State Sen. Chris Elliott concerned about cost of West Alabama Highway Project
On Thursday, State Senator Chris Elliott (R-Daphne) placed a hold on two Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) contracts for design work on the West Alabama Highway – Governor Kay Ivey’s promised Mobile to Florence West Alabama five-lane highway project. The Senator placed the hold during Thursday’s Joint Legislative Contract Review Committee meeting. Sen. Elliott spoke with Alabama Today about the situation Friday. Elliott said he is not opposed to the project but was concerned about the funding mechanism and the cost. “They have no idea,” Sen. Elliott said. “They quoted three different numbers yesterday. First, it was $800 million, then it was a billion, and then it was $1.1 billion. They don’t know.” Elliott said that he was concerned that ALDOT was rushing the project forward. “They are trying to lock this down while she (Ivey) is still in there,” Elliott said. Yellowhammer News asked the Senator why no federal dollars are being used for this project even though Highway 41 is a U.S. Highway. “They never asked,” Elliott said of ALDOT. “They are not going to ask. They said something about getting those federal grants is too difficult, and they have not had luck in the past.” Elliott said he was concerned that because of “the way they are doing it, they might be leaving federal money on the table.” Elliott expressed skepticism about the numbers given by the administration. “This is intentional lowballing,” Elliott said, citing the two mega prisons the state is building as an example. “Yes, concrete has gone up, but it did not go up over 100 percent. Fuel is up, but it did not go up over 100%. Labor did not go up over 100%.” In response to Elliott’s hold on the West Alabama Highway project contracts, State Representative Chris England (D-Tuscaloosa) vowed to block all ALDOT contracts in response to Elliott’s opposing the West Alabama five-lane project. “Whatever is going to happen, it will be resolved within 45 days,” Elliott said. Elliott explained that members of the contract review committee can place a hold on a contract for 45 days. The only thing missing on the contracts is the Governor’s signature. At the end of 45 days, the Governor may sign the contract whether or not legislators are opposed. “Rep England and I are going to meet with highway department officials this week,” Elliott said. West Alabama officials insist that the West Alabama five-lane highway project is necessary for economic development and so residents can access services like healthcare. Ivey has promised that no county will lack four-lane highway access to an interstate. This project is part of her effort to fulfill that promise. Alabama Today also attempted to reach out to Rep. England for his comments. In a heated hearing on Thursday, ALDOT Engineer Clay McBrien told Elliott that the project cost could be over $1 billion – this is up from earlier estimates of $767 million. The Mayor of Thomasville hosted a press conference for West Alabama Mayors earlier this week to gain support for the project. West Alabama Mayors insist that the project is needed for economic development and so their communities can more easily access services such as health care. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Federal court hearing on redistricting case set for today
The entire political world in Alabama will be watching Monday to see what the court does with Alabama’s disputed redistricting case. A hearing is scheduled for Monday, August 14, in federal court at 9:00 a.m. CDT at the Hugo L. Black United States Courthouse in Birmingham. The hearing will focus on whether the map recently passed by the Alabama State Legislature complies with section two of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Civil rights groups sued the state challenging the redistricting map that the Legislature passed in 2021. A three-judge panel of the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta ordered a halt to the 2022 election over concerns the map violated the 58-year-old Voting Rights Act. The U.S. Supreme Court intervened at the request of the state and allowed the election to proceed with the 2021 map. In June, the Supreme Court ruled in a 5 to 4 ruling that the congressional map likely violated the VRA and referred the case back to the three-judge panel. The Legislature was given until July 21 to submit a new map. The parties that sued the state and Alabama Democrats had wanted the Legislature to submit a map with two majority-minority districts. The Legislature, voting along party lines, refused and instead introduced and passed a controversial new map that simply increased Alabama’s Second Congressional