MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The Alabama Senate voted Tuesday to give the governor the power to appoint the head of the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs, a move that comes after a public feud between Gov. Kay Ivey and the former commissioner.
Senators voted 21-9 for the bill that would make the position a gubernatorial appointee. Under current law, the State Board of Veterans Affairs hires the commissioner. The bill now moves to the Alabama House of Representatives.
“We want to elevate the commissioner of the Department of Veterans Affairs to a cabinet-level position, someone who is fully in state government, an agency that’s fully in state government,” Republican Sen. Andrew Jones, the bill’s sponsor, said.
An original version of the bill also would have changed the State Board of Veterans Affairs.
The vote comes months after a public dispute between Ivey’s office and then-Veterans Affairs Commissioner Kent Davis.
The governor had accused Davis of failing to cooperate with her office and other agency heads and of mishandling an American Rescue Plan grant program. Davis’ supporters said no funds were mishandled.
Ivey asked the board to fire Davis. After they refused, Ivey said she used her power as chief executive to dismiss him anyway.
Some senators who voted against the bill said they wanted additional time to review the new version.