Alabama House of Representatives

Alabama House of Representatives
Alabama House of Representatives
Type
Type	Lower house of the Alabama Legislature
Term limits	None
History
New session started	February 25, 2020
Leadership
Speaker	Mac McCutcheon (R) ; since August 15, 2016
Speaker pro Tempore	Victor Gaston (R) ; since December 8, 2010
Majority Leader	Nathaniel Ledbetter (R) ; since March 1, 2017
Minority Leader	Anthony Daniels (D) ; since February 8, 2017
Structure
Seats	105
Political groups	Majority Republican (76); Minority Democratic (27); Other Vacant (2);
Length of term	4 years
Authority	Article IV, Alabama Constitution
Salary	$42,830/yr
Elections
Voting system	First-past-the-post
Last election	November 6, 2018; (105 seats)
Next election	November 8, 2022; (105 seats)
Redistricting	Legislative Control
Meeting place
	House of Representatives; Alabama State House; Montgomery, Alabama
Website
	Alabama House of Representatives

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

The Alabama State House of Representatives is the lower house of the Alabama Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alabama. The House is composed of 105 members representing an equal number of districts, with each constituency containing at least 42,380 citizens. There are no term limits in the House. The House is also one of the five lower houses of state legislatures in the United States that is elected every four years. Other lower houses, including the United States House of Representatives, are elected for a two-year term.

The House meets at the Alabama State House in Montgomery.

Powers and process[]

All revenue-raising matters must originate in the Alabama House, just as in the Congress of the United States. The House must have a quorum to conduct business, and a majority of a quorum can pass any bill except a constitutional amendment, which requires a three-fifths vote of all those elected. An appropriation to a non-government organization, such as a private college, requires a two-thirds vote of those elected. In order to be a member of the Alabama House of Representatives, one must be a minimum of 21 years of age.

Membership[]

The Alabama House of Representatives is composed of 105 members, for the respectively numbered districts across the state. Each member represents a district of approximately 42,000 people,^[2] and is elected to a four-year term. Members of the House at the time of their election must have been citizens of Alabama for three years, and have lived in their respective districts for at least one year immediately preceding their election. The Speaker of the House is a member of the body and is elected by his colleagues to serve as its presiding officer.

Members of the House are paid a salary of ten dollars per day, plus expenses other than travel in an amount fixed by joint resolution of the legislature.

Leadership[]

Seal of the Speaker

The Speaker of the House presides over the House of Representatives. The Speaker is elected by the majority party caucus followed by confirmation of the full House through the passage of a House Resolution. In addition to presiding over the body, the Speaker is also the chief leadership position and controls the flow of legislation and committee assignments. Other House leaders, such as the majority and minority leaders, are elected by their respective party caucuses relative to their party's strength in the chamber.

Speaker of the House: Republican Mac McCutcheon, District 25 (Monrovia, Madison County)
Majority Leader: Republican Nathaniel Ledbetter, District 24 (Rainsville, DeKalb County)
Minority Leader: Democrat Anthony Daniels, District 53 (Madison)

Composition[]

Affiliation	Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)		Total

	Republican	Democratic		Vacant
End of previous legislature	72	33	105	0

Begin present legislature	77	28	105	0
Current	76	27	103	2
Latest voting share	72.82%	27.18%

House leadership[]

Position		Name	Party	District
	Speaker of the House	Mac McCutcheon	Republican	25th–Capshaw
	Speaker pro tempore	Victor Gaston	Republican	100th–Mobile
Clerk of the House		Jeffrey Woodard

Majority Leadership[]

	Name	Party	District
House Majority Leader	Nathaniel Ledbetter	Republican	24th–Rainsville
Majority Whip	Danny Garrett	Republican	44th–Trussville
Majority Caucus Vice-Chair	Connie Rowe	Republican	13th–Jasper
Majority Caucus Secretary/Treasurer	Phillip Pettus	Republican	1st–Killen

Minority Leadership[]

