SB307 Alabama 2016 Session

Updated Feb 24, 2026

Summary

Primary Sponsor: Paul Sanford
Republican
Session: Regular Session 2016
Title: Legislative Council and Joint Committee on Administrative Regulation Review, quorum, vote requirements, Sec. 29-6-3 am'd.
Summary: SB307 changes how the Legislative Council votes by requiring separate chamber majorities and a chamber-specific quorum for council actions.
What This Bill Does
The bill replaces the old rule (which depended on a fixed number of members from both houses) with a system where actions pass only if a majority of voting members in the Senate-side group and a majority of voting members in the House-side group vote in favor, provided a quorum is present. The quorum is defined separately for the Senate-side and House-side members. This means both chambers effectively must agree, in their own voting, for council actions to pass. Remote participation remains allowed and written decisions must be published on the Legislature's website.

Who It Affects
Senate members serving on the Legislative Council: must achieve a majority in their chamber's voting for actions, with a Senate-side quorum required.
House of Representatives members serving on the Legislative Council: must achieve a majority in their chamber's voting for actions, with a House-side quorum required.

Key Provisions
Replaces the prior quorum/majority rule with a requirement that decisions have a majority of voting members from each chamber, and a quorum present.
A quorum is defined as a majority of the Senate-side council members and a majority of the House-side council members.
Each decision must be approved by a majority of those voting in both the Senate and the House, respectively.
Participation via telephone or video conference counts as presence; decisions (except certain personnel actions) must be reduced to writing and published on the Legislature's website.
The act becomes effective immediately after passage and approval by the Governor.

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