MONTGOMERY — The Alabama House of Representatives swiftly advanced the Gov. Kay Ivey-backed legislation restructuring the State Board of Veterans Affairs (SBVA) and grafting the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs (ADVA) commissioner into the governor's cabinet.
Senate Bill 67 (SB67) shifts the ADVA commissioner's hiring and firing responsibility to the governor. The role currently answers to the SBVA. The bill also turns the SBVA into an "oversight" board, bearing no real authority.
State Rep. Ed Oliver (R-Dadeville) presented the bill before the House on Thursday. Oliver was not at the podium long, and his bill passed 56-39 with three abstentions after just over 10 minutes.
The bill’s future was uncertain. Drew Harrell, Ivey’s director of Legislative Affairs, was seen audibly trying to wrangle “yes” votes throughout the room.
State Rep. Rick Rehm (R-Dothan), a veteran, was first to the mic to express support. The only lawmaker to offer any opposition from the mic was State Rep. Juandalynn Givan (D-Birmingham).
Under the new law, the governor would still appoint SBVA members based on suggested appointees from the following nine organizations: The Alabama Department of the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Disabled American Veterans, the Vietnam Veterans of America, AMVETS, the Military Order of the Purple Heart, the American Ex-Prisoners of War, the Alabama Alliance of the MOAA and the Marine Corps League.
Since the amendments, three of the state's largest VSOs have supported the bill, while the remaining have opposed it.
Givan questioned Oliver on the details of the bill. However, she narrowed in on the lack of support from most VSOs and the grafting of the ADVA commissioner into the executive branch.
"That’s why I’m concerned because most of these [VSOs] are not in agreement and alignment with this bill,” Givan said. “I’m confused by that. Listen, however y’all got the votes, if you got it.”
“The three historical organizations that actually formed [ADVA] have worked with us from the start, and they have endorsed the bill,” Oliver responded.
After the vote, members of some veterans organizations and other groups spoke with 1819 News, all expressing “disappointment” with the result.
Colonel John Eidsmoe, a past commander and present chaplain for the American Legion Pike Road Centennial Post and a spokesman for Vietnam Veterans of America, stated that the legislation was not representative of "the majority of the veterans organizations in the state."
“This does not represent the majority of the veterans organizations in the state,” he declared. “Most of them are opposed, and even in those that had come out in support, the vast majority of the members of those organizations are opposed to it. We are very disappointed, but the battle goes on.
SBVA member Matt Gaff said the bill would cause the state’s over 400,00 veterans to “lose their voice,” while also claiming the American Legion did not seek his input or that of other rank-and-file members.
“As an American legion member, not once did my leadership come to me whenever this began,” Gaff said. “I started one or two conversations. After that, I was left out of all of them. Even yesterday, when they met with Republican leaders, none of the board members for the American Legion that sit on the SBVA were ever notified of those discussions or even included in those talks.”Our membership was never polled at the state level.”
Matt Stanfield, vice-commander of the American Legion, told 1819 News that his post membership was, in fact, polled on the bill, but the result was overwhelmingly against it.
Ivey pushed the bill following a public feud between her office and former ADVA commissioner Kent Davis.
In October last year, Ivey removed Davis from office. After the board voted twice to keep Davis and not accept his forced resignation, Ivey exercised her "supreme executive power" to remove him for allegedly mishandling American Rescue Plan Act funds.
Davis has said the bill is "retaliation" for his ethics complaint against a member of Ivey's cabinet last year.
After the vote, Davis told 1819 News that he saw a bright side to the bill’s passage.
“Stressing the positive, I think this is a good thing because for the first time in this state, I have seen the veteran community unify, and I think this is the beginning of a movement,” Davis said. “I think we're going to see veterans and the veteran service organizations take a look at themselves, their priorities, and I think they're going to get involved much more politically, including in some of those districts, and they're going to start addressing their elected representatives head on and say, ‘Look, you didn't talk to us.’”
Becky Gerritson, executive director of Eagle Forum of Alabama, a vocal opponent of the bill, also expressed disappointment at members who voted to approve the measure.
“I would have liked to have seen it tabled today,” Gerritson said. “I think everyone can agree some changes could be made to the SBVA that could be beneficial, but it needs to be done with everybody's input and not rushed. Eagle Forum will continue to support our veterans, and we're thankful for all of those who voted no on this bill.”
Julia Cleland with the Alabama Federation of Republican Women, the group disinvited from the governor’s mansion for opposing SB67, was equally frustrated at the result and the speed with which the House passed it when she believes lawmakers have dragged their feet with other critical bills.
“For three over three years, you can't get a cell phone porn filter bill passed, library, obscenity bill, ten commandments, pledge of allegiance, grocery tax eliminated, or the overtime tax done; things that are important to the people as well as this,” Cleland said. “But because of the pressure from the governor and leadership, and not giving them enough time, they needed so much more time to look into obscenity, but they can't give the veterans enough time to look into what they need for their families. So, I'm just disappointed that they can't get other things done, and they have to pick on this issue when they could have waited until next year and researched it more.”
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