Power struggles in Alabama: with more Republicans getting elected and conservative Democrats joining them, politics in Alabama are changing.

• Author: Beyerle, Dana Thomas

Traditions are changing in the Alabama Senate where Democrats once dominated, the governor picked leaders, and a handful of Republicans went along with the flow.

Today the chamber acts more like a split body, even though the count is 25-10 Democrat. That's because six conservative Democrats vote with the minority Republicans. The split stymied passage of most legislation early in the 2003 regular session because rules require at least 21 votes to bring up bills before passage of the state's two budget bills. And in the last six days of the session, it allowed the minority to force itself onto four important committees.

Essentially, 16 opposition members (10 Republicans and six conservative Democrats) could stop anything introduced by the 19 majority members. Even a popular bill to allow the display of the Ten Commandments in public buildings failed to get the 21 votes needed early in the session. Some days the Senate adjourned after only 18 minutes because leaders realized they wouldn't get any work done.

Senator Larry Dixon, spokesman for the coalition, said stalling was the only tactic the minority had to influence the majority's actions. Democrats had rewritten the rules to their own advantage and headed all but three of the 24 standing committees.

In an emergency special session that Governor Bob Riley called in May to consider a $1.3 billion tax and accountability package, senators put aside their differences and worked diligently through the agenda. One day they passed five of the governor's accountability bills in less than 30 minutes.

When the Legislature returned for the last six days of its 30-day regular session, the minority coalition dug in its heels and demanded more committee assignments and a rules change on the number of votes needed to break a filibuster. Senator Dixon, who negotiated for the minority senators, said the minority was handicapped by rules that were applied differently to them than the majority. He said it took his side 23 votes to break a filibuster, but Democrats could petition the Rules Committee (controlled by Democrat Senator Jim Preuitt) to invoke cloture with 21 votes.

The power sharing agreement gave the 10 Republicans and six conservative Democrats more seats on the powerful agenda-setting Rules Committee, the Confirmations Committee and the two Senate budget committees. Other committees were opened to give the minority seats, and rules were rewritten to change the 23-vote cloture petition...