Gov. Kay Ivey on Tuesday signed into law a bill to give the governor’s office more control over the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs.
The bill makes the commissioner of the ADVA an appointee of the governor and member of the governor’s cabinet.
Under previous law, the State Board of Veterans Affairs, made up of representatives of veteran organizations, appointed the commissioner and had oversight of the ADVA.
Under the new law, the State Board’s authority will be reduced to an advisory role.
Ivey supported the bill, which came after a public dispute last year between the governor and former ADVA Commissioner Kent Davis.
In October, the State Board voted down Ivey’s request to fire Davis, a retired Navy rear admiral, but she used her executive authority to fire him anyway.
Sen. Andrew Jones, R- Centre, and Rep. Ed Oliver, R- Dadeville, sponsored the bill, which lawmakers approved on March 6.
“Alabama’s veterans deserve our very best, and I am grateful to the Alabama Legislature for its resounding support of this important legislation,” Ivey said in a press release.
“We will use this new structure to focus on what matters most – serving those who sacrificed so much for our freedoms – our veterans and their families.”
Some veterans organizations spoke out against the bill as it moved through the legislative process.
Three groups - the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), the American Legion, and American Veterans (AMVETS) - later endorsed the bill after changes were made.
Some other representatives of veterans groups remained opposed, including Pete Riehm, a retired U.S. Navy commander and president of the Alabama Council of Chapters of the Military Officers Association of America.
When the bill passed on March 6, Riehm said the ADVA’s structure, in place since 1945, had worked well.
“And it was created to be apolitical so that it would be accountable and responsive to the veterans over whatever fickle-pickle political winds would blow on this Goat Hill here,” Riehm said.
The House sponsor of the bill, Oliver, was a helicopter pilot in the Army and served from 1979 to 2010.
Oliver said the goal is to make the ADVA more responsive and offer more and better services for veterans.
In addition to signing the bill Tuesday, Ivey appointed Brigadier General Jeffrey Newton to serve as ADVA commissioner. Newton had previously served as interim commissioner after Ivey fired Davis.
“Brigadier General Newton has earned this important job, and I am more than confident he will work to ensure our state better serves all of our 400,000 veterans,” Ivey said.
Newton’s 41-year military career with the United States Air Force and the Alabama Air National Guard included numerous overseas deployments with the 117th Air Refueling Wing in Birmingham, as well as supporting Operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom and Noble Eagle, the governor’s office said.
“I look forward to working with other departments and cabinet officials as we continue to provide first-class support for Alabama Veterans and their families, as we have done for the past 80 years,” Newton said.
Newton’s appointment is effective on Wednesday.
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