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Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill to give politicians appointments to Alabama Archives' governing board fails
A bronze map of Alabama, as seen outside the Alabama Department of Archives and History on February 8, 2023. A bill that would have changed the governance of the department did not pass before the Legislature adjourned on Wednesday. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector) A bill that would have subjected the Alabama Department of Archives and History's Board of Trustees to political appointments failed to become law in another legislative session. SB 5, sponsored by Sen. Chris Elliot, R-Josephine, would have taken the board's power to nominate its own members and made the governor the appointing authority for most seats, including members from each congressional district. Eight at-large appointments would havecome from the House Speaker, Senate President Pro Tempore, and the House and Senate Minority Leaders. This year's effort was the furthest his bill has moved. Elliott said that he planned on bringing it back next year. 'I think at the end, everybody was on the same page … just ran out of time. It happens,' Elliot said after the Senate adjourned its final day Wednesday, adding that 'it's certainly a starting point for next year, and we'll come back with it.' Elliott has pushed for similar legislation since a presentation about LGBTQ+ history in Alabama at Archives in June 2023 led to attacks from Republicans and right-wing tried to pull $5 million from the department in a special session on redistricting in the summer of 2023, but the bill failed to pass. The following year, Ellitt filed a bill that would have allowed state officials and legislative leaders to handpick the board members, keeping the board's size as it was. That bill made it through the Senate and a House committee, but it never got to a vote in the full House. The bill this year faced some delay after it returned to the upper chamber after the House added an amendment to remove the Senate confirmation process from appointments by the Speaker of the House. Sen. Robert Stewart, D-Selma, asked Elliot how he felt about eliminating the Senate confirmation process, saying that this would make the Department of Archives and History one of the few agencies not subject to Senate oversight via confirmations. Elliot, ignoring the debate while using his phone on the podium, did not look up. 'Well, I guess it's not his pleasure,' Stewart said. Elliot asked the Senate to adopt the House amendment, which would have sent the bill to the governor, but Senate Democrats continued to filibuster, effectively delaying and later killing some local bills. Elliott eventually changed his mind and asked the Senate to nonconcur, sending the bill to negotiations between the House and Senate through a conference committee. The conference committee met shortly before the Senate convened Wednesday and removed the amendment added in the House, bringing the bill back to the Senate version. But amid a filibuster from Senate Democrats, neither chamber took up the conference committee report before the Legislature adjourned for the year. Archives' board of trustees met on Wednesday afternoon. 'Whatever happens, we are very committed to working with the new appointments to be sure that we continue to serve the state well, and that there may well be some benefits of having those kinds of direct connections with the President Pro Tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House through their respective appointments,' Steve Murray, the director of Archives and History, said. He then expressed gratitude to the members who would have been replaced under the legislation. 'I also want to thank the staff who have maintained really an unbreakable spirit of service and continuity in our work,' he said. 'It has not been an easy couple of years for us here, but they remain absolutely committed to the work that we are doing, and do it with such energy and knowledge, and enthusiasm, and professionalism, that I could not be prouder to be affiliated with them.' After the 90-minute meeting, Delores R. Boyd, chair of the Board for Archives said the changes that was under consideration by the Legislature were unnecessary. 'The governance structure that has worked for years was adequate,' Boyd said. 'I respect the judgement of the politicians who believe that ought to have more impact. I hope that their motivation though, is one that is destined to keep this important agency on the same trajectory, that is: we are the crown jewel of state archival and history agencies. We have functioned well for over a century.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
House passes bill restructuring Alabama Department of Archives' governing board
The Alabama Department of Archives and History, as seen on February 8, 2023. The Alabama House Tuesday approved a \bill that restructures the board of trustees for the Alabama Department of Archives & History, which the House passed along party lines on Tuesday.(Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector) The Alabama House of Representatives passed a bill along party lines Tuesday that restructures the board of trustees of the Alabama Department of Archives & History. Currently, the Alabama Department of Archives and History has two trustees from each congressional district and two additional at-large members, plus the governor or their designees. The board nominates its own members. SB 5, sponsored by Sen. Chris Elliot, R-Josephine, would make the governor the appointing authority for most seats, including members from each congressional district, with eight at-large appointments coming from the speaker, president pro tempore, and the minority leaders of the House and Senate. The bill strips the board from nominating its own members. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'This bill reconstitutes the board of directors to make it more in line with our other two flagship museums in the state: the battleship and the rocket center,' Rep. Jamie Kiel, R-Russellville, who carried the bill in the House, said. Rep. Joe Lovvorn, R-Auburn, offered an amendment that takes away the Senate confirmation process from the appointment by the Speaker of the House. 'The basis of that is: Why would the Speaker have an appointment and that appointment be confirmed by the Senate?' Lovvorn said. Rep. Napoleon Bracy, D-Mobile, said he is concerned about how people will be appointed and removed from the board. 'This has just been a messy situation from the start, I think we can all kinda agree on that,' Bracy said. The bill passed the Senate 26-5 on April 18. Elliot was one of several Republicans who attacked the Archives Department for hosting a presentation on LGBTQ+ history in Alabama in June 2023, claiming the board is not accountable to elected officials, calling it a 'unicorn.' Elliott then introduced a bill in the redistricting special session in mid-2023 to strip Archives of $5 million, which did not pass. He also introduced a similar bill for the 2024 legislative session that would have given state officials and legislative leaders the power to appoint board members, while keeping the board size the same. The bill passed the Senate and a House committee but did not reach the House floor. The bill received approval from the House State Government Committee on April 23 with some audible 'no' votes from Democrats. Lovvorn's amendment on Tuesday passed 96-0. Rep. Phillip Ensler, D-Montgomery, questioned why the board needs to be restructured now. 'The staff that's at the Archives, they're incredibly professional. They're historians. They're the experts that are doing their best to honor all people in the state. That's incredibly important, making sure we're telling the full true history of Alabama,' Ensler said. He claimed the bill is government overreach. 'It seems like it's big government where we're all of a sudden micro-managing what this board can do,' he said. 'This just feels like a personal attack on their expertise, their professionalism.' The bill passed 74-29. It goes to the Senate for concurrence or conference committee. There are two days left in the legislative session. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
50 Texas House Democrats refuse to vote on bipartisan constitutional amendment
AUSTIN (Nexstar) — As the Texas House debated bipartisan House Joint Resolution 72, a proposed amendment to the Texas constitution, State Rep. Gene Wu, D – Houston, stepped up to the microphone with a unique question for the bill's author, State Rep. Candy Noble, R – Murphy. 'I fully support this resolution,' began Wu, the chairman of the Texas House Democratic Caucus, said. HJR 72 grants property tax relief for family members of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), if they own their family member's homes in their name. 'I called you last night and asked you to just have a brief delay in this bill, correct?' Wu asked. 'Yes,' Noble replied. 'You agreed and you gave me your word that you would delay just briefly,' Wu said. 'I did, and after talking with my IDD constituents I decided to choose them and I apologize that that did not happen,' Noble replied. The exchange came after a constitutional amendment discussion was delayed on Tuesday. Ahead of a vote on Senate Bill 2 — the education savings accounts bill — the Texas Tribune reported that Democrats were threatening to vote against all proposed constitutional amendments if Republicans didn't help them put the ESA legislation to a public vote. Constitutional amendments require a two-thirds vote from both chambers of the Texas legislature before heading to the voters, meaning 51 of the 62 Democratic House members can kill one without any Republican dissenting. When HJR 72 got to a vote, 90 members voted in favor, two against with 51 members registering as 'present, not voting' (PNV). Among the 51 PNVs, 50 were Democratic House members with the 51st being Speaker of the House Dustin Burrows, who typically only breaks ties. While 100 votes are needed to pass joint resolutions/constitutional amendments, HJR 72 wasn't killed by the vote, but rather sent to a third reading where it will need 100 votes. The third reading was scheduled for Thursday, but after Wednesday's vote, Noble motioned to move the vote to Monday. HJR 72 wasn't the only proposed constitutional amendment on the House docket Wednesday. A couple hours prior, State Rep. Tom Craddick, R-Midland, appeared unsure if he should bring forward Senate Joint Resolution 3 which, in conjunction with Senate Bill 5, would create the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas. '(SB 5) has a constitutional amendment that's attached to it which we're not going to vote on today. We're going to do like the other constitutional amendments,' Craddick said before turning to State Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston. 'We got the votes, we got the votes,' Senfronia, a co-sponsor on the bill with Craddick, told him. With a collection of State Representatives gathered near the Speaker's desk, the microphone picked up one saying 'the Ds are deciding.' After SB 5 advanced to a third reading, Craddick ultimately decided to postpone debate of SJR 3 to Monday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
House committee approves bill restructuring Department of Archives' governing board
