MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Alabama Senate on Tuesday approved legislation that would allow city councils and county commissions to remove members of local library boards before their terms expire.
Senate Bill 26, sponsored by Sen. Chris Elliott, R-Josephine, would permit appointing authorities to remove library board members at any time with a two-thirds vote.
The bill prompted more than an hour of debate on the Senate floor.
Elliott said the measure is intended to increase accountability and align library boards with other appointed positions across state government.
“We’ve tried to accommodate that concern with this two-thirds, you know, barrier to get over,” Elliott said. “It’s not just at the whim of one member. It’s a two-thirds vote of the body, a super majority, if you will. What’s good in Hoover may not be good in Bessemer, and what’s good in Orange Beach may not be good in Fairhope.”
Under current law, library board members serve fixed four-year terms, and there is no clear mechanism for early removal. The legislation would change that by allowing appointing authorities to remove members without cause if two-thirds agree.
The proposal comes amid several years of controversy surrounding library governance in Alabama, including disputes over book challenges and state funding decisions.
Democratic lawmakers raised concerns that the bill could subject volunteer board members to political pressure.
Sen. Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro, said he would prefer the legislation include clearer standards or term limits for board members.
“I would love to see this bill at least give term limits, allow the library board to be appointed without having that fear of, I could be taken off tomorrow just because somebody don’t like the color I wore,” Singleton said.
Elliott countered that appointed boards ultimately should answer to the officials who selected them.
“These library board members are great folks. They serve their communities honorably, but they’re not federal judges,” Elliott said. “Most of our appointed officials throughout government serve at the pleasure of the appointing authority. And this just makes library boards the same.”
The Senate approved the bill 26-5, with one abstention. The measure now moves to the House for consideration.
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