European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 07, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday november 7, 1985 the stars and stripes Page 5 Tennessee governor seeks prison Relief offers 10-Point plan to end overcrowding Nashville. Tenn. A gov. Lamar Alexander is urging adoption or a 10-Point plan to end overcrowding in the stale s prison system which a Federal judge has barred from admitting new inmates. Whether we like it or not we must act Alexander told a special session of the legislature. You can review improve and enact my proposals or you can offer your own proposals but we must act Ana act now. Alexander a Republican said he wants to end overcrowding quickly to give the slate Relief from an oct. 23 order by . District judge Thomas a. Higgins who banned new admissions to the state s 11 prisons until All current inmates have a bed to sleep in. Higgins previously ordered the state to reduce its adult prison population to 7,019 by dec. 31, and unless the slate meets thai deadline lawyers said Higgins could order a mass release of prisoners on new year s Day. Correction commissioner Stephen mor Ris said the prison system has about 7,400 in males Aboul 300 fewer than when Hig gins acted two weeks ago. The plan Given to lawmakers last week was Alexander s second prison proposal in three years. In a speech tuesday he said he assumed blame for his earlier plan s failure. I tried to spend every available Penny we had for classrooms health care and jobs for millions of tennesseans who obey the Laws instead of the handful who break Ihm he said. Cramped inmates rioted last summer at four of the stale institutions causing sever Al million dollars in damage. The plan Calls for a private company to finance build and operate two 500-bcd maximum Security prisons that would Cost $ 100 million. Only one company corrections corporation of America headed by former state Republican chairman Tom Beasley is actively seeking inc Job. But even before Alexander delivered his address sceptical democrats led by House majority Leader Jimmy Naich were talk ing of shelving the governor s proposals and hiring their own consultant to recommend prison improvements. Among other things Naich said the slate May nol need the iwo new maximum Security prisons Alexander has proposed. Alexander s proposals would add space for 2,730 More prisoners in slate financed county jails and the two new stale prisons. He has recommended paying for the changes with Money raised through a 5 cell per pack increase in the cigarette lax now 13.05 cents. The Crux of his plan is the overhaul of Laws to allow prisoners to serve less time behind bars and make More use of Proba Tion and other non jail punishment inc governor said. Stale rep. John Bragg chairman of the House finance committee which must come up with construction and operating funds if the legislative approves Alexan Der s new Cal plan said the governor has failed to furnish enough information to prove inc plan will work. We re being asked to appropriate $150 million from a position of ignorance the dam Coralic lawmaker said As the legis lature began the special session expected to last As Long As three weeks. A plan developed two years ago has not worked to relieve overcrowded conditions Alexander has conceded. He developed the correction plan for the 80s" after an earlier Federal court ruling that conditions in the state prison system were unconstitutional. That plan shifted inmates from Pris on to prison and allowed Early paroles of Many non violent convicts. Pm Virginia reels under storm s blows Rivers roared out of their Banks tuesday As heavy rain and wind remnants of Hurricane Juan battered Maryland and the Virginias where 24 deaths were re ported and several people were missing. Thousands were evacuated from their Homes. Above left John and William Marlow struggle to hang on to a sub merged pier at an Aquia Creek Marina in Stafford a. Right Rescue workers pull Eleanor will to safely after flooding reached her Home in Salem a. Panel says fat cats7 evading election Law curbs Washington a a watchdog group charged tuesday that unions corporations and fat cats Are pouring Mil Lions of dollars into political campaigns through a loophole in the Federal election Laws. The Center for responsive politics a non profit bipartisan organization said that Rance 1980 the National democratic and Republican parties have received tens of millions of dollars from such sources and the exact amount will never be Sands of time in the stars and stripes 40 years ago today. Nov 7 1945 chinese communists reported from their Yean Headquarters that they were proceeding Wilh plans for an All out civil War in the event current negotiations with the Central government fail. 30 years ago today. Nov 7 1955 Secretary of slate John Foster Dulles and yugoslavian president Soteo to to called for the restoration of Independence to Russia s european satellites. Their bid was the highlight of an unprecedented face to face meeting at Broom. A secluded Island Retreat in the Adriatic. 20 years ago today. Nov 7 1965 president Johnson announced the signing of an agreement Wilh Cuba permitting 3,000 to 4,000 refugees each month to Fly to the uni cd Stales on american planes. 10 years ago today. Nov 7 1975 vice president Nelson a. Rockefeller said thai he withdrew from the 1976 nomination picture to keep party squabbling from complicating president Ford s Job.  the contributions which arc Legal Are known As soft Money funds funnel cd by the National parties to stale and local affiliates for party building and gel Oul the Vole activities. Congress amended the election Law in 1979 to allow unlimited expenditures for party building and grassroots activities by stale and Lexal parly committees after complaints that in the 1976 election there was a dearth of funds for the traditional paraphernalia of . Elections bumper stickers buttons banners handbills and the like. The reality is that soft Money has been used to influence Federal elections and is undisclosed unregulated and uncontrolled in any meaningful Way Ellen s. Miller executive director of the Center said. While Federal Law prohibits contributions to presidential or congressional candidates from corporate or Union treasuries and put limits on How much individuals and Polilli Cal action committees can give Many states Are far less rigid. Eighteen allow direct Union and corporate girls and 27 permit unlimited contributions from individuals according to the Center s report soft Money a Loop Hole for the 1980s." Stales vary in How much disclosure they require and enforcement is erratic Accord ing to the Center. While Federal Law limits individuals to giving $20.000 a year to National party committees several wealthy individuals wrote checks for As much As $100,000" for the parties off budget accounts she said. Labelling these funds As non Federal accounts is a Legal  the report said the dam Coralic National committee last year got 1100,000 each from Minnesota depart men store heir Mark Dayton former ism chairman Thomas Watson and California venture Capila Lisl Luarl Moldaw $75.000 from new York investment banker Herbert Allen and $25,000 from former san Diego padres general manager Ballard Smith. The Republican National slate elections committee got $45.000 from Beverly Hills perfumer Fred Hayman and $30,000 from t. Boone Pickens the chairman of Mesa Petroleum. The Federal election commission rejected a complaint last year from the Center about the Money both parties poured into the slate of Washington in a special 1983 Senate election to fill the Seal left vacant by inc death of Henry Jackson. Common cause which is lobbying for Public financing of congressional campaigns and the abolition of pics has asked the Fec to Issue new rules Aboul inc receipt and use of soft Money