Montgomery, AL – The Alabama Legislature has approved a plan that redraws House and Senate lines during an all-night session that saw Democrats claim Republican leaders used strong-arm tactics to gavel the plan to final passage.
It was after 4 a.m. when the Senate voted 24-12 to pass a House redistricting plan moments before the House approved a Senate plan by a 65-36 vote.
The Senate vote came as several black senators called Senate leaders ``prejudiced racists'' and claimed Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh ignored pleas from Democrats that the bill be read at length. Marsh said reading the 605-page bill would have taken 36 hours and cost the state thousands of dollars.
The redistricting plan now must be approved by Gov. Robert Bentley and by the U.S. Justice Department.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)