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Appendix B: Summary of Fiscal Policy Records
of the Governors
The following summaries are based on a wide variety of
sources, including individual governors' official biogra-
phies, The Almanac of American Politics, and articles in
magazines and local newspapers.
Alabama
Fob James, Republican
Legislature: Democratic
Took Office: 1/95
Grade: B
A college football star at Auburn in the 1950s, Fob
James started his own business before the age of 30 and made
a fortune manufacturing plastic-covered barbells. He was
elected governor in 1978 as a Democrat, after switching par-
ties in the mid-1970s. In 1994, after switching back to the
GOP, he ran again and upset incumbent Jim Folsom Jr. James
is probably best known for his threat to call out the Na-
tional Guard to prevent enforcement of a court order demand-
ing that an Alabama judge remove a copy of the Ten Command-
ments from his courtroom. He also has been an outspoken
critic of federal violations of the Tenth Amendment. James's
fiscal record has been a mixed bag. He has staunchly op-
posed all efforts to increase taxes, but unlike many of his
fellow governors elected in 1994, he has made virtually no
effort to pursue tax reductions. James has actively pres-
sured the legislature (fortunately to no avail) to issue new
debt to fund higher state spending, such as a $1 billion
bond issue for public schools, a $700 million bond issue for
roads, and a $100 million bond issue for state parks. To
his credit, James has endorsed a state constitutional amend-
ment to require that tax hikes be passed by a 3/5 superma-
jority. He also has trimmed payroll costs by imposing a
hiring freeze and has scaled back the state's targeted eco-
nomic development efforts, correctly describing such smoke-
stack chasing as "corporate welfare." Overall, James's fis-
cal record has been above average but unspectacular.
Score
Grade
Rank
Overall Fiscal Policy Score
59
B
7
Spending Score
76
B
6
Revenue and Tax Rate Score
52
B
14
Amount
-2.9%
Average Annual Change in Real Per Capita Direct General Spending through 1996
-5.2%
Average Annual Change in Direct General Spending Per $1,000 Personal Income through 1996
-0.1%
Average Annual Recommended Change in Real Per Capita General Fund Spending through 1999
-0.2%
Average Annual Change in General Fund Spending Per $1,000 Personal Income 1996-98
0.6%
Average Annual Change in Real Per Capita Tax Revenue through 1997
-1.4%
Average Annual Change in Tax Revenue Per $1,000 Personal Income through 1997
-2.0%
Average Annual Recommended Change in General Fund Revenue Per $1,000 Personal Income through 1999
1.0%
Average Annual Change in Real Per Capita General Fund Revenue 1996-98
0.0%
Average Annual Recommended Tax Changes as % of Prior Year's Spending through 1999
0.0
Change in Top Personal Income Tax Rate, proposed and/or enacted (% points)
0.0
Change in Top Corporate Income Tax Rate, proposed and/or enacted (% points)
10.0
1998 Combined Top Income Tax Rates (Personal plus Corporate) (*0.5)
0.0
Change in Sales Tax Rate, proposed and/or enacted (% points)
0.0
Change in Gas Tax Rate, proposed and/or enacted (cents per gallon) (*0.5)