Montgomery – State Rep. DuWayne Bridges, R-Valley, on Thursday announced that when his current legislative term expires, he will retire from the Alabama House District 38 seat that he has held since being first elected in a special election almost 14 years ago.
“After much prayerful thought and consideration, I have decided to bring my service in Montgomery to a close in order to focus more of my energies on my family, my faith, and my various business concerns,” Bridges said. “Representing the citizens of Chambers and Lee counties in the Alabama House has been among the greatest honors of my life, but I feel the time to pass that honor to someone else is fast approaching. I will always remember and appreciate the support that my friends and neighbors throughout House District 38 have given me during these many years.”
Bridges, who currently serves as chairman of the House Veterans and Military Affairs Committee, has been a staunch advocate for members of the armed services and their families.
Among the notable bills he sponsored and passed is the “Heroes for Hire” Act, which offered Alabama businesses a $2,000 tax credit for hiring a veteran recently returned from war. At the time of its passage, Bridges said the bill was “a victory for all involved because employers get new workers with a proven sense of duty, accomplishment, and dedication, and returning veterans get to put the skills they learned in military service to work while earning a living and adjusting to civilian life.”
In response to the tactics employed by the controversial Westboro Baptist Church, Bridges also successfully passed legislation that restricts protests or disruptions at funerals, military and otherwise, to a perimeter of at least 1000 feet, or two blocks, away.
“We have all seen the hate group known at the Westboro Baptist Church on the national news staging protests at military funerals, screaming vile chants, and holding offensive signs while parents, spouses, and children attempt to mourn the soldiers and others who have left us,” Bridges said. “Their tactics run counter to the teachings in my Bible and to our Lord’s admonition to comfort the hurting in a compassionate and loving manner.”
For several years, Bridges has sponsored legislation that authorizes the display of historically important documents, including the Ten Commandments and other religiously affiliated items, in public schools and on state property. While the bill has not yet become law, Bridges said he will make its passage a major priority of his final legislative session in 2014.
Bridges thanked his Lee County colleague, House Speaker Mike Hubbard, for providing guidance and support during his time in the Legislature.
“Mike Hubbard has been a great friend and a trusted mentor since I first decided to run for the House, and, quite frankly, he is largely the reason that I am still serving today,” Bridges said. “The friendships and relationships I have developed with other House members during my service will last for the rest of my life, and I consider them among the biggest and most lasting benefits of my time in the Legislature.”
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