	Name	Party	District
House Minority Leader	Anthony Daniels	Democratic	53rd–Huntsville
Assistant Minority Leader	Merika Coleman	Democratic	57th–Birmingham
Minority Caucus Chair	Christopher J. England	Democratic	70th–Tuscaloosa
Minority Caucus Vice-Chair	Barbara Drummond	Democratic	103rd–Mobile
Minority Whips	Adline Clarke	Democratic	97th–Hartselle
	Jeremy Gray	Democratic	83rd–Opelika
	Tashina Morris	Democratic	77th–Montgomery
Minority Caucus Secretary/Treasurer	Kelvin Lawrence	Democratic	69th–Hayneville

House roster[]

District	Name	Party	Residence	First elected	Counties represented
1	Phillip Pettus	Rep	Killen	2014	Lauderdale
2	Lynn Greer	Rep	Florence	2002	Lauderdale, Limestone
3	Andrew Sorrell	Rep	Muscle Shoals	2018	Colbert, Lauderdale, Lawrence
4	Parker Moore	Rep	Decatur	2018	Limestone, Morgan
5	Danny Crawford	Rep	Athens	2016	Limestone
	Andy Whitt	Rep	Ardmore	2018	Limestone, Madison
	Proncey Robertson	Rep	Mt. Hope	2018	Franklin, Lawrence, Morgan, Winston
	Terri Collins	Rep	Decatur	2010	Morgan
	Scott Stadthagen	Rep	Hartselle	2018	Cullman, Marshall, Morgan
	Mike Ball	Rep	Madison	2002	Madison
	Randall Shedd	Rep	Cullman	2013	Blount, Cullman, Marshall, Morgan
	Corey Harbison	Rep	Good Hope	2014	Cullman
	Connie Rowe	Rep	Jasper	2014	Blount, Walker
	Tim Wadsworth	Rep	Arley	2014	Jefferson, Walker, Winston
	Allen Farley	Rep	Pleasant Grove	2010	Jefferson, Shelby
	Kyle South	Rep	Fayette	2014	Fayette, Jefferson, Lamar, Tuscaloosa
	Tracy Estes	Rep	Winfield	2018	Lamar, Marion, Winston
	Jamie Kiel	Rep	Russellville	2018	Colbert, Franklin, Lauderdale
	Laura Hall	Dem	Huntsville	1993	Madison
	Howard Sanderford	Rep	Huntsville	1989	Madison
	Rex Reynolds	Rep	Huntsville	2018	Madison
	Ritchie Whorton	Rep	Owens Cross Roads	2014	Jackson, Madison
	Tommy Hanes	Rep	Bryant	2014	DeKalb, Jackson
	Nathaniel Ledbetter	Rep	Rainsville	2014	DeKalb
	Mac McCutcheon	Rep	Capshaw	2006	Limestone, Madison
	Kerry Rich	Rep	Albertville	2010	DeKalb, Marshall
	Wes Kitchens	Rep	Arab	2018	Blount, DeKalb, Marshall
	Gil Isbell	Rep	Gadsden	2018	Etowah
	Becky Nordgren	Rep	Gadsden	2010	Calhoun, DeKalb, Etowah
	Craig Lipscomb	Rep	Gadsden	2012	Etowah, St. Clair
	Mike Holmes	Rep	Wetumpka	2014	Autauga, Elmore
	Barbara Boyd	Dem	Anniston	1994	Calhoun, Talladega
	Ben Robbins	Rep	Montgomery	2021	Clay, Coosa, Talladega
	David Standridge	Rep	Oneonta	2012	Blount, Marshall
	Steve Hurst	Rep	Munford	1998	Calhoun, Clay, Coosa, Talladega
	Randy Wood	Rep	Anniston	2002	Calhoun, St. Clair, Talladega
	Bob Fincher	Rep	Woodland	2014	Chambers, Cleburne, Randolph
	Debbie Wood	Rep	Valley	2018	Chambers, Lee
	Ginny Shaver	Rep	Leesburg	2018	Calhoun, Cherokee, Cleburne, DeKalb
	K. L. Brown	Rep	Jacksonville	2010	Calhoun
	Corley Ellis	Rep	Columbiana	2016	Shelby
		Rep	Clanton	2019	Autauga, Chilton
	Arnold Mooney	Rep	Birmingham	2014	Jefferson, Shelby
	Danny Garrett	Rep	Trussville	2014	Jefferson