District from 30% Black to 39.9%. That map kept the Gulf Coast, the Wiregrass, and Montgomery County whole; but was denounced by Democrats. The civil rights groups suing the state in federal court in Allen versus Milligan are asking the court to reject this new map. Members of the Alabama House Democratic Caucus, including House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels (D-Huntsville), will be outside the courtroom on Monday to issue their response following the conclusion of Monday’s hearing. Joining Daniels will be Caucus Chair Barbara Drummond (Mobile), Caucus Policy Chair Adline Clarke (Mobile), Caucus Secretary/ Treasurer Kelvin Lawrence (Hayneville), Rep. Patrice McClammy (Montgomery), Rep. Phillip Ensler (Montgomery), Rep. Chris England (Tuscaloosa), Rep. Patrick Sellers (Birmingham), Rep. Rolanda Hollis (Birmingham), Rep. Curtis Travis (Tuscaloosa), Rep. Napoleon Bracy (Mobile), Rep. Tashina Morris (Montgomery), Rep. A.J. McCampbell (Demopolis), and Rep. Sam Jones (Mobile) to comment on the court proceeding. “As we gather for the August 14th federal court hearing in Birmingham, Alabama, surrounded by the hallowed sites of the Civil Rights movement, we are reminded that this moment is inseparable from that struggle,” Daniels said. “We hope and pray that this court hearing, this next step, is a step forward on a continued path towards fair representation for all.” The Alabama House Democratic Caucus endorsed a redistricting plan, proposed by the Milligan and Caster plaintiffs, that would have created two majority Black congressional districts while respecting traditional redistricting guidelines. That map was rejected by the Republican supermajority and largely excluded from consideration during the legislative process. The major party primaries are on March 5, with candidate qualifying opening on October 16, so knowing where the congressional district lines are for that pending election is of some importance. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Redistricting plan goes to a conference committee
On Friday, the Alabama House of Representatives passed a Republican congressional redistricting plan that it hopes will comply with the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The Alabama Senate voted 30 to 0 to non-concur with the House plan. The redistricting plan has been referred to a conference committee to produce a compromise version that is acceptable to both Houses of the Legislature. For redistricting to pass out of the Legislature, the six-member conference committee has to reach a compromise. Then both Houses of the Legislature must vote to concur with the findings of the conference committee. Senate Bill 5 is sponsored by State Senator Steve Livingston (R-Scottsboro). The bill was carried in the House of Representatives by State Representative Chris Pringle (R-Mobile). Both Livingston and Pringle have introduced competing versions of the redistricting bill. The version of the bill that passed in the House is the Pringle version, the community of interest plan. Pringle’s plan would redraw Alabama’s Second Congressional District, currently represented by Congressman Barry Moore (R-AL02), to increase the Black voting age population in CD2 from 30% of the population to over 42%. Senate Democrats have introduced multiple plans that would produce two majority-minority districts. Livingston’s competing plan passed out of the Senate on Wednesday. Pringle says that his plan’s CD2 would meet the Supreme Court’s ruling that the state provides an opportunity for Blacks to pick a candidate of their choice. Democrats disagree. “You are giving me an opportunity to lose,” said Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton (D-Greensboro). “There ain’t no opportunity there for Blacks or Democrats in that district,” said Sen. Rodger Smitherman (D-Birmingham). Democrats maintain that it is necessary for there to be two majority-minority congressional districts for Black voters to have an opportunity to choose their own representation. They also maintain that that is what the court intended. Sen. Merika Coleman (D-Birmingham) said, “I contend that for African Americans to choose the candidate of their choice that we have to have a majority of African-Americans.” “It is irresponsible for the legislature to do what it is doing,” Coleman said. “The court ordered two districts that have 50% African Americans.” “The three-judge panel said that a proper remedy could consist of two majority-minority districts or quite close to it,” said Rep. Artis “A.J.” McCampbell (D-Livingston). The House of Representatives passed SB5 76 to 26. The Senate, in their own debate on redistricting, then voted 30 to 0 to concur with the House version of SB5 and go to a conference committee. Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Reed (R-Jasper) appointed Sens. Livingston, Smitherman, and Clay Scofield (R-Guntersville) to the conference committee. Speaker of the House Nathaniel Ledbetter (R-Rainsville) appointed Pringle, Chris England (D-Tuscaloosa), and Chris Sells (R-Greenville) to the conference committee. Both Houses of the Legislature will return on Friday afternoon, presumably to vote on the conference committee report. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Black lawmakers say Alabama GOP’s proposed new congressional map insults the Supreme Court
