Alabama Senate

Alabama State Senate
Alabama State Senate
Alabama State Legislature
Type
Type	Upper house
Term limits	None
History
New session started	March 7, 2023
Leadership
President	Will Ainsworth (R) ; since January 14, 2019
President pro tempore	Greg Reed (R) ; since February 2, 2021
Majority Leader	Steve Livingston (R) ; since October 30, 2023
Minority Leader	Bobby Singleton (D) ; since January 8, 2019
Structure
Seats	35
Political groups	Majority Republican (27); Minority Democratic (8);
Length of term	4 years
Authority	Article IV, Alabama Constitution
Salary	$53,913/yr
Elections
Voting system	First-past-the-post
Last election	November 8, 2022; (35 seats)
Next election	November 3, 2026; (35 seats)
Redistricting	Legislative Control
Meeting place
	State Senate Chamber; Alabama State House; Montgomery, Alabama
Website
	Alabama State Senate

32°22′36″N 86°17′56″W / 32.37667°N 86.29889°W / 32.37667; -86.29889

The Alabama State Senate is the upper house of the Alabama Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alabama. The body is composed of 35 members representing an equal number of districts across the state, with each district containing at least 127,140 citizens. Similar to the lower house, the Alabama House of Representatives, the senate serves both without term limits and with a four-year term.

The Alabama State Senate meets at the State House in Montgomery.

Like other upper houses of state and territorial legislatures and the United States Senate, the senate can confirm or reject gubernatorial appointments to the state cabinet, commissions and boards.

Assembly powers

While the House of Representatives has exclusive power to originate revenue bills, such legislation can be amended and/or substituted by the senate. Moreover, because the senate is considered to be the "deliberative body", rules concerning the length of the debate are more liberal than those of the House of Representatives.

Like the United States Senate, the Alabama State Senate has the sole power of Confirmation of certain appointees designated by the Constitution and by statute. The legislative antecedent of this role is a similar power that was vested in the Roman Senate during the Roman Republic.

Membership guidelines

The Alabama State Senate is composed of 35 state senators, in keeping with Article IV, Section 50, of the Alabama Constitution, which limits the Alabama House of Representatives to 105 members, and the senate to 35; together with Article IX, Sections 197 and 198, which requires that membership in the state senate consist of not less than one-fourth, nor more than one-third, of the total membership of the state House of Representatives. Additional representation is authorized in the event of the creation of new counties. Thus, the Alabama State Senate is precisely one-third the size of the House of Representatives, and each state senator represents a district of approximately 125,000 Alabamians.

Under Article IV, Section 47 of the Constitution, Senators must be at least 25 years of age at the time of their election, must be citizens and residents of the state of Alabama for at least 3 years, and reside within their district for at least one year prior to election.

Senators, like members of the House of Representatives, are elected for four-year terms and take office at midnight of the day of their election. Amendment 97 to the Constitution, provides that should a vacancy occur in either house of the Legislature, the governor is required to call a special election to fill the vacancy.

Composition

↓
27	8
Republican	Democratic

Affiliation	Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)		Total

	Republican	Democratic		Vacant
November 7, 2018	27	8	35	0
December 7, 2020	26		34	1
July 14, 2021	27		35	0
October 30, 2023	26		34	1
January 23, 2024	27		35	0
Latest voting share	77%	23%

Senate leadership

Position		Name	Party	District
	President	Will Ainsworth	Republican	Statewide
	President pro tempore	Greg Reed	Republican	5th–Jasper
Secretary of the senate		D. Patrick Harris

Majority leadership

Position		Name	Party	District
	Senate Majority Leader in Alabama State Senate	Steve Livingston	Republican	8th–Scottsboro
	Senate Majority Vice Leader in Alabama State Senate	Clyde Chambliss	Republican	30th–Prattville

Minority leadership in Alabama State Senate

	Name	Party	District
Minority Leader in Alabama State Senate	Bobby Singleton	Democratic	24th–Greensboro
Minority Vice Leader in Alabama State Senate	Rodger Smitherman	Democratic	18th–Birmingham
Minority Democratic Caucus Chair in Alabama State Senate	Linda Coleman-Madison	Democratic	20th–Birmingham

List of state senators

District	Senator	Political party	Hometown	First elected	Counties represented
1	Tim Melson	Republican	Florence	2014	Lauderdale, Limestone, Madison
2	Tom Butler	Republican	Madison	2018	Limestone, Madison
3	Arthur Orr	Republican	Decatur	2006	Limestone, Madison, Morgan
4	Garlan Gudger	Republican	Cullman	2018	Cullman, Lawrence, Marion, Winston
5	Greg Reed	Republican	Jasper	2010	Fayette, Jefferson, Tuscaloosa, Walker, Winston
6	Larry Stutts	Republican	Tuscumbia	2014	Colbert, Franklin, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Marion
7	Sam Givhan	Republican	Gurley	2018	Madison
8	Steve Livingston	Republican	Scottsboro	2014	DeKalb, Jackson, Madison
9	Wes Kitchens	Republican	Arab	2024 (special)	Blount, DeKalb, Madison, Marshall
10	Andrew Jones	Republican	Centre	2018	Cherokee, DeKalb, Etowah, St. Clair
11	Lance Bell	Republican	Pell City	2022	Shelby, St. Clair, Talladega
12	Keith Kelley	Republican	Anniston	2022	Calhoun, Talladega
13	Randy Price	Republican	Opelika	2018	Chambers, Cherokee, Clay, Cleburne, Lee, Randolph
14	April Weaver	Republican	Alabaster	2021 (special)	Bibb, Chilton, Shelby
15	Dan Roberts	Republican	Birmingham	2018	Jefferson, Shelby, Talladega
16	J. T. Waggoner	Republican	Birmingham	1990	Jefferson, Shelby
17	Shay Shelnutt	Republican	Trussville	2014	Blount, Jefferson, St. Clair
18	Rodger Smitherman	Democratic	Birmingham	1994	Jefferson
19	Merika Coleman	Democratic	Birmingham	2022	Jefferson
20	Linda Coleman-Madison	Democratic	Birmingham	2006	Jefferson
21	Gerald Allen	Republican	Tuscaloosa	2010	Lamar, Pickens, Tuscaloosa
22	Greg Albritton	Republican	Range	2014	Baldwin, Clarke, Escambia, Monroe, Washington
23	Robert Stewart	Democratic	Selma	2022	Butler, Conecuh, Dallas, Lowndes, Marengo, Monroe, Perry, Wilcox
24	Bobby Singleton	Democratic	Greensboro	2005	Choctaw, Greene, Hale, Marengo, Pickens, Sumter, Tuscaloosa
25	Will Barfoot	Republican	Montgomery	2018	Crenshaw, Elmore, Montgomery
26	Kirk Hatcher	Democratic	Montgomery	2021 (special)	Montgomery
27	Jay Hovey	Republican	Auburn	2022	Lee, Russell, Tallapoosa
28	Billy Beasley	Democratic	Clayton	2010	Barbour, Bullock, Henry, Houston, Macon, Russell
29	Donnie Chesteen	Republican	Geneva	2018	Dale, Geneva, Houston
30	Clyde Chambliss	Republican	Prattville	2014	Autauga, Chilton, Coosa, Elmore, Tallapoosa
31	Josh Carnley	Republican	Ino	2022	Coffee, Covington, Dale, Pike
32	Chris Elliott	Republican	Spanish Fort	2018	Baldwin
33	Vivian Davis Figures	Democratic	Mobile	1997	Mobile
34	Jack W. Williams	Republican	Wilmer	2018	Mobile
35	David Sessions	Republican	Grand Bay	2018	Mobile

Past composition of the senate

Throughout most of the state's history, the Democratic Party controlled the Alabama State Senate from the time of admission to the Union in 1819 with a few brief exceptions. The Whig Party had a majority in the State Senate in 1837 and again from 1850 to 1851. Following the Civil War and the state's readmission to the Union, the chamber had a Republican majority during the Reconstruction period from 1868 to 1874. This was followed by 136 consecutive years of Democratic majorities. Beginning with the 2010 election Republicans captured a substantial majority in the chamber and have held it in the two elections since in 2014 and 2018.

The first African-American to serve in the Alabama State Senate was Benjamin F. Royal, a Republican from Bullock County, who served from 1868 to 1875.^[2] The election of 1983 produced the first female senators in Alabama history as Republican Ann Bedsole (1983-1995) and Democrat Frances "Sister" Strong (1983-1986) won office.

Leadership of the senate

The lieutenant governor of Alabama serves as the president of the senate, but only casts a vote if required to break a tie. In his or her absence, the president pro tempore presides over the senate. The president pro tempore is elected by the full Senate by nominations taken from the floor, followed by a recorded vote. The president pro tempore is the chief leadership position in the senate. The other Senate Majority and Minority leaders are elected by their respective party caucuses.

The president of the senate is the lieutenant governor, which is currently Will Ainsworth. The president pro tempore is Greg Reed. The majority leader is Republican Steve Livingston and the minority leader is Democrat Bobby Singleton.

Committees

Current committees include:^[3]

Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry
Banking and Insurance
Business and Labor
Children, Youth Affairs, and Human Resources
Commerce, Transportation, and Utilities
Confirmations
Constitution, Campaign Finance, Ethics, and Elections
Economic Expansion and Trade
Education
Energy and Natural Resources
Finance and Taxation Education
Finance and Taxation General Fund

Fiscal Responsibility and Accountability
Governmental Affairs
Health
Industrial Development and Recruitment
Judiciary
Local Legislation No. 1
Local Legislation No. 2
Local Legislation No. 3
Rules
Small Business and Economic Development
Tourism and Marketing
Veterans and Military Affairs

Senate seal

The Senate Seal features an open book and torch, accompanied by the Latin phrase Libertas Per Lege, meaning "Liberty Through Law". The official Seal of the Senate was adopted by Senate Resolution, August 19, 1965, and was created by a special committee consisting of then Senators John Tyson (Mobile), Vaughan Hill Robison (Montgomery), Bill Nichols (Talladega), Lieutenant Governor Jim Allen and Secretary of the Senate McDowell Lee.

Notes

References

^ "Budget Fact Book" (PDF). The Alabama Legislature. January 4, 2023. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
^ Bailey, Neither Carpetbaggers nor Scalawags (1991)
^ "Alabama State Senate Committees". Open States. Sunlight Foundation. April 9, 2014. Retrieved April 9, 2014.