Welcome To The Alabama State Senate District 2 Website
It is my honor to serve as your Senator for Alabama State Senate District 2, representing Limestone and Madison Counties.
News
The 2013 Legislative Session convened on 5 February and I resumed my daily blog at that time. As always, I welcome your feedback, please email me here.
School Flex Bill - Now The Alabama Accountability Act - This bill was signed into law by the Governor on 14 March 2013; read the Act here.
School Calendar Bill - Representative Paul DeMarco (R-Homewood) and I held joint press conferences in Birmingham and Madison in August 2012 announcing a plan to restore local control of school year calendars to local school boards. We pre-filed legislation (SB9) allowing local school boards to opt-out of the statewide mandatory school calendar passed by the legislature earlier this year. A copy of the bill can be viewed here (the "Opt-Out" provision we are proposing is located on page 6).
The Legislative redistricting maps, passed in the 2012 Legislative Session, has cleared a significant hurdle by receiving pre-clearance from the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice; the U.S. Attorney General does not object to the proposed redistricting. This comes as no real surprise, as a member of the redistricting committee I can attest that the districts were drawn fairly and in accordance with the voting rights act. The maps can be viewed at this link.
Serving as a Page - The Alabama Legislature offers a unique opportunity for young people to participate in the legislative process through its Legislative Page Program. Pages must be between the ages of 12-18. View the information sheet on serving as a Page .
School Flex Bill - Now The Alabama Accountability Act - This bill was signed into law by the Governor on 14 March 2013; read the Act here.
School Calendar Bill - Representative Paul DeMarco (R-Homewood) and I held joint press conferences in Birmingham and Madison in August 2012 announcing a plan to restore local control of school year calendars to local school boards. We pre-filed legislation (SB9) allowing local school boards to opt-out of the statewide mandatory school calendar passed by the legislature earlier this year. A copy of the bill can be viewed here (the "Opt-Out" provision we are proposing is located on page 6).
The Legislative redistricting maps, passed in the 2012 Legislative Session, has cleared a significant hurdle by receiving pre-clearance from the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice; the U.S. Attorney General does not object to the proposed redistricting. This comes as no real surprise, as a member of the redistricting committee I can attest that the districts were drawn fairly and in accordance with the voting rights act. The maps can be viewed at this link.
Serving as a Page - The Alabama Legislature offers a unique opportunity for young people to participate in the legislative process through its Legislative Page Program. Pages must be between the ages of 12-18. View the information sheet on serving as a Page .
Blog & Newsletter
I will resume the blog in February of 2013 as we return to session. I normally post on social media when I update the blog and you can follow me on Facebook and Twitter. I publish the monthly newsletter at this site when the legislature is not in session and maintain the blog when we are in session. To sign up for the online newsletter, simply complete the form below and you will be added to the email notification list. I will resume the newsletter in June of 2013.