Alabama Republicans advanced new congressional lines Wednesday, a proposed map that Black lawmakers called an insult after the U.S. Supreme Court ordered the legislature to redraw districts to give Black voters a greater voice in elections. The House of Representatives voted 74-27 to approve the GOP plan, which does not establish the second majority-Black district sought by plaintiffs who won the Supreme Court case. Instead, the GOP would increase the percentage of Black voters to 42% in the district. That’s enough, GOP lawmakers said, to consider it a political swing district — where either a Republican or Democrat could get elected — in compliance with the court. The bill now moves to the Alabama Senate. “This is really a slap in the face, not only to Black Alabamians, but to the Supreme Court,” Rep. Barbara Drummond, D-Mobile, said during the floor debate. Rep. Prince Chestnut, a Democrat from Selma, said, “Once again, the state decided to be on the wrong side of history.” “We’re fighting the same battles that they were fighting 100 years ago, 50 years ago, 40 years ago, right here today,” Chestnut said. “Once again, the (Republican) super majority decided that the voting rights of Black people are nothing that this state is bound to respect. And it’s offensive. It’s wrong.” State lawmakers face a Friday deadline to adopt new lines after the U.S. Supreme Court in June upheld a finding that the current state map — with one majority-Black district out of seven in a state that is 27% Black — likely violates the federal Voting Rights Act. Republican House Speaker Pro Tempore Chris Pringle argued that the proposed lines satisfy the court requirement to provide greater “opportunity” to Black voters. The GOP-backed House plan would increase the percentage of Black voters in the 2nd Congressional District, now represented by Republican Barry Moore, from about 31% to 42.4%. “We’ve drawn a district that provides an opportunity for the minorities to elect a candidate of their choosing,” Pringle said. “The court said we had to provide an opportunity, and that’s what that district does.” A group of voters who challenged the existing congressional plan said white Republicans drew the map “to maintain power by packing one-third of Black Alabamians” into a single majority-Black district while leaving lopsided white majorities in every other district. Alabama now sends one Black congresswoman to Washington — Rep. Terri Sewell, whose 7th congressional district is majority Black — and six white Republicans. The appellate ruling that struck down the existing congressional map said Alabama should have “either an additional majority-Black congressional district, or an additional district in which Black voters otherwise have an opportunity to elect a representative of their choice.” The language reinforced by the Supreme Court specified that a new map should include two districts in which “Black voters either comprise a voting-age majority or something quite close to it.” Black lawmakers said Wednesday that history shows that Black candidates generally don’t win in Alabama unless they run in a majority-Black district. “We’ve been held back too long. We’re human beings. We’re Alabama citizens. We work. We do things, but we don’t have the representation that we need,” said Rep. Pebblin Warren, a Democratic lawmaker from Tuskegee. Republicans hold a lopsided majority in the Alabama Legislature and will control what ultimately passes. Representatives on Wednesday voted down an effort by Democrats to bring up a plan, backed by plaintiffs who won the Supreme Court case, that would create a second majority-Black district. The Alabama Senate planned to vote later Wednesday on a proposal that’s similar but would put even a lower percentage of Black voters in the 2nd congressional district — 38.31%. Once a new GOP map passes, the fight will shift quickly back to the courts. Republicans, who have been resistant to creating a Democratic district, are wagering that they’ll be successful in a second round of appeals. The three-judge panel could step in and draw up its own plan if they deem it unacceptable. “You can save your time. You can save your money because we’re going to have a special master drawing this map,” Rep. Chris England, D-Tuscaloosa, said. Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
