Even though the House Judiciary Committee voted to carry over a bill that would authorize the State Superintendent of Education to issue subpoenas and summon witnesses to testify, State Rep. Shane Stringer (R-Citronelle) said he finds the proposal "extremely outrageous."
During an appearance on Mobile radio FM Talk 106.5's "The Jeff Poor Show," Stringer, the police chief for the City of Creola, criticized House Bill 498 (HB498), sponsored by State Rep. Cynthia Almond (R-Tuscaloosa), which would also authorize the state superintendent to appoint special investigators within the Office of General Counsel of the State Department of Education.
"I mean, it's extremely outrageous," Stringer said. "I've been in law enforcement for 34 years and, you know, we don't want to get in the habit of giving subpoena powers to any and everybody. And you know, there's law enforcement agencies that support the schools and school system in criminal investigations in situations that is needed."
"There is absolutely no reason whatsoever to give the state superintendent subpoena authority," he continued. "That can be abused in so many ways. I'm not saying that, that [Eric] Mackey would, but I still think that we've got to keep that in check. I mean, the legislature don't even have subpoena powers. So, you know, I think we need to keep that in the proper channels, which is through, you know, through our DA's office and law enforcement."
Jeff Poor is the editor-in-chief of 1819 News and host of "The Jeff Poor Show," heard Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-noon on Mobile's FM Talk 106.5. To connect or comment, email [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @jeff_poor.
Don't miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning.
