Alabama House Passes Bill Restructuring State Board of Veterans Affairs, 56-39
The Alabama House voted 56-39 to restructure the State Board of Veterans Affairs. Nearly all Mobile and Baldwin County representatives voted no.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Alabama House of Representatives on Thursday passed legislation to restructure the State Board of Veterans Affairs by a vote of 56-39.
Lawmakers did not debate the bill when it came up for final passage Thursday afternoon. Rep. Ed Oliver, R-Dadeville, was the House sponsor of the Senate bill, which passed the Alabama Senate 21-9 earlier this month.
How local lawmakers voted
Mobile-area and Baldwin County representatives Napoleon Bracy, Chip Brown, Adline Clarke, Barbara Drummond, Brett Easterbrook, Jennifer Fidler, Donna Givens, Frances Holk-Jones, Chris Pringle, Mark Shirey, Matt Simpson, Shane Stringer and Margie Wilcox voted against the bill.
Rep. Alan Baker, R-Brewton, was the only local House member to vote for it.
Opponents tie bill to ethics complaint
Opponents say the legislation is retaliation for an ethics complaint filed last year against Alabama Department of Mental Health Commissioner Kimberly Boswell, a member of Gov. Kay Ivey’s cabinet.
Kent Davis, then commissioner of the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs, filed the complaint at the direction of the State Board of Veterans Affairs. The complaint claimed Boswell “colluded” with other state officials to keep the department from obtaining $7 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds. The Alabama Ethics Commission dismissed the complaint.
“They cut our throats,” said Riehm, one of the bill’s opponents. “We are already starting to raise money. We will not forget. We will actually work to overturn this. Whoever the next governor is, if they want veterans support, they are going to have to overturn this.”
Background
Oliver, chairman of the House Military and Veterans Affairs Committee, has had a long-running dispute with the department’s management. It dates to a 2020 disagreement with Davis over COVID-19 protocols at the Bill Nichols State Veterans Home in Alexander City.
Alabama ranks near the bottom of U.S. states for access to mental health care. Mental Health America ranked it 50th out of 51 states.