Alabama Republicans reject call for 2nd majority Black district, despite Supreme Court ruling
Alabama Republicans, under orders of the U.S. Supreme Court to redraw congressional districts to give minority voters a greater voice in elections, rejected calls Monday to craft a second majority-Black district and proposed a map that could test what is required by the judge’s directive. Lawmakers must adopt a new map by Friday after the high court in June affirmed a three-judge panel’s ruling that Alabama’s existing congressional map — with a single Black district out of seven statewide — likely violated the Voting Rights Act. In a state where more than one in four residents is Black, the lower court panel had ruled in 2022 that Alabama should have another majority-Black congressional district or something “close to it” so Black voters have the opportunity to “elect a representative of their choice.” Republicans, who have been resistant to creating a certain Democratic district, proposed a map that would increase the percentage of Black voters in the 2nd congressional district from about 30% to nearly 42.5%, wagering that will satisfy the court’s directive. House Speaker Pro Tempore Chris Pringle, who serves as co-chairman of the state redistricting committee, said the proposal complies with the order to provide a district in which Black voters have the “opportunity to elect the representative of their choice.” “The goal here, for me, was to provide an opportunity for African-Americans to be elected to Congress in the second congressional district,” Pringle said. However, the National Redistricting Foundation, one of the groups that backed challenges to the Alabama map, called the proposal “shameful” and said it would be challenged. “It is clear that Alabama Republicans are not serious about doing their job and passing a compliant map, even in light of a landmark Supreme Court decision,” said Marina Jenkins, executive director of the National Redistricting Foundation. She called that a pattern seen throughout the state’s history “where a predominately white and Republican legislature has never done the right thing on its own, but rather has had to be forced to do so by a court.” The Permanent Legislative Committee on Reapportionment approved the proposal in a 14-6 vote that fell along party lines. The proposal was introduced as legislation Monday afternoon as lawmakers convened a special session to adopt a new map by a Friday deadline set by the three-judge panel. House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter said he believes the new district will be a swing district that could elect either a Democratic candidate or a Republican. “I think that the models will show that it could go either way, probably. I think all the court’s asked for was a fair chance. I certainly think that map does it. I don’t think there’s any question about that,” Ledbetter said. Democrats accused Republicans of rushing the process and thwarting the court’s directive. Sen. Vivian Davis Figures, a Democrat from Mobile, said the court was clear that the state should create a second majority-Black district or something close to it. “Forty-two percent is not close to 50. In my opinion, 48, 49 is close to 50,” Figures said. She had urged colleagues to adopt a proposal by the plaintiffs in the Supreme Court case that would make the 2nd district 50% Black. Rep. Chris England, a Democrat from Tuscaloosa, said he also doesn’t think the GOP proposal would satisfy the court’s directive. He said Republican lawmakers pushed through their proposal without a public hearing or producing a voter analysis of how the district will perform. Pringle said that information will be available Tuesday. “The map that we adopted, nobody had any input on. There was no public input on it, not subject to a public hearing, and now it’s going to be the map of choice,” England said. Deuel Ross, a lawyer with the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund who argued the case before the Supreme Court, said lawmakers have yet to provide the information “necessary to evaluate whether these plans will, in fact, provide Black voters with opportunities to elect their candidates of choice in two districts.” “Any plan with a low Black voting age population does not appear to comply with the Court’s instruction,” Ross wrote in an email. Partisan politics underlies the looming redistricting fight. A higher percentage of Black voters increases the chances that the seat will switch from GOP to Democratic control. Pollster Zac McCrary said predicting a district’s partisan leanings depends on a number of metrics, but “getting a district too far below the mid-40s in terms of Black voter composition could certainly open the door for Republicans.” Republished with the permission of The Associated Press
