A bill that would remove all current commissioners from the board of the Alabama Department of Archives and History advanced out of committee Tuesday despite objections from several speakers.
The bill, by Sen. Chris Elliott (R-Josephine), would remove the current lawmaker and replace him with an appointee handpicked by four elected officials: the governor, lieutenant governor, speaker of the House, and president pro-temper of the Senate. .
The bill originally would have given each officer two appointees, but was amended to instead give each officer three appointees.
Elliott introduced the bill after a public discussion with the department to host an hour-long lunch and learn about the history of LGBTQ+ individuals and movements in the state. But Elliott is trying to frame the bill as addressing a self-perpetuating board that is unanswerable to the public.
“It goes against the foundations of our country for unelected bureaucrats to assert superiority over the people they are meant to serve. State-funded institutions are designed to reflect the will of the people. “However, the Department of Archives and History blatantly ignored Alabama's longstanding commitment to defending democracy and instead promoted its own professional political class,” Elliott said in a release after the committee meeting. .
Senate Majority Leader Dan Livingston (R-Scottsboro) made it clearer in a statement that this change is a direct response to LGBTQ+ programs.
“The current board has supported programs and education that undermine Alabama's values,” Livingston said. “Congress established the Archives to study and preserve Alabama’s history, not to use public funds to advance social agendas that are inconsistent with the state’s principles.”
Carrie Banks, a former member of the Alabama League of Municipalities, told the board that the board's structure has worked effectively for 123 years.
“It is dynamic and diverse and requires participation from all seven Congressional districts to ensure statewide representation…” Banks said. “ADAH is a nationally recognized success story for our state. There are not many success stories like ADAH in Alabama. To dismantle it would be to upend one of our most dynamic and enduring institutions. Why would we do that? The Alabama Department of Archives and History is a treasure of the state of Alabama.”
“If you walk through the halls and exhibits of the archives today, you won't find a political agenda. What you'll find there is representation of every part of Alabama's history,” Wanda Battle told the commission. ”. The good, the bad, and everything in between. ”
“The board sets the direction for the agency,” Battle said. “Look at the people currently serving on the Archives Commission, including civil rights attorney Fred D. Gray. These trustees are public servants from all walks of life and from every region of the state.”
Elliott emphasized that current board members may be reappointed by elected officials.
Sen. Linda Coleman-Madison, D-Birmingham, told Elliott that the bill is a “slippery slope” and that “we've made it into a political football” that will alienate others as well. He said it was possible.
Sen. Merica Coleman (D-Birmingham) questioned the process with Elliott chairing the committee.
“I'm leaving here,” Coleman said. “You don't have to put us like this. You're going to run us over anyway. You should talk to us like we're equal members of this organization.”
Sen. Greg Albritton (R-Atmore) said he intends to vote on the bill out of committee, but the bill could swing back and forth between Republicans and Democrats depending on which party is in power. I am concerned that this could cause a situation.
The bill was passed along party lines.
