The Alabama State House is a state government building in Montgomery,

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

, United States. It houses several state agencies, most notably the

Alabama Legislature The Alabama Legislature is the legislative branch of the state government of Alabama. It is a bicameral body composed of the House of Representatives and Senate. It is one of the few state legislatures in which members of both chambers serv ...

, which comprises the

Alabama Senate The Alabama State Senate is the upper house of the Alabama Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alabama. The body is composed of 35 members representing an equal number of districts across the state, with each district conta ...

and the

Alabama House of Representatives The Alabama State House of Representatives is the lower house of the Alabama Legislature, the state legislature of state of Alabama. The House is composed of 105 members representing an equal number of districts, with each constituency contai ...

History

The State House was opened in 1963 as the Alabama Highway Department Building. It housed the

Alabama Department of Transportation The Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) is the government agency responsible for transportation infrastructure in Alabama. The Department is organized into five geographic regions, with a Central Office located in Montgomery, AL Montg ...

, then known as the Alabama State Highway Department, until 1985, when the

moved into the upper floors while the

Alabama State Capitol The Alabama State Capitol, listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the First Confederate Capitol, is the state capitol building for Alabama. Located on Capitol Hill, originally Goat Hill, in Montgomery, it was declared a National ...

building was being renovated. Article IV, Section 48 of the

Alabama Constitution The Constitution of the State of Alabama is the basic governing document of the U.S. state of Alabama. It was adopted in 2022 and is Alabama's seventh constitution. History Alabama has had seven constitutions to date, all but the current one est ...

requires the Legislature to meet in the Capitol, but Amendment 427 was passed to enable it to select another place to temporarily meet until renovations at the Capitol were complete. Although all major renovations were completed there in 1992, the Legislature has remained at the State House. The building was renamed after the 1985 move. Originally, the Legislature occupied the 5th through 7th floors. When the Legislature outgrew this space, an eighth floor was added.

Structure and usage

The State House has seven above ground floors and one at basement level. The first floor, located at basement level, is used for miscellaneous offices and committee rooms. The second floor contains the Governor's Legislative Office and the Alabama Budget Office. The third floor houses the

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

. The fifth and sixth floors are dedicated exclusively to the use of the House of Representatives. The seventh and eighth floors are likewise used by the Senate. Additionally, the Lieutenant Governor's offices are located on the seventh floor.

Proposed replacement

Currently, the Alabama Legislature is making preparations to plan and construct a new State House. Many legislators cite a need for a new facility due to the lack of space in the current State House as well as issues with mold and other structural problems. Proposals have included building a new facility on the opposite end of Dexter Avenue from the Capitol, to create a government mall. This plan has lost favor. New plans have called for building a wing behind the State Capitol that contains space for the Legislature. In the 2009 session, legislators debated and passed a bill to begin investigating proposals, but have not taken any action on constructing a new facility. On May 7, 2020, it was reported that Alabama State Senator

Del Marsh Adelbert Carl "Del" Marsh (born September 2, 1956) is a former Republican member of the Alabama Senate, who represented the 12th District from 1998 until 2022. He defeated Democratic challenger Judge Wallace Wyatt in the 2010 midterm elections. ...

had requested $200,000,000 of

CARES Act The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, also known as the CARES Act, is a $2.2trillion Stimulus (economics), economic stimulus bill passed by the 116th U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump on March 27, 2 ...

funding in order to build a new State House. After backlash from various Alabama citizens, the funding request was removed.

References

{{reflist State government buildings in Alabama Alabama Legislature Politics of Alabama Buildings and structures in Montgomery, Alabama Government buildings completed in 1963 1963 establishments in Alabama

History

Structure and usage

Proposed replacement

See also

References