2023 Alabama legislative session
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| 2023 Alabama legislative session |
|---|
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| General information |
| Session start: March 7, 2023 Session end: June 6, 2023 |
| Leadership |
| Senate President Greg Reed (R) House Speaker |
| Elections |
| Next Election: November 5, 2024 Last Election: November 8, 2022 |
| Previous legislative sessions |
| 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 |
| Other 2023 legislative sessions |
In 2023, the Alabama State Legislature was scheduled to convene on March 7, 2023, and adjourn on June 6, 2023.
The legislators serving in this session took office following the 2022 elections. Republicans won a 27-8 majority in the Senate and a 77-28 majority in the House. The party also controlled the governorship, creating a Republican state government trifecta. At the start of the 2023 session, Alabama was one of 18 state legislatures where Republicans held a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers.
Leadership in 2023
Alabama State Senate
- Senate president: Greg Reed (R)
- Majority leader: Clay Scofield (R)
- Minority leader: Bobby Singleton (D)
Alabama House of Representatives
- Speaker of the House: Nathaniel Ledbetter (R)
- Majority leader: Scott Stadthagen (R)
- Minority leader: Anthony Daniels (D)
Partisan control in 2023
- See also: State government trifectas
Alabama was one of 22 Republican state government trifectas at the start of 2023 legislative sessions. A state government trifecta occurs when one political party holds the governor's office, a majority in the state Senate, and a majority in the state House. For more information about state government trifectas, click here.
Alabama was also one of 18 state legislatures where Republicans had a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers. Veto overrides occur when a legislature votes to reverse a veto issued by an executive such as a governor or the president. If one party has a majority in a state legislature that is large enough to override a gubernatorial veto without any votes from members of the minority party, it is called a veto-proof majority or, sometimes, a supermajority. To read more about veto-proof supermajorities in state legislatures, click here.
The following tables show the partisan breakdown of the Alabama State Legislature in the 2023 legislative session.
Alabama State Senate
| Party | As of January 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 8 | |
| Republican Party | 27 | |
| Total | 35 | |
Alabama House of Representatives
| Party | As of January 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 28 | |
| Republican Party | 77 | |
| Total | 105 | |
Regular session
The list below shows up to 25 pieces of legislation in the 2023 legislative session that most recently passed both chambers of the legislature, were signed by the governor, or were approved by the legislature in a veto override. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation met these criteria in 2023. This information is provided by BillTrack50.
Standing legislative committees
A standing committee of a state legislature is a committee that exists on a more-or-less permanent basis, from legislative session to session, that considers and refines legislative bills that fall under the committee's subject matter.
At the beginning of the 2023 legislative session, there were 63 standing committees in Alabama's state government, including 11 joint legislative committees, 19 state Senate committees, and 33 state House committees.
Joint legislative committees
- Contract Review Legislative Oversight Committee
- Energy Policy Committee
- Finances and Budget Committee
- Joint Legislative Committee on State Parks
- Joint Legislative Prison Committee
- Legislative Committee on Public Accounts
- Permanent Joint Legislative Advisory Committee on Economic Incentives
- Reapportionment Committee
- Sunset Committee
- Transportation Committee
- Water Policy And Management Joint Legislative Committee
Senate committees
- Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee
- Banking and Insurance Committee
- Children, Youth, and Human Services Committee
- Confirmations Committee
- Finance and Taxation Education Committee
- Finance and Taxation General Fund Committee
- Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development Committee
- Governmental Affairs Committee
- Healthcare Committee
- Local Legislation Jefferson County Committee
- Local Legislation Mobile County Committee
- Local Legislation Shelby County Committee
- Senate Education Policy Committee
- Senate Judiciary Committee
- Senate Local Legislation Committee
- Senate Rules Committee
- Tourism Committee
- Transportation and Energy Committee
- Veterans and Military Affairs Committee
House committees
- Agriculture and Forestry Committee
- Baldwin County Legislation Committee
- Boards, Agencies and Commissions Committee
- Children and Senior Advocacy Committee
- Commerce and Small Business Committee
- Constitution, Campaigns and Elections Committee
- Economic Development and Tourism Committee
- Ethics and Campaign Finance Committee
- Financial Services Committee
- Fiscal Responsibility Committee
- Health Committee
- House County and Municipal Government Committee
- House Education Policy Committee
- House Judiciary Committee
- House Local Legislation Committee
- House Rules Committee
- Insurance Committee
- Jefferson County Legislation Committee
- Lee County Legislation Committee
- Limestone County Legislation Committee
- Madison County Legislation Committee
- Military and Veterans' Affairs Committee
- Mobile County Legislation Committee
- Montgomery County Legislation Committee
- Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee
- Shelby County Legislation Committee
- State Government Committee
- Technology and Research Committee
- Transportation, Utilities and Infrastructure Committee
- Tuscaloosa County Legislation Committee
- Urban and Rural Development Committee
- Ways and Means Education Committee
- Ways and Means General Fund Committee
Legislatively referred constitutional amendments
In every state but Delaware, voter approval is required to enact a constitutional amendment. In each state, the legislature has a process for referring constitutional amendments before voters. In 18 states, initiated constitutional amendments can be put on the ballot through a signature petition drive. There are also many other types of statewide measures.
The methods by which the Alabama Constitution can be amended:
The Alabama Constitution provides two mechanisms for amending the state's constitution: a legislative process and a state constitutional convention. Alabama requires a simple majority vote (50% plus 1) for voters to approve constitutional amendments.