Alabama Democrats express frustration over redistricting; GOP proposal to get vote Monday
Majority Republican lawmakers have not released their ideas for redrawing Alabama’s congressional districts to comply with a Supreme Court ruling, leading Democrats on Thursday to accuse GOP lawmakers of shutting them, and the public, out of the process ahead of next week’s special session on redistricting. Alabama lawmakers begin the special session Monday to approve a redistricting plan that is being developed by Republicans but hasn’t been presented. “There hasn’t been any public scrutiny on it, and we’re just going to be handed that map at some point over the weekend, maybe even Monday, and say here, ‘Vote on it,’” Rep. Chris England, a Democrat from Tuscaloosa, said after a meeting of the legislature’s redistricting committee. England said he understands that the GOP majority will determine what passes, but said that “something with as much jeopardy attached to it as redrawing the congressional map to satisfy a Supreme Court decision” should be done “in the light of day.” A three-judge panel gave Alabama until July 21 to adopt a new congressional map after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld its ruling that the state likely violated the Voting Rights Act with its current plan that has only one congressional district with a substantial number of Black voters. The Alabama Permanent Legislative Committee on Reapportionment held a meeting Thursday to hear public comments and approve guidelines. House Speaker Pro Tempore Chris Pringle, who serves as co-chairman of the committee, said it will meet Monday to vote on the proposed map. While Democrats accused Republicans of keeping the process shrouded in secrecy, Pringle said they are proceeding as quickly as possible. He said the proposed map will be sent to committee members as soon as possible before the Monday meeting. “We are working on that as fast as we can,” Pringle said. Alabama now has only one majority-Black district out of seven in a state where more than one in four residents are Black. The three-judge panel said in its 2022 ruling that Alabama should have “two districts in which Black voters either comprise a voting-age majority or something quite close to it.” Republicans have the numbers to approve a plan without support from Democratic lawmakers. However, the plan must go back before the three-judge panel. GOP lawmakers risk the court stepping in and drawing its own plan if lawmakers stray too far from the court’s wishes. The group of Black voters that won the Supreme Court case urged committee members Thursday to adopt their proposed map. It would adjust the state’s 2nd Congressional District, now represented by Republican Rep. Barry Moore, to create what is described as an “opportunity” district because it would give Black voters, now making up 50% of the voting-age population, a greater opportunity to elect a candidate of their choice. The proposed district would encompass some Black Belt counties and parts of Mobile County. Some of the plaintiffs described how they joined the case after seeing their communities ignored by the white Republicans who represent their areas. “I want my community to have a seat at that table,” said Shalela Dowdy of Mobile. Some Democrats on the legislative committee disagreed on how to reconfigure the map. Sen. Vivian Davis Figures, D-Mobile, said she will introduce the plaintiffs’ map in next week’s session because it “complies with the court’s instruction.” Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, favored a rival proposal that would alter the 6th Congressional District, now represented by Republican Rep. Gary Palmer, so it includes all of Jefferson County, which is home to Birmingham. Smitherman argued that a Democrat would have a good opportunity to be elected in the racially diverse district. “Jefferson County is the melting pot,” he said. Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
Public meetings on congressional redistricting announced
