James Martin
| James M. "Jimmy" Martin | |
Alabama State Representative
for District 42 (Autauga and Chilton counties) | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office November 5, 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Kurt Wallace |
|---|---|
| In office 1998–2010 | |
| Succeeded by | Kurt Wallace |
| Born | December 14, 1938 Clanton, Chilton County Alabama |
| Citizenship | American |
| Political party | Democrat-turned-Republican (2013) |
| Spouse(s) | Norma Martin |
| Children | Jim and Kim Martin |
| Residence | Clanton, Alabama] |
| Alma mater | John A. Gupton College of Mortuary Science |
| Occupation | Mortician |
| Religion | Southern Baptist |
James M. Martin, known as Jimmy Martin (born December 14, 1938), is a mortician from Clanton, Alabama, who represented