The Alabama State Senate faced its first major slowdown on Thursday of the 2025 session after State Sen. Rodger Smitherman (D-Birmingham) and State Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton (D-Greensboro) took to the floor to prevent the body from considering Senate Bill 5 (SB 5).
If passed, SB 5 would change the selection of the currently unchecked Alabama Department of Archives and History's Board of Trustees.
State Sen. Chris Elliott (R-Josephine), the sponsor of the legislation, appeared on Mobile radio FM Talk 106.5's "The Jeff Poor Show" on Friday to give his reaction to his Democrat colleagues' invective-laden oratories and indicated there could be repercussions for his Democrat colleagues.
"[I] mean, what's likely to happen is some portion of some negotiation," he said. "And then there are options like cloture, which is a nuclear option that puts us in a very combative posture, which is very difficult to move pieces of legislation along."
The Baldwin County Republican noted such a gesture was not his preference.
"[I]t's not preferable," Elliott said. "And, so to the extent we can get back to let's let everybody's voice be heard, but then let's vote — that's much more preferable. And that's how this has been done for the majority of my time in the Alabama Legislature. The question is, just can we get back there with our Democrat colleagues after seeing what happened [Thursday], which was just hyperbolic. It was so over the top."
He continued, "If that's the posture, then it's going to require a response of some sort. It's incumbent upon leadership, and Senator [Garlan] Gudger is a great guy and is very capable of having these conversations to see if we can figure out a path. And if not — the Democrats are quick to talk about the tools they have in their toolbox. That's fine. There are other tools as well, but sometimes you avoid using them because it does slow things down as a whole and you achieve less. but that might be where we have to go."
Republicans maintain a 27-8 supermajority over their Democrat counterparts in the state senate.
Jeff Poor is the editor-in-chief of 1819 News and host of "The Jeff Poor Show," heard Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-noon on Mobile's FM Talk 106.5. To connect or comment, email [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @jeff_poor.
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