On Wednesday, State Sen. Steve Livingston (R-Scottsboro) and State Rep. Chris Pringle (R-Mobile), who serve as the joint chairs of the Permanent Legislative Committee on Reapportionment, announced a series of meetings and deadlines on the looming congressional redistricting. The first meeting will be on June 27 at 1:30 P.M. in the Alabama State House Room 200. This will be a meeting of the Joint Committee and a public hearing. People unable to attend can watch the proceedings online at the Legislature’s website. July 7 at 5:00 P.M. is the deadline for all plans to be submitted to the Reapportionment Committee. You can contact the committee directly by email at: district@alsenate.gov. The committee will meet again and hold a public hearing on July 13 at 1:30 P.M. in State House Room 200. On August 14, there will be a hearing at Hugo L. Black United States Courthouse in Birmingham. The House members serving on the Permanent Legislative Committee on Reapportionment members include Cynthia Almond (R-Tuscaloosa); Barbara Boyd (D-Anniston); Jim Carns (R-Birmingham); Steve Clouse (R-Ozark); Corley Ellis (R-Columbiana); Chris England (D-Tuscaloosa; Laura Hall (D-Huntsville); Sam Jones (D-Mobile); Joe Lovvorn (R-Auburn); and Rex Reynolds (R-Huntsville). In 2022 a three-judge panel of the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Alabama’s 2021 congressional redistricting as being in violation of the Voting Rights Act of 1965—the U.S. Supreme Court, which earlier this month agreed. The three-judge panel has given the Legislature until the middle of next month to submit a new congressional redistricting plan to the federal court. The three-judge panel has ordered the Legislature to submit a new map with two majority-minority districts or something as close to that as possible. Alabama Governor Kay Ivey is expected to call a special session no later than July 17 to attempt to comply with the court order. If the Legislature cannot reach an agreement on a redistricting plan by July 21, or the Court does not like the State’s plan, then the three-judge panel may appoint a special master to draw the districts for the State. Republicans currently control six of Alabama’s congressional seats, while Democrats control only the Seventh Congressional District. None of the seven congressional races were competitive during last year’s general election. The redistricting could make two of those districts winnable for Alabama Democrats. It could also cost Democrats a seat if they make it too competitive. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Nathaniel Ledbetter announces appointments to the Reapportionment Committee
On Tuesday, Speaker of the House Nathaniel Ledbetter announced that he had appointed a number of House members to serve on the Permanent Legislative Committee on Reapportionment. The House members appointed are: Cynthia Almond (R-Tuscaloosa) Barbara Boyd (D-Anniston) Jim Carns (R-Birmingham) Steve Clouse (R-Ozark) Corley Ellis (R-Columbiana) Chris England (D-Tuscaloosa) Laura Hall (D-Huntsville) Sam Jones (D-Mobile) Joe Lovvorn (R-Auburn) Chris Pringle (R-Mobile) Rex Reynolds (R-Huntsville). Since this is a joint committee, it is also made up of members of the Senate. The appointment of 11 members from the House would indicate an expansion of the committee. According to the committee website, the joint committee has just six members: Sens. Steve Livingston, Dan Roberts, and Bobby Singleton, and Reps. Kyle South, Laura Hall, and Chris Pringle. South is leaving the Legislature at the end of the month to accept a position as President and CEO of the West Alabama Chamber of Commerce. Presumably, the Senate will now appoint another eight joint committee members. The Joint Committee on Reapportionment normally redistricts the congressional districts, the state board of education districts, and legislative districts every ten years following the decennial census. In 2022 a three-judge panel of the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Alabama’s 2021 congressional redistricting as being in violation of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Alabama appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which earlier this month found that the lower court was correct in its interpretation and has restored the lower court’s ruling that the state is in violation of the Voting Rights Act. The three-judge panel has given the Legislature until the middle of next month to submit a new congressional redistricting of the state to the federal court. The three-judge panel has ordered the Legislature to submit a new map where there are two majority-minority districts or something as close to that as possible. Alabama Governor Kay Ivey is expected to call a special session no later than July 17 to attempt to comply with the court order. If the Legislature cannot reach an agreement on a redistricting plan by July 21 or the Court does not like the State’s plan, then the three-judge panel may appoint a special master who will draw the districts for the state. Republicans currently control six of Alabama’s congressional seats, while Democrats control only the Seventh Congressional District. None of the seven congressional races were competitive in the general election last year. The redistricting could make two of those districts winnable for Alabama Democrats. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Today is Jefferson Davis’s birthday
