HB544 Alabama 2015 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Thad McClammy

Democrat

Session

Regular Session 2015

Title

Senate, redistricting, Sec. 29-1-2.3 repealed, Sec. 29-1-2.3 added

Summary

HB544 would reorganize Alabama's Senate into 35 districts and seek federal court approval to resolve related voting-rights lawsuits.

What This Bill Does

It creates a 35-member Alabama Senate with district boundaries defined in the act, and requires each senator to reside in the district they represent. It repeals the current Section 29-1-2.3 and replaces it with new provisions detailing the 35 districts and how maps are to be used. It directs the Alabama Attorney General to submit the act to the United States District Court to obtain final resolution of the Alabama Legislative Black Caucus et al. v. Alabama and Alabama Democratic Conference et al. v. Alabama cases. It specifies that the plan would be implemented only as ordered by the federal court and reflects principles like preserving county boundaries and achieving substantial population equality within a plus-minus five percent deviation.

Who It Affects

• Statewide voters in Alabama who would be represented by a 35-seat Senate under new district boundaries and could experience changes in who represents them.
• The Alabama Attorney General and state government, who must file the act with the U.S. District Court to seek its final resolution of the two voting-rights lawsuits, with implementation tied to the court's orders.

Key Provisions

• Section 2 repeals the existing Section 29-1-2.3 and Section 3 adds a new Section 29-1-2.3 establishing 35 Senate districts with detailed boundary descriptions and boundary-map conventions to be used for elections.
• Section 5 requires the Attorney General to submit the act to the United States District Court to seek final resolution of Alabama Legislative Black Caucus, et al. v. Alabama and Alabama Democratic Conference, et al. v. Alabama, with Section 6 limiting implementation to court orders and Section 8 making the act effective immediately upon passage.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 24, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Reapportionment