Sen. Chris Elliot, R-Josephine, speaks to the House State Government Committee on April 23, 2025, in the Alabama State House in Montgomery, Alabama. The committee approved Elliot's bill that will restructure the Alabama Department of Archives and History on Wednesday. (Anna Barrett/Alabama Reflector) An Alabama House committee approved a bill Wednesday that would restructure the board of trustees of the Alabama Department of Archives & History. SB 5, sponsored by Sen. Chris Elliot, R-Josephine, would remove the board's appointing authority and increase its membership from 16 to 17 members, by making Gov. Kay Ivey the 17th voting member. 'Previously she was not a voting member, and now she'll be a voting member,' Elliot said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The governor would be the appointing authority for most seats, including members from each congressional district, with eight at-large appointments coming from the speaker, president pro tempore, and the minority leaders of the House and Senate. 'Basically, it takes the board from being a self-appointing board to being one that has appointing authorities,' Elliot said. The House State Government committee approved the legislation with some audible no's from Democrats. The Senate passed the bill last week 26-5. The new structure will take effect as current board members' terms expire. Rep. Prince Chestnut, D-Selma, opposed the legislation because he did not like part of the bill that says each board member will 'serve at the pleasure of his or her appointing authority.' 'This makes it an extremely hyper-political board,' Chestnut said. Currently, the Alabama Department of Archives and History has two trustees from each congressional district and two additional at-large members, plus the governor or their designees. Elliot was one of several Republicans who attacked the Archives Department for hosting a presentation on LGBTQ+ history in Alabama in June 2023, claiming the board is not accountable to elected officials, calling it a 'unicorn.' Elliott then introduced a bill in the redistricting special session in mid-2023 to strip Archives of $5 million, which did not pass. He also introduced a similar bill for the 2024 legislative session that would have given state officials and legislative leaders the power to appoint board members, while keeping the board size the same. The bill passed the Senate and a House committee but did not reach the House floor. The bill will move to the full House. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill giving governor power over Archives board passes Alabama Senate
Sen. Chris Elliott, R-Josephine, speaks to a colleague on the floor of the Alabama Senate on Feb. 4, 2025. The Alabama Senate Thursday approved a bill sponsored by Elliott, who attacked Archives for sponsoring a program on LGBTQ+ history, that would restructure its governing board. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector) A bill to restructure the Alabama Department of Archives & History Board of Trustees passed the Senate 26-5.. SB 5, sponsored by Sen. Chris Elliot, R-Josephine, would remove the board's appointing authority and increase its membership by one, from 16 to 17 members. The governor would be the appointing authority for most seats, including members from each congressional district, with eight at-large appointments coming from the speaker, president pro tempore, and the minority leaders of the House and Senate. 'What this bill does is make those appointments not self-appointments, where they may continue to appoint themselves or their friends, but rather appointments from other elected officials that are accountable to the people of the state of Alabama,' Elliot said on the floor. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The Department of Archives & History did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Currently, the Alabama Department of Archives and History has two trustees from each congressional district and two additional at-large members, plus the governor or their designees. The Senate must approve each appointment, which Elliot kept in the proposed bill. Elliot said when introducing the bill that while the governor gets a majority of appointments, he tried to ensure geographical diversity and kept 'standard diversity language … to assure that the membership of the board is inclusive and reflects the racial, gender, geographic, urban and rural and economic diversity of the state.' Senate Republicans killed debate on every bill Thursday, and Democrats did not have a chance to speak on the board legislation. After the Senate adjourned, Sen. Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro, said that 'this is all about DEI' and that the board has not done anything wrong to warrant the restructuring. 'This is a board that allowed someone, a third party, to come in to be able to utilize their facilities to be able to do history about gay and lesbians in this state. That's what this is all about,' Singleton said. Elliot was one of several Republicans who attacked the Archives Department for hosting a presentation on LGBTQ+ history in Alabama in June 2023, claiming the board is not accountable to elected officials, calling it a 'unicorn.' Elliott then introduced a bill in the redistricting special session in mid-2023 to strip Archives of $5 million, which did not pass. He also introduced a similar bill for the 2024 legislative session that would have given state officials and legislative leaders the power to appoint board members, while keeping the board size the same. The bill passed the Senate and a House committee but did not reach the House floor. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