Legislature
A 60% vote is required from both chambers of the Alabama State Legislature during one legislative session to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 63 votes in the Alabama House of Representatives and 21 votes in the Alabama State Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.
Convention
According to the Alabama Constitution, a simple majority in each chamber during one legislative session is required to send a constitutional convention question to voters. A simple majority vote by the electorate is required to call the convention. Any proposed amendments approved by the convention require a simple majority vote of the electorate to be ratified.
Historical partisan control
The table below depicts the historical trifecta status of Alabama.
Alabama Party Control: 1992-2025
Six years of Democratic trifectas • Fifteen years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | R | D | D | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| Senate | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| House | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
Historical Senate control
From 1990 to 2023, partisan control of the Alabama State Senate went from a 28-7 Democratic advantage to a 27-8 Republican advantage. The rapid partisan change in the chamber coincided with the American South's shift from nearly 175 years of Democratic dominance to being solid Republican in the early 21st century. The table below shows the partisan history of the Alabama Senate following every general election from 1990 to 2023. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.
Alabama State Senate election results: 1990-2023
| Year | '90 | '94 | '98 | '02 | '06 | '10 | '14 | '18 | '22 | '23 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democrats | 28 | 23 | 23 | 25 | 23 | 12 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Republicans | 7 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 22 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 27 |
Democrats held majorities over the Whig Party for most of the early 1800s. After a brief period of Republican control in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War, Democrats began winning large majorities, with Republicans often winning one seat or none. From 1902 to 1978, the Democratic advantage over Republicans never fell below 34-1. Republicans secured three seats in the chamber in 1983 through special elections that were ordered after a federal court struck down the 1982 legislative map for violating the 1965 Voting Rights Act.[1][2]
After 1983, the Alabama Senate slowly began conforming to the overall Republican trend in the American South. Republicans won five seats in 1986, seven seats in 1990, and 12 seats in 1994, shrinking the Democratic advantage to 11 seats. However, Republican gains stagnated after 1994 as they still had 12 seats more than a decade later in 2006. But in 2010, the party picked up an additional 10 seats and a 22-12 advantage over Democrats. This was the first Republican majority since 1868. Republicans picked up another four seats in the 2014 election, expanding their majority to 26-8. The chamber's Republican gains in 2010 and 2014 were in line with a national trend toward Republican state legislatures during the presidency of Barack Obama (D). From 2009 to 2017, Democrats experienced losses in state legislative elections, totaling 968 seats all together.
Historical House control
Between 1990 and 2023, the Alabama House of Representatives went from having an almost 60-seat Democratic majority to an almost 50-seat Republican majority. The rapid partisan change in the chamber coincided with the American South's shift from nearly 175 years of Democratic dominance to being solid Republican in the early 21st century. The table below shows the partisan history of the Alabama House following every general election from 1990 to 2023. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.
Alabama House of Representatives election results: 1990-2023
| Year | '90 | '94 | '98 | '02 | '06 | '10 | '14 | '18 | '22 | '23 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democrats | 82 | 74 | 69 | 64 | 62 | 39 | 33 | 28 | 28 | 28 |
| Republicans | 23 | 31 | 36 | 41 | 43 | 66 | 72 | 77 | 77 | 77 |
Democratic majorities date back to 1837 when Democrats competed with the Whig Party for control of the chamber and usually held around a 20-seat advantage. Following the end of the Civil War in 1865, Democrats began competing with Republicans. They regularly secured large majorities—usually holding all but a few seats in the chamber—until 1983 when Republicans gained 12 seats in special elections that were ordered after a federal court struck down the 1982 legislative map for violating the 1965 Voting Rights Act.[3][4]
Despite the Republican gains in the 1980s, Democrats had an advantage of more than 70 seats heading into the 1990s. Republicans decreased the Democratic advantage to 43 seats following the 1994 elections and then to 33 seats in the 1998 elections. Republican gains slowed between 1998 and 2006 as they picked up just seven seats in two election cycles. However, in 2010, Republicans picked up 23 seats in that election and won a 66-39 majority. This was the first Republican majority since 1868, when they controlled the chamber following the Civil War. Republicans bolstered their majority in 2014 by picking up an additional six seats. The chamber's Republican gains in 2010 and 2014 were in line with a national trend toward Republican state legislatures during the presidency of Barack Obama (D). From 2009 to 2017, Democrats experienced losses in state legislative elections, totaling 968 seats all together.
Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker
State election laws are changing. Keeping track of the latest developments in all 50 states can seem like an impossible job.
Here's the solution: Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker.
Ballotpedia's Election Administration Tracker sets the industry standard for ease of use, flexibility, and raw power. But that's just the beginning of what it can do:
- Ballotpedia's election experts provide daily updates on bills and other relevant political developments
- We translate complex bill text into easy-to-understand summaries written in everyday language
- And because it's from Ballotpedia, our Tracker is guaranteed to be neutral, unbiased, and nonpartisan
See also
| Elections | Alabama State Government | State Legislatures | State Politics |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ New York Times, "Dominant Democratic Party in Alabama takes liberal turn," October 25, 1983
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "1980s Redistricting Case Summaries," January 13, 2016
- ↑ New York Times, "Dominant Democratic Party in Alabama takes liberal turn," October 25, 1983
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "1980s Redistricting Case Summaries," January 13, 2016
