Alabama legislative leadership calls on VA Commissioner to resign after years of ‘growing concerns’

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September 9, 2024

(Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs/Facebook)

Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs Kent Davis will face a vote to be removed from the position on Tuesday in a meeting of the State Veterans Affairs Board called by Governor Kay Ivey. On Monday morning, legislative leaders issued a joint statement detailing the case for Davis’ ouster and continuing a call for his resignation.

Chairmen of the Alabama Legislature’s General Fund Committees, State Sen. Greg Albritton (R-Atmore) and State Rep. Rex Reynolds (R-Huntsville), along with the Chairmen of the Veterans Affairs Committees, State Sen. Andrew Jones (R-Centre) and State Rep. Ed Oliver (R-Dadeville) joined Speaker of the House Nathaniel Ledbetter (R-Rainsville) and Alabama Senate President Pro Tem Greg Reed (R-Jasper) in supporting Governor Kay Ivey’s proposed leadership change.

“As members of the Alabama Legislature, we have proudly passed legislation and allocated resources to advance our state’s support for its veteran men and women. However, we share a lack of confidence in the current Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs Commissioner’s ability to adequately lead the agency and work collaboratively with other areas of state government,” the leaders wrote.

“We fully agree with Governor Ivey and join her in calling on Commissioner Kent Davis to do the right thing for the Department and step down from his position.”

Davis formally declined the Governor’s request for his resignation on Friday after she set a 5 p.m. deadline on Thursday for him to tender his resignation in order to continue serving through the remainder of the month. She also removed John Kilpatrick from the Alabama State Board of Veterans Affairs, a 15-member board that oversees the Commissioner.

“In recent years, we have had growing concerns and frustration, the most recent example being the agency’s mishandling of its proposed ARPA grant program. This would have been a significant problem had it not been caught by the Finance Department. Fortunately, we were able to quickly resolve the issue by working with the governor to authorize $7 million to veterans groups. Taking care of our veterans in Alabama is too important to let anything stand in the way of that mission. We look forward to a new and even stronger chapter at the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs,” the Chairmen wrote.

Alabama Speaker of the House Nathaniel Ledbetter (R-Rainsville) said last week that new leadership “is in the best interest of our state’s veteran population.” Pro Tem Greg Reed (R-Jasper) said Alabama’s veterans “should be honored with resources and leadership that adequately reflect their service.”

Grayson Everett is the state and political editor for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @Grayson270

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