A bill to repeal and replace the Alabama ethics law was carried over Wednesday morning by the Alabama Senate Judiciary Committee, ending its chances for passing this session.
Rep. Matt Simpson, R-Daphne, who sponsored the bill, told the committee he stands behind his bill, which drew opposition from Attorney General Steve Marshall and the Ethics Commission.
The House passed Simpson’s bill more than a month ago but it never advanced out of committee in the Senate.
A maximum of two days are left in the session, counting Wednesday.
Simpson, a lawyer and prosecutor, said the biggest misconception about the bill, HB227, is that it would weaken the ethics law. That’s what Katherine Robertson, chief counsel for Marshall, and Ethics Commission Executive Director Tom Albritton told the committee during a public hearing on Tuesday.
Simpson noted that a report produced by a reform commission that included both Marshall and Albritton called for changes to the law in 2019, and that Alabama’s appellate courts have urged the Legislature to clarify the law. Simpson led a study group that held public meetings last year on the law.
Sen. Will Barfoot, R-Montgomery, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, commended Simpson for his efforts to tackle the issue.
Sen. Sam Givhan, R-Huntsville, worked with Simpson on the bill and introduced a substitute version with some changes that Simpson supported.