Republican leadership in both chambers of the Alabama Legislature utilized cloture today to end filibusters from Democrats and pass conservative bills – once in the House and continuously in the Senate.
Neither the House nor the Senate considered bills from the other chamber.
House lawmakers passed ten bills in total, including legislation that would ban drag shows in Alabama schools and libraries, enshrine the change from “Gulf of Mexico” to “Gulf of America” into state law, allow the Ten Commandments to be displayed in schools, prohibit teachers from promoting LGBTQ+ ideology to students, among other conservative proposals that still await final passage from the Senate.
A motion to cloture was filed, adopted and Democratic filibuster was cut off on HB247, a proposal cosponsored by the majority of House Republicans that would rename the “Gulf of Mexico” to the “Gulf of America” within state law.
Upstairs in the Senate, Republicans also invoked the cloture motion on their entire calendar of six bills.
That included proposals to require manufacturers of internet-enabled devices to create filters that block obscene content for minors, mandate parental consent for app downloads by children, and require public schools to broadcast or perform the national anthem weekly.
Senators also approved measures to reform how the Alabama Department of History and Archives board is appointed, officially remove the state from the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC) used for voter roll maintenance in favor of the Alabama Voter Integrity Database (AVID), and ban the use of foreign national driver licenses to vote in elections.
Alabama Senate Pro Tem Garlan Gudger said the chamber focused today on proposals that reflect Alabama values.
“Protecting children from access to pornography in a society that seems more consumed by it each day, shielding the ballot box from fraud and foreign influence, promoting patriotism, and demanding a higher level of accountability and transparency from public boards are issues that almost every Alabamian can embrace,” Gudger (R-Cullman) said.
“With seven legislative days remaining, much work remains before us, and long hours and intense debate will be the rule rather than the exception, but that’s what real leadership looks like.”
That was the case today as frustration from Minority Leader Bobby Singleton (D-Greensboro) and State Sen. Rodger Smitherman (D-Birmingham), who openly dared Republicans to invoke cloture for the first time in 2025, reached a dead end.
Lt. Governor Will Ainsworth made that clear to Singleton after he insisted to be recognized:
WATCH as tensions erupt in the Alabama Senate. Republicans use their first cloture of the session to shut down a Democratic filibuster—sparking a heated exchange between Sen. Bobby Singleton and Lt. Governor @willainsworthAL over being recognized on the floor. Voices raised.… pic.twitter.com/nsAhJCmayp
— Jeff Sanders (@JeffSandersNews) April 17, 2025
“Thanks to everybody for doing my work today,” Smitherman said before Senate adjourned just before 7:00pm.
Smitherman was incensed by a bill filed that would make long-anticipated changes to the Birmingham Water Works and was prepared to filibuster until clotured. He used his final minutes on the floor with an exasperated rant on the topic.
“For 20 years, the rules chair and I worked to get our delegation to work together… so we wouldn’t be the thing that stopped this whole body,” Smitherman said. “Today, that 20 years was almost just like opened up and throwed out the window.”
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Without naming names, Smitherman referenced fellow Jefferson County lawmakers, State Sens. Dan Roberts (R-Mountain Brook) and Jabo Waggoner (R-Vestavia Hills).
In the first instance of cloture so far this session, what would have otherwise resulted in exhaustive remarks from Democrats to slow conservative bills down, turned out to be a productive day for both chambers.
However, when lawmakers return next Tuesday to the State House, only seven days will remain in the 2025 session, its uncertain what legislative priorities they will converge to get over the finish line, with both the general fund and education trust fund budgets awaiting approval from their corresponding chamber.
Among more than 900 bills filed this session, 37 House bills and 49 Senate bills have been passed by both chambers and sent to Governor Kay Ivey’s desk.
Grayson Everett is the editor in chief of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @Grayson270.
