It was a win for veterans when the Alabama Republican Executive Committee voted this weekend with a 61% majority in favor of a resolution urging the Alabama Legislature to prevent the governor from stripping authority from the Veterans Board and taking control of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
As a long-standing member of the State Executive Committee of the Alabama Republican Party, I brought a resolution from the floor during the March 1 meeting urging “the governor and legislators of our state to oppose any legislation that removes any of the authorities that are vested in the SBVA [State Board of Veterans Affairs],” to “oppose any legislation that changes the membership of the SBVA from veterans nominated by veteran service organizations to political appointees,” and to “oppose any legislation causing the Commissioner of Veterans Affairs to report directly to anyone other than the SBVA.”
Put simply, I asked the ALGOP to tell our representatives not to give Gov. Kay Ivey full and unchecked power over veterans services, taking it away from the volunteer veteran representatives who have served our veterans for 80 years.
When I saw Senate Bill 67 filed on Feb. 4, dissolving the State Board of Veterans Affairs and giving all power over veterans services to the governor, I realized I needed to bring this issue to the Republican Party in the form of a resolution. Unfortunately, the deadline to get any new resolution reviewed by the ALGOP Resolutions Committee had already passed. This meant that for the Executive Committee of 395 representatives from across the state to adopt this resolution, I would have to bring it up from the floor of the meeting, which is a very difficult task. So, I emailed the resolution to all the members of the committee and made countless phone calls to members that I hoped would support this effort. Others joined me, and soon there were 24 co-sponsors for the resolution. Hundreds of phone calls were made, and I am eternally thankful for all who helped.
On the day of the meeting, my wife and I arrived at 7:30 a.m. to make sure every seat in the ballroom where the Executive Committee would begin at 10 a.m. had a copy of the resolution. Many co-sponsors were there to help us.
When the seven congressional district meetings began at 9 a.m., the co-sponsors and I fanned out to different rooms where the meetings were taking place to introduce the resolution to attendees and speak in favor of it. When the district meetings were concluded, we returned to the main ballroom, sitting near the front, ready to get the resolution introduced on the floor.
We knew that our opportunity to introduce the resolution would come at the end when the floor opened for “new business.” For over two hours we listened to all the reports and participated in the elections of officers for the committee, patiently waiting for Chairman John Wahl to make his final announcements, signaling that “new business” was coming next.
Suddenly, while Wahl was still making announcements, someone called for the meeting to adjourn. We knew this parliamentary trick was coming, for it’s often used by opponents to keep resolutions they are opposed to from reaching the floor for discussion. Wahl initially ruled the motion out of order, but eventually allowed a vote where it was defeated.
Following the vote, the meeting was allowed to proceed, and Wahl opened the floor to “new business,” enabling me to make the motion to adopt the resolution.
By the committee’s rules, I was only allowed one minute to introduce the resolution and ask for members to support it. A period of five minutes was then allowed for members to discuss the resolution, alternating between those supporting and opposing it, with each speaker given only one minute to speak. The co-sponsors and I made as many points as we could with the short time we had, and after five minutes the vote was taken. When the votes were counted, over 61% of the 395 Republican delegates had voted to support the resolution.
I am proud of the courage displayed by the ALGOP members who made a difficult vote in opposition to the governor they have long supported, and I am especially proud of the many co-sponsors who were willing to put their names on it for everyone to see.
I am thankful for the opportunity to tell the entire Alabama Republican Party why I support preserving the institution that has served our veterans and their families for 80 years. I am a Christian and I accept that I may not always know what is best, but I truly believe that I am on the right side of this important issue, and I pray that God’s wisdom is felt by everyone, from the statehouse to the governor’s mansion, as they decide what to do.
MAJ Phillip Green is a part of the USA (Ret), Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), American Legion, Colbert County Republican Executive Committee, and the Alabama Republican State Executive Committee.
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