Alabama’s GOP State Executive Committee gathered in Montgomery for its yearly summer meeting, addressing hot button issues like adoption, Roe v. Wade, parental rights and single-party support.
Attendees also included Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth and Republican U.S. Senate nominee Katie Britt.
“We need you now more than ever, because in order to stop Joe Biden and his radical agenda we must take back the House and the Senate,” Britt said to the crowd. “I know how critically important that is and will work tirelessly to defend our values of faith, family and freedom. Together, we will deliver results in November that will make a positive effect for generations to come.”
Ahead of the 2023 legislative session and November general election, the committee passed resolutions to lower the cost of adoption and protect parental rights to direct a child’s upbringing. Members also changed certain bylaws, including one that restricts a Republican candidate’s ballot access for six years if they publicly support a different party.
The successful resolution to lower adoption costs came in response to the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision in June, which overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark case legalizing abortion in all states.
“God has blessed our efforts since 1973 to finally overturn Roe v. Wade, which has now ended the killing of over 6,000 unborn babies a year in Alabama,” the resolution read.
The resolution called for state and local efforts, including legislation, to reduce the cost of adoptions, as well as provide funding for pre- and post-placement investigations, filing petitions, court reports and associated costs.
A parental rights resolution also passed. The text referenced five similar bills from 2014-2017, all of which failed. The committee urged both Gov. Kay Ivey and the Alabama Legislature to “secure and protect” parental rights in the state, writing that any interference with a parent’s decision in their child’s upbringing would require “compelling government interest.”
Rep. Andrew Sorrell, R-Muscle Shoals, presented a change to the committee’s bylaws, prohibiting any Republican candidate or incumbent from publicly supporting another party. While personal votes are not included, a candidate who publicly supported a member of another party, regardless of whether Republicans were on the ballot, will now be denied ballot access for up to six years.
While a similar version of this bylaw already existed, the committee shifted the wording from “reserving the right” to deny a ballot to “shall.”
“Personally, I can’t think of an extenuating circumstance where I would ever support a Democrat, even if they were the only one on the ballot,” Sorrell said.
A loophole does exist, but a candidate would have to achieve a three-fourths vote from the Steering or Candidate Committee for state candidates, or the County Committee for county candidates.
“The purpose of this proposal is to ensure that all candidates running on our ticket do not have a recent history of supporting Democrats,” Sorrell said.
Similarly, the party wants to close primaries in the future, requiring that voters pre-register as Republicans or Democrats before voting on party candidates.
The committee also passed a resolution recognizing that the state’s prisons are overcrowded and recommending that the Alabama Department of Corrections encourage anyone released from incarceration or on probation or parole to complete a GED or high school equivalent.
Shortly before adjourning, former state representative Perry O. Hooper Jr. introduced a resolution to recognize the U.S. Supreme Court for the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and its “pro-gun resolution,” which he said he planned to follow with a motion regarding prayer in Alabama schools.
Hooper’s resolution was submitted to the resolutions committee, but did not pass out of it for a vote.
“We could bring back prayer in public schools,” Hooper said. “Well, now we got a Supreme Court that has spoken. And they’re saying ‘Yes, we believe in prayer and public schools. And that’s why I wanted to pass this resolution in order to get to the prayer message.’”
Another member successfully moved to adjourn the meeting before Hooper’s resolution could receive a vote.
The GOP State Executive Committee’s actions largely correlated with upcoming gubernatorial and congressional elections and the next state legislative session.
“We’re very focused on the general election between now and November,” said GOP Steering Committee Chairman John Wahl. “It is an all out war, both here in Alabama and across the country.”
Alabama’s general election will take place Nov. 8. The next legislative session will begin in March 2023.
Sarah Swetlik is a gender and politics reporter at AL.com. She is supported through a partnership with Report for America. Contribute to support the team here.