All Alabama state offices and most courthouses are closed today to honor Confederate States of America President Jefferson Davis’s birthday. This is a state holiday, not a federal holiday, so most banks, post offices, federal offices, and businesses will open today. Most state workers, meanwhile, are enjoying their three-day weekend at the start of the summer. Davis was born on June 3, 1808, in Kentucky. The Davis family moved to Mississippi. Davis would live a life of service, graduating from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1828. He served in Congress and the military during the war with Mexico. He served as U.S. Secretary of War from 1853-1857 under President Franklin Pierce. He oversaw the construction of the new Senate and House wings of the U.S. Capitol. Davis returned to the Senate in 1857. When Mississippi left the Union, Davis resigned from the Senate on January 21, 1861. A month later, on February 10, 1861, he was chosen to become the President of the Confederacy. Montgomery was the first capital of the Confederacy, and Davis was sworn in on the steps of the Alabama State Capital Building. Today the First Whitehouse of the Confederacy is also open and available for tours. Thousands of schoolchildren and other history-minded tourists visit the former home of Davis and his family each year. The Capitol of the Confederacy briefly as it was later moved to Richmond, Virginia when Virginia entered the war on the side of the Confederate states. Davis was captured by Union troops in 1865. Following the war, Davis was indicted for treason and imprisoned for two years. Following his release, Davis became an outspoken defender of the Confederate cause and supported honoring the memory of Confederate veterans. The Confederate Veterans Memorial sits on the Capitol Complex in Montgomery. The cornerstone for this monument was laid by Davis himself on April 29, 1886. He died in New Orleans in 1889. The Beauvoir estate, built in Biloxi, Mississippi, along the Gulf of Mexico, was the post-war home of Davis. It is a National Historic Landmark, recognized and listed by the U.S. Department of the Interior and the National Park Service. Families interested in Civil War history can also visit the Alabama Confederate Memorial Park near Clanton. The Confederate ironclads C.S.S. Tuscaloosa and C.S.S. Huntsville are listed in the National List of Historic Places. Both ships participated in the defense of Mobile, and both ships, built in Selma, were scuttled in the waning days of the Civil War. You can also visit Fort Morgan near Gulf Shores, which played an important role in the Battle of Mobile Bay. Jefferson Davis Day is one of three Confederate-related state holidays in Alabama. The state also observes Robert E. Lee Day in January and Confederate Memorial Day in April. There have been some efforts in recent years to remove Confederate holidays from the official list of state-sanctioned holidays. Rep. Chris England (D-Tuscaloosa) proposed legislation to remove Davis’s birthday as a state holiday and replace it with State Employee Appreciation Day. That legislation never got a vote in committee. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Bill would allow review of some habitual offender sentences
Some prisoners serving life sentences under Alabama’s habitual offender law could see their punishments reviewed under legislation that advanced Tuesday. The Alabama House of Representatives voted 64-37 for the legislation that would establish a temporary review process for eligible inmates. The bill now moves to the Alabama Senate. The bill would create an avenue for a judge to review the sentences of some inmates serving life imprisonment under habitual offender laws. Only inmates sentenced before May 26, 2000, and where no one was physically injured during the crime would be eligible to have their sentences reviewed. Rep. Chris England, the bill’s sponsor, estimates that about 300 inmates, mostly given life sentences in their youth for crimes such as robbery, would be eligible for the one-time review. He said the state’s habitual offender law has changed serval times, and these people might not have gotten the same punishment today. “My hope is that we find a bunch of individuals who are more than their worst moment,” the Democrat said during debate. The legislation would be automatically repealed within five years. Republished with the permission of the Associate Press.
