Alabama Democrats pledge to make GOP school tax credit plan a campaign issue

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - Alabama Democrats cried foul when Republicans pushed through a sweeping education law that will create new income tax credits to help some parents pay private school tuition. Because they're an overwhelming minority in the Legislature, there wasn't much the Democrats could do. Now, with the session over, leading party figures tell The Decatur Daily (http://bit.ly/17hnl6u ) they'll use the Republicans' act as a primary issue in the 2014 legislative elections. Sen. Roger Bedford of Russellville says he believes the law will lead to dozens of Republicans losing re-election. Bedford and his colleagues say Alabamians don't support the idea of steering public money to private schools, even indirectly. Republicans argue that state voters have endorsed expanding educational options for families zoned for poorly performing public schools.