Alabama Senate#List of State Senators
{{Short description|Upper house of the Alabama legislature}}
{{more citations needed|date=April 2014}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2012}}
{{coord|32|22|36|N|86|17|56|W|display=title}}
{{Infobox legislature
| background_color = {{party color|Republican Party (US)}}
| name = Alabama State Senate
| legislature = Alabama State Legislature
| coa_pic = Seal of Alabama.svg
| house_type = Upper house
| term_limits = None
| new_session = February 4, 2025
| leader1_type = President
| leader1 = Will Ainsworth (R)
| election1 = January 14, 2019
| leader2_type = President pro tempore
| leader2 = Garlan Gudger (R)
| election2 = February 4, 2025
| leader3_type = Majority Leader
| leader3 = Steve Livingston (R)
| election3 = October 30, 2023
| leader4_type = Minority Leader
| leader4 = Bobby Singleton (D)
| election4 = January 8, 2019
| term_length = 4 years
| authority = Article IV, Alabama Constitution
| salary = $53,913/yr {{cite web |url=https://alison-file.legislature.state.al.us/pdfdocs/lsa/Fiscal/BudgetFactBook/2023_Budget_Fact_Book.pdf|title=Budget Fact Book
| date=2023-01-04 |website=The Alabama Legislature | access-date=2023-07-07}}
| members = 35
| structure1 = Alabama State Senate Composition 2023.svg
| structure1_res = 250px
| political_groups1 =
Majority
- {{nowrap|{{Color box|#FF0000|border=darkgray}} Republican (26)}}
Minority
- {{nowrap|{{Color box|#0000ff|border=darkgray}} Democratic (8)}}
Vacant
- {{nowrap|{{Color box|{{party color|Vacant (US)}}|border=silver}} Vacant (1)}}
| voting_system1 = First-past-the-post
| last_election1 = November 8, 2022
(35 seats)
| next_election1 = November 3, 2026
(35 seats)
| redistricting = Legislative Control
| meeting_place = State Senate Chamber
Alabama State House
Montgomery, Alabama
| website = [https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/senate Alabama State Senate]
|rules=[https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/files/pdf/senate/Senate_Rules_2023.pdf Rules of the Alabama State Senate]}}
The Alabama State Senate is the upper house of the Alabama Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alabama. The body is composed of 35 members representing an equal number of districts across the state, with each district containing at least 127,140 citizens. Similar to the lower house, the Alabama House of Representatives, the senate serves both without term limits and with a four-year term.
The Alabama State Senate meets at the State House in Montgomery.
Like other upper houses of state and territorial legislatures and the United States Senate, the senate can confirm or reject gubernatorial appointments to the state cabinet, commissions and boards.
Assembly powers
While the House of Representatives has exclusive power to originate revenue bills, such legislation can be amended and/or substituted by the senate. Moreover, because the senate is considered to be the "deliberative body", rules concerning the length of the debate are more liberal than those of the House of Representatives.
Like the United States Senate, the Alabama State Senate has the sole power of Confirmation of certain appointees designated by the Constitution and by statute. The legislative antecedent of this role is a similar power that was vested in the Roman Senate during the Roman Republic.
Membership guidelines
The Alabama State Senate is composed of 35 state senators, in keeping with Article IV, Section 50, of the Alabama Constitution, which limits the Alabama House of Representatives to 105 members, and the senate to 35; together with Article IX, Sections 197 and 198, which requires that membership in the state senate consist of not less than one-fourth, nor more than one-third, of the total membership of the state House of Representatives. Additional representation is authorized in the event of the creation of new counties. Thus, the Alabama State Senate is precisely one-third the size of the House of Representatives, and each state senator represents a district of approximately 125,000 Alabamians.
Under Article IV, Section 47 of the Constitution, Senators must be at least 25 years of age at the time of their election, must be citizens and residents of the state of Alabama for at least 3 years, and reside within their district for at least one year prior to election.
Senators, like members of the House of Representatives, are elected for four-year terms and take office at midnight of the day of their election. Amendment 97 to the Constitution, provides that should a vacancy occur in either house of the Legislature, the governor is required to call a special election to fill the vacancy.
Composition
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scope="row" colspan="3" style="text-align:center" | {{Down-arrow|alt=Midpoint}} |
scope="row" style="background:#F33; width:76%; text-align:center; color:white" | 27
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