State Representatives
Bills Sponsored by the Representative:
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Employees' Retirement System, all ALEA law enforcement officers, including State Police Tier II Plan members, to receive payment for up to 80 hours of accrued and unused annual leave per year
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Juvenile offenders, delinquent acts for purposes of juvenile proceedings further provided for
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Youthful offender status, to prohibit a judge from granting youthful offender status to any person who is 16 years of age and older and charged with capital murder or murder
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Driver license; examinations administered exclusively in English
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State Board of Adjustment, provide death benefit to survivors of volunteer firefighters who die of cancer
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County law library fund and judicial administration fund; to require separate funds to be maintained in the county treasury
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Provie pay raises for law enforcement officers
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This bill would prohibit political parties from disqualifying an individual from running for office based solely on receipt of contributions from a particular person or political action committee.
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In Lauderdale County, the sheriff may conduct fundraising events, including, but not limited to, rodeos, and may use the proceeds and profits from the events for any lawful purpose relating to the operation of the office of the sheriff.
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Lauderdale county Revenue Commissioner authorized to provide for electronic filing
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Lauderdale County; to authorize the sheriff to establish procedures for using a credit card or debit card to make purchases, provided the proper procedures are followed.
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to prohibit a judge from granting youthful offender status to any person who is 16 years of age and older and charged with murder
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This bill would provide that purchases made by volunteer fire departments and rescue squads are excepted from the requirements of the state procurement code and are instead subject to the local competitive bid law requirements.
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Under existing law, an operator of a motor vehicle is required to carry evidence of liability insurance inside the vehicle. This bill would provide that the insurance requirements of the state of registration apply for any motor vehicle registered in another state.
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Under current law, certain compensation for active service members of the United States Armed Forces is not subject to state income tax. This bill would expand this exemption to include certain compensation of civilian employees of the U.S. Department of Defense and Armed Forces.
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Under existing law, certain law enforcement officers may receive payment for up to 80 hours per year of accrued and unused annual leave in excess of 480 hours. This bill would provide the same benefit to State Police Tier II Plan members of the Employees' Retirement System of Alabama.
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This bill would authorize the officers and employees of the Lauderdale County Teacher's Credit Union to participate in the Teachers' Retirement System.
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to provide an annual supplemental compensation for the chief assistant district attorney and three assistant district attorneys for the Eleventh Judicial Circuit.
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This bill would provide that a nonfelony offense or water safety offense committed by a child 14 or 15 years of age, other than driving under the influence or operation of a vessel while under the influence, is not a delinquent act for purposes of juvenile proceedings.
Phillip Pettus in his own words:
Representative Pettus describes himself as a Conservative Republican, and worked as a police officer for 25 years before retiring. He has been in office since 2014, for a total of 11 years tenure.
Phillip Pettus in the bills he’s sponsored:
Pettus has notably sponsored many bills related to increasing benefits and wages for members of the Alabama state police force and decreasing financial limitations for the Lauderdale County police force, including authorizing the Lauderdale sheriff to create fundraising events, namely a rodeo.
Notably, in 2025 he sponsored HB6, which if passed would have prohibited political parties from removing candidates from a ballot due to who they received campaign contributions from.
More recently, in 2026 he sponsored bill HB88, which would have excluded non-English speakers from getting drivers licenses by mandating drivers license examinations be administered exclusively in English. Thankfully this bill has been “pending committee action in House of Origin” since January, indicating there is little motivation within the legislature as a whole to have this bill actually pass.
He also has sponsored a bill (HB247) that provides death benefits to the survivors of volunteer firefighters who die of cancer. There is a long history in the U.S. of difficulty litigating remuneration for people who develop cancer due to the use of a product or testing enacted on them without permission by the government. This is due largely to the fact that it’s difficult, if not impossible, to prove what caused someone to develop cancer. Firefighters have some of the highest risks of developing cancer due to the regular inhalation of carcinogenic fumes, so the passing of a bill to provide support to these firefighters’ families without them needing to sue for compensation is really cool in my opinion, and a good step in the right direction.
His Successor:
In the most recent District 1 Primary election, Representative Pettus was beaten by Maurice McCaney (R). Maurice McCaney is the president of the Lauderdale County Bar Administration and is a certified mediator.
His campaign website elaborates extensively on his passion for parents’ rights and school vouchers, protecting private property rights, and constitutional carry for law abiding citizens as well as opposing raising taxes on hard-working families.
He is enthusiastically pro-life, while also participating in fundraising to support Shoals Mom Prom and Safer Birth in Bama, organizations intended to improve maternal healthcare in Alabama.
His campaign Facebook page shows him frequently participating in the Lauderdale County community.