The Alabama House of Representatives passed a piece of legislation to rename the Alabama Office of Minority Affairs on Thursday.
Senate Bill 200, sponsored by Senator Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, would amend the legislation that founded the agency in its current form and rename the office to the Alabama Office of Civic Engagement.
The bill makes no further changes to the legislation which founded the office, retaining the agency’s original purpose of advising Alabama’s governor “on issues affecting minorities, including women, focusing on the improvement of the overall quality of life of minorities, specifically in the areas of education, health, economics, political participation and empowerment, housing, employment, civil rights, criminal justice, and race relations and to draft policy recommendations for addressing those issues.”
The Alabama Office of Minority Affairs, the second government office of its kind in the United States, was founded through an executive order from former Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley in 2016 and established as a cabinet-level agency by the legislature two months later.
SB200 was unanimously passed by the Alabama Senate on February 3. The House voted 98-1 to pass the legislation, advancing the bill to the governor’s desk.
Representative Laura Hall, D-Huntsville, who is carrying the House version of the bill, HB295, spoke on the House floor Thursday in favor of the legislation.
The representative described the purpose of the name changes as “to be more inclusive of the activities that take place as it relates to the involvement and the engagement of not only minorities, but in students, when they’re involved in businesses, et cetera.”
Representative Mary Moore, D-Birmingham, questioned Hall regarding the purpose of the legislation and whether any changes would be made to the office’s responsibilities or activities.
“It does not take away from the initial responsibility [of the office],” Hall said of the legislation.
“I would disagree with you on that. Because the Office of Minority Affairs has a different connotation, and it would seem to me that that office under that name would be paying more attention to people who are disenfranchised, who are underserved in various capacities within the communities,” Moore responded.
The representative argued that despite not formally changing the purpose or requirements of the office, the name change could prompt agency leaders to administer the services provided by the office differently.
“I would think that we’re trying to even the playing field, with that office, but as ‘civic or community engagement,’ I think that it loses some of the connotation, and it opens up and becomes so broad, so that people who are not necessarily minorities are taking advantage of it, which takes us back into a circle, where those who really need the attention from such a office, won’t get it,” Moore said.
“I appreciate your comments and the things that you said, but remember, we’re talking about the name change, not changing any of the activities,” Hall responded.
Moore went on to cite the source of her concern regarding the bill, as stemming from what she described as legislative attempts made since 2010 by the Alabama lawmakers, to limit opportunities for people of color in the state.
“I understand your intentions might be good,” she said. “But that’s not, and has not, been the intention of the ruling party in this building.”
“One of the, I guess, problems with longevity on Earth is that we live through a lot, and every time we thought that we were making a change, we end up back, not even on first base,” Moore added.
The Office of Minority Affairs became the subject of speculation last August after Senator Chris Elliott, R-Josephine, reported that Trump administration officials expressed concerns regarding the Alabama Office of Minority Affairs, as well as certain language in Alabama Department of Health guidelines, during a meeting with a group of state lawmakers.
According to Elliott, officials from the White House, which has issued multiple executive orders calling for the elimination of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programming in the U.S. government, expressed concern with the existence of the agency within the governor’s office.
While Ivey spokesperson Gina Maiola did not comment on any plans for the Office of Diversity Affairs’ future, she declared the governor’s office was working alongside the Trump administration and ADPH to address the concerns.
“Coming in under this current administration, one of the first things, of course, to hit the chopping block was DEI,” Representative Jaundalynn Givan, D-Birmingham, told Hall. “So, as I hear you reference the word inclusion, is that going to still be a part of what the makeup of the department is or was designed?”
Hall reiterated that the bill makes no changes to the official purpose or activities of the office.
Representative Barbara Drummond, D-Mobile, spoke in favor of the bill.
“I wanted to say thank you for changing the name, because they do so much more around civic engagement,” Drummond said. “I work on the [Alabama] Women’s Commission, and we’re getting ready to partner with them on some initiative as it relates to females.”
“I just wanted to say thank you, because they need to be with a wider range, so the name does need to change,” she added.
If signed by the governor, SB200 will take effect on October 1, 2026.
