from the trust fund will have to be as a stopgap until real, long term changes are made.

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