It looked like a bill to reshape the board governing the Alabama Department of Archives and History would finally make its way to the desk of Gov. Kay Ivey after getting approval from both houses on Tuesday.
APR reported in error that the bill, Senate Bill 5, was on its way to Ivey’s desk, but the bill had been amended on the House floor to remove a portion of the bill that would have required appointees to the board to be confirmed by the Senate.
That change meant the bill had to go back before the Senate to either concur and send the bill to Ivey or non-concur and send the bill to a conference committee for the two chambers to hash out a new version of the bill.
But when the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Chris Elliott, R-Josephine, moved to concur with the changes, he was met by Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, who rose to filibuster the bill and hold up what lawmakers intend to be the last working day of the session.
Smitherman warned lawmakers that he would go out to his car and change into tennis shoes, so that he could stand up at the dias for as long as needed.
Other Senate Democrats pitched in as well, and after three hours of holding up the legislative day, Elliott relented and voted to non-concur, sending the bill to conference committee.
The bill didn’t make it out of conference committee before lawmakers broke for what they intend to be the last working day of the session. There is one legislative day remaining on the calendar, however, on May 14. The Legislature typically reserves one legislative day to ensure lawmakers can deal with any vetoes or issues that might arise from a bill already passed.
The bill could return to both the House and Senate for a final vote out of conference committee on May 14, but Senate Democrats could again filibuster the bill, on a day lawmakers typically expect to come and go without event.
