By Associated Press
Montgomery, AL – The Alabama House and Senate approved separate resolutions Tuesday that apologize for slavery.
The House used an unrecorded voice vote to pass a resolution sponsored by state Representative Mary Moore. The Senate voted 22-to-7 to approve a separate resolution offered by state Senator Hank Sanders. Now Sanders' resolution goes to the House for consideration and Moore's resolution goes to the Senate.
Legislatures in Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina have approved similar slavery apologies this year. Moore says it's been a long time coming.
Moore's resolution expresses deep sympathy and solemn regret to those who were enslaved and to their descendants. Sanders' resolution expresses "profound regret" for slavery.
Both the House and Senate turned back efforts to replace the apologizes with expressions of regret.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)