	Dickie Drake	Rep	Leeds	2011	Jefferson, Shelby
	David Faulkner	Rep	Homewood	2014	Jefferson
	David Wheeler	Rep	Vestavia Hills	2018	Jefferson
	Jim Carns	Rep	Vestavia Hills	2011	Jefferson, Shelby
	Russell Bedsole	Rep	Alabaster	2020	Bibb, Chilton, Shelby
	Jim Hill	Rep	Odenville	2014	St. Clair
	Allen Treadaway	Rep	Morris	2006	Jefferson
	John Rogers	Dem	Birmingham	1982	Jefferson
	Anthony Daniels	Dem	Huntsville	2014	Madison
	Neil Rafferty	Dem	Birmingham	2018	Jefferson
	Rod Scott	Dem	Fairfield	2006	Jefferson
	Louise Alexander	Dem	Bessemer	2014	Jefferson
	Merika Coleman	Dem	Birmingham	2002	Jefferson
	Rolanda Hollis	Dem	Birmingham	2017	Jefferson
	Mary Moore	Dem	Birmingham	2002	Jefferson
	Juandalynn Givan	Dem	Birmingham	2010	Jefferson
		Rep	Northport	2018	Pickens, Pickens, Tuscaloosa
	Rich Wingo	Rep	Tuscaloosa	2014	Tuscaloosa
	Bill Poole	Rep	Tuscaloosa	2010	Tuscaloosa
	Harry Shiver	Rep	Bay Minette	2006	Baldwin, Monroe
		Rep	Fruitdale	2018	Choctaw, Clarke, Marengo, Washington
	Alan Baker	Rep	Brewton	2006	Baldwin, Escambia
	Prince Chestnut	Dem	Selma	2017	Dallas, Perry
	Thomas Jackson	Dem	Thomasville	1994	Clarke, Conecuh, Marengo, Monroe
	Kelvin Lawrence	Dem	Hayneville	2014	Autauga, Lowndes, Montgomery, Wilcox
	Christopher J. England	Dem	Tuscaloosa	2006	Tuscaloosa
	Artis J. McCampbell	Dem	Demopolis	2006	Greene, Marengo, Sumter, Tuscaloosa
	Ralph Anthony Howard	Dem	Greensboro	2005	Bibb, Greene, Hale, Marengo, Perry
	Kenneth Paschal	Rep	Pelham	2021	Shelby
	Charlotte Meadows	Rep	Montgomery	2019	Montgomery
	Reed Ingram	Rep	Mathews	2014	Elmore, Montgomery
	Thad McClammy	Dem	Montgomery	1994	Montgomery
	Tashina Morris	Dem	Montgomery	2018	Montgomery
	Kenyatté Hassell	Dem	Montgomery	2021	Montgomery
	Joe Lovvorn	Rep	Auburn	2016	Lee
	Chris Blackshear	Rep	Smiths Station	2016	Lee, Russell
		Rep	Alexander City	2018	Chilton, Coosa, Tallapoosa
	Pebblin Warren	Dem	Tuskegee	2005	Lee, Macon, Tallapoosa
	Jeremy Gray	Dem	Opelika	2018	Lee, Russell
	Berry Forte	Dem	Clayton	2010	Barbour, Bullock, Russell
	Dexter Grimsley	Dem	Abbeville	2010	Henry, Houston
	Paul Lee	Rep	Dothan	2010	Houston
	Jeff Sorrells	Rep	Hartford	2018	Geneva, Houston
	Will Dismukes	Rep	Prattville	2018	Autauga, Elmore
	Wes Allen	Rep	Troy	2018	Dale, Pike
	Chris Sells	Rep	Greenville	2014	Butler, Coffee, Conecuh, Crenshaw, Montgomery
		Rep	Enterprise	2018	Coffee
	Mike Jones	Rep	Andalusia	2010	Coffee, Covington, Escambia
	Steve Clouse	Rep	Ozark	1994	Dale, Houston
	Joe Faust	Rep	Fairhope	2004	Baldwin
	Steve McMillan	Rep	Bay Minette	1982	Baldwin
		Rep	Daphne	2018	Baldwin, Mobile
	Adline Clarke	Dem	Mobile	2013	Mobile
	Napoleon Bracy Jr.	Dem	Saraland	2010	Mobile
	Sam Jones	Dem	Mobile	2018	Mobile
	Victor Gaston	Rep	Mobile	1982	Mobile
	Chris Pringle	Rep	Mobile	2014	Mobile
		Rep	Mobile	2018	Mobile
	Barbara Drummond	Dem	Mobile	2014	Mobile
	Margie Wilcox	Rep	Mobile	2014	Mobile
		Rep	Mobile	2018	Mobile