House committee advances legislation to allow some habitual offenders relief from life sentences
In the past, Alabama has had a strict habitual offender law where people convicted of three felonies received life without parole. Sentencing reform in the decades past has largely done away with that 1980s sentencing standard. On Wednesday, the Alabama House Judiciary Committee advanced legislation that would allow some offenders serving life sentences under that old statute to be given a possible pathway for release. House Bill 229 (HB229) is sponsored by State Representative Chris England (D-Tuscaloosa). HB29 had been carried over in committee due to concerns that some members of the Judiciary Committee had about the legislation. “It has been on the agenda for weeks in order to do work for it,” England said. “This is one of those rare times in this building where the process worked.” “Russell Bedsole has offered two amendments,” England explained. I have also worked with the AG’s office Katherine Robinson and Bennett Wright.” England explained that his bill addresses only inmates who received life without parole sentences under the habitual offender statute. This bill is limited to those inmates given life without parole before 2000. These inmates would get a hearing before a judge to consider whether or not to commute their life sentences. “This pares it down to a group of individuals who will have to have served 23 years,” England said. England explained that Rep. Bedsole is concerned about crime victims. “The Judge will give considerable weight to any objection brought by the victims,” England said. Authorities must notify the law enforcement agency that arrested them before the inmate gets a hearing. England is a former prosecutor who currently works as an attorney for the City of Tuscaloosa. “This gives everybody in this group one shot for review, and if you are denied, there is no appeal,” England explained. “It has got a sunset provision. After five years, this section is repealed, so after five years, that group of people won’t grow.” Bedsole said. “This wasn’t something I wanted to see progress the way it was (introduced).” Bedsole is a captain in the Shelby County Sheriff’s Department. Rep. Matt Simpson offered an amendment to the bill. “I know you have moved it from 30 days to 50. Could you stretch that to 90 days?” Simpson said that as a former prosecutor, he knows how difficult it is for the DA’s office to prepare for a hearing on an old case where evidence was filed decades ago. Rep. Tim Wadsworth asked, “Is there an age factor in this bill? England replied, “No, you would already have served 23 years, so most of them are about 60 years old. At least 50.” The committee voted to adopt the Bedsole and Simpson amendments and gave HB229 an Adopted favorable report though there was no opposition. The legislation could be voted on by the full House of Representatives as early as Tuesday. Thursday will be day 20 of the 2023 Alabama Regular Legislative Session. The House convenes at 9:00 a.m. and has a lengthy special order calendar. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Bill would make it a felony to help people who vote absentee
Republicans in the Alabama House of Representatives on Thursday approved legislation that would make it a felony to help a voter fill out an absentee ballot. House Representatives approved the bill with a 76-28 vote that fell almost entirely on party lines after Republicans voted to cut off a filibuster by Democratic lawmakers. The bill now moves to the Alabama Senate. Republicans said that penalties are needed to promote election security, and to crack down on what they called “ballot harvesting,” or the mass collection of ballots. House Democrats say that there is no evidence of this sort of illegal activity and that the measure would criminalize the actions of civic groups and well-meaning people who help others vote. They called it an attempt to make it harder for people to vote and said the legislation would hand out punishments comparable with burglary. The bill by Republican Rep. Jamie Kiel would make it a Class D felony, punishable by up to five years in prison, for a person to “knowingly distribute, order, request, collect, prefill, obtain, or deliver an absentee ballot application or absentee ballot in addition to his or her own absentee ballot application or absentee ballot.” The penalty would jump to a Class B felony, punishable by up to 20 years in prison, to pay someone to help with a ballot, and a Class C felony, punishable by up to 10 years, to receive that payment. “Don’t take this personal, but this is quite possibly the worst piece of legislation that I’ve ever seen,” said Democratic Rep. Chris England from Tuscaloosa. He said paying a family member $10 to pick up an absentee ballot for you would bring a punishment in line with burglary. Kiel responded that, “profiting from voting should not happen.” “The intent here is not to keep people from voting but to make sure our process is secure as possible,” Kiel from Russellville, said. The bill allows an exemption for family members to help with an absentee ballot — only if they are not paid to do so. The bill also says there is an affirmative defense if the voter being helped is blind, disabled, or unable to read or write, provided there is no payment involved. Rep. Mary Moore, a Black Democrat from Birmingham, says the state has a long history of attempting to suppress the rights of disenfranchised groups. Moore called the legislation an attempt to make it harder for people to vote, comparing it to how her parents once had to save money throughout the year in order to pay poll taxes. “In most countries, they do everything in their power to make sure that every citizen of voting age is able to vote,” Moore said. “No matter how the help comes.” Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
