Alabama legislators debated today how to use a $1 billion oil spill settlement with BP, seeking common ground on how much should go to coastal counties and how much should go to paying off state debts and to Medicaid.
Senators made a key change after more than five hours of debate.
The Senate removed $191 million slated for road projects in Baldwin and Mobile counties and added $300 million for the Alabama Medicaid Agency over three years.
The changes came in a substitute bill offered by Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, chairman of the Senate’s education budget committee.
The Senate passed Orr’s substitute bill by a vote of 21-9, sending the bill back to the House of Representatives, which passed a different version three weeks ago.
The House voted 100-0 not to concur with the Senate changes and to send the bill to a conference committee to try to reconcile the differences, which have …
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Senators strip coastal roads from BP bill, add funds for Medicaid – AL.com