Past composition of the House[]

Throughout most of the state's history, the Democratic Party has held the majority in the Alabama House of Representatives except for a few brief exceptions. The Whig Party controlled the lower house in 1819 and again in 1821-23, and for the last time in 1837–1838.

After the Civil War and emancipation, granting of citizenship and the franchise to freedmen, most joined the Republican Party. Politics became competitive for several years. Republicans, made up of both races, held the majority of seats during the Reconstruction period from 1868 to 1870, and again from 1872 to 1874.

Among the House's historical firsts was the election of its first African-American members in 1868, when 27 black Republicans were elected.^[3] Among those African Americans elected to the lower house in 1872 was Rev. Mentor Dotson, a teacher. His granddaughter Helen Elsie Austin in 1930 was the first African-American woman to graduate from University of Cincinnati Law School, and in 1937 the first black and first woman to be appointed as state assistant attorney general of Ohio. She had a career as counsel to several federal agencies, was active in civil rights, and served a decade as a US Foreign Service Officer in Africa.

Beginning in 1876, white Democrats regained control of the state house, through a combination of fraud, intimidation, and armed attacks on Republicans. At the turn of the 20th century, they passed laws that essentially disenfranchised both blacks and poor whites, causing a dramatic drop in voter rolls. Alabama white Democrats helped form the Solid South in Congress. For decades a failure to redistrict according to census returns resulted in the state legislature being dominated by rural counties and conservative Democrats.

In 1922 the first female member was elected to the State House: Hattie Hooker Wilkins of Dallas County, who served a single four-year term.^[4]

There was a realignment of party affiliations during the later 20th century. In the 1970s the ruling of one man, one vote by the US Supreme Court enabled urban jurisdictions to acquire political power in the State House that expressed the size of their populations. Through the late 20th century, after the civil rights movement, white conservatives began to realign, supporting Republican presidential candidates. Most blacks in the state supported the national Democratic Party, which had supported constitutional rights. At the local and state level, numerous Democrats were elected.

Some 136 years of Democratic control of the State House ended in November 2010. Beginning with the 2010 General Election Republicans swept to a large majority in the state house. They increased this margin in the elections in 2014 and 2018.

Committees[]

Current committees include:^[5]

Agriculture and Forestry
Baldwin County Legislation
Boards, Agencies and Commissions
Children and Senior Advocacy
Commerce and Small Business
Constitutions, Campaigns and Elections
County and Municipal Government
Economic Development and Tourism
Education Policy
Ethics and Campaign Finance
Financial Services
Health
Insurance
Internal Affairs
Jefferson County Legislation
Judiciary
Lee County Legislation
Local Legislation
Madison County Legislation
Military and Veterans' Affairs
Mobile County Legislation
Montgomery County Legislation
Public Safety and Homeland Security
Rules
Shelby County Legislation
State Government
Technology and Research
Transportation, Utilities and Infrastructure
Tuscaloosa County Legislation
Ways and Means Education
Ways and Means General Fund

References[]

^ "2016 Survey: State Legislative Compensation, Session Per Diem and Mileage" (PDF). National Conference of State Legislatures. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
^ Article IV, Section 50 of the Alabama Constitution.
^ Bailey, Neither Carpetbaggers nor Scalawags (1991)
^ Dance, Gabby. Alabama Political Reporter, July 24, 2019
^ "Alabama House Committees". Open States. Sunlight Foundation. April 9, 2014. Retrieved April 9, 2014.

