Alabama lawmakers question reason behind license office closings (al.com)

By Mike Cason | mcason@al.com
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on October 14, 2015 at 8:27 PM, updated October 15, 2015 at 3:29 PM


Some lawmakers say the decision by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency to halt driver's license testing in 31 satellite offices is hard to justify based on the relatively small amount of money it will save.

But ALEA says the Legislature forced its hand by passing a budget that won't allow it to hire the personnel it needs to staff the offices.

Legislators question ALEA's math and say the agency had better options than to leave 27 counties with no place to take a driver's license test.
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"I don't think it saved any money, so I don't see the purpose of it other than trying to get some kind of point across," Clouse said.
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"They keep saying they were cut $11 million but they won't acknowledge getting $12.7 million from the increase in the driver's license fees," Clouse said.
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more: http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2015/10/alabama_lawmakers_question_rea.html


Hmmm ... arguments both ways in the article. Hard to believe, but it may genuinely be just a battle over the Agency's budget -- one started by our budget-slashing, no-new-taxes Repugs.