UPDATE: Legislature Approves Bill to Build New Alabama State House

Lawmakers on Thursday gave final approval to legislation that could lead to the construction of a new Alabama State House.

The bill gives the Legislative Council, a 20-member panel that consists of legislative leaders and selected members, the authority to contract with the Retirement Systems of Alabama, or another entity, for the construction and maintenance of a new Alabama State House. State senators voted 34-0 to accept changes to the legislation made by the House of Representatives. The bill now goes to Gov. Kay Ivey for her signature.

House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter said the current State House, originally built in the 1960s to house the state highway department, has ongoing maintenance problems with accommodating spectators in crowded committee rooms.

“I think the people of Alabama need to be represented better than this building. I really do. I’ve been to statehouses in different parts of the country, and they are a representation of the people. They want to welcome people into them,” Ledbetter said. “We can’t accommodate the public.”

Ledbetter said he believed a decision would be made fairly quickly but declined to give a more precise estimate. He said council members will weigh the yearly cost of maintenance against the cost of leasing a new building.

From the mid-1800s to 1985, Alabama lawmakers met at the Alabama Capitol, which also houses the governor’s office. Lawmakers in 1985 moved into the current building as a temporary meeting place when the Capitol was undergoing renovations. Lawmakers never moved back, and a number of renovations have been made through the years.

Alabama lawmakers in 2020 briefly discussed the possibility of using $200 million of federal pandemic relief funds to build a new statehouse, but the idea drew immediate backlash.

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