External links[]

Alabama House of Representatives Official Site

[1] "2016 Survey: State Legislative Compensation, Session Per Diem and Mileage" (PDF). National Conference of State Legislatures. Retrieved March 16, 2021.

[2] Article IV, Section 50 of the Alabama Constitution.

[3] Bailey, Neither Carpetbaggers nor Scalawags (1991)

[4] Dance, Gabby. Alabama Political Reporter, July 24, 2019

[OpenStates-5] "Alabama House Committees". Open States. Sunlight Foundation. April 9, 2014. Retrieved April 9, 2014.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

show v t Members of the Alabama House of Representatives
Speaker of the House Mac McCutcheon (R) Speaker pro tempore Victor Gaston (R) Majority Leader Nathaniel Ledbetter (R) Minority Leader Anthony Daniels (D)
Phillip Pettus (R) Lynn Greer (R) Andrew Sorrell (R) Parker Moore (R) Danny Crawford (R) Andy Whitt (R) Proncey Robertson (R) Terri Collins (R) Scott Stadthagen (R) Mike Ball (R) Randall Shedd (R) Corey Harbison (R) Connie Rowe (R) Tim Wadsworth (R) Allen Farley (R) Kyle South (R) Tracy Estes (R) Jamie Kiel (R) Laura Hall (D) Howard Sanderford (R) Rex Reynolds (R) Ritchie Whorton (R) Tommy Hanes (R) Nathaniel Ledbetter (R) Mac McCutcheon (R) Kerry Rich (R) Wes Kitchens (R) Gil Isbell (R) Becky Nordgren (R) Craig Lipscomb (R) Mike Holmes (R) Barbara Boyd (D) Ben Robbins (R) David Standridge (R) Steve Hurst (R) Randy Wood (R) Bob Fincher (R) Debbie Wood (R) Ginny Shaver (R) K. L. Brown (R) Corley Ellis (R) (R) Arnold Mooney (R) Danny Garrett (R) Dickie Drake (R) David Faulkner (R) David Wheeler (R) Jim Carns (R) Russell Bedsole (R) Jim Hill (R) Allen Treadaway (R) John Rogers (D) Anthony Daniels (D) Neil Rafferty (D) Rod Scott (D) Louise Alexander (D) Merika Coleman (D) Rolanda Hollis (D) Mary Moore (D) Juandalynn Givan (D) (R) Rich Wingo (R) Bill Poole (R) Harry Shiver (R) (R) Alan Baker (R) Prince Chestnut (D) Thomas Jackson (D) Kelvin Lawrence (D) Christopher J. England (D) Artis J. McCampbell (D) Ralph Anthony Howard (D) Vacant Charlotte Meadows (R) Reed Ingram (R) Thad McClammy (D) (D) Vacant Joe Lovvorn (R) Chris Blackshear (R) (R) Pebblin Warren (D) Jeremy Gray (D) Berry Forte (D) Dexter Grimsley (D) Paul Lee (R) Jeff Sorrells (R) Will Dismukes (R) Wes Allen (R) Chris Sells (R) (R) (R) Steve Clouse (R) Joe Faust (R) Steve McMillan (R) (R) Adline Clarke (D) Napoleon Bracy Jr. (D) Sam Jones (D) Victor Gaston (R) Chris Pringle (R) (R) Barbara Drummond (D) Margie Wilcox (R) (R)
Republican (76) Democratic (27) Vacant (2) Alabama Legislature Alabama House of Representatives Alabama Senate

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Legislative elections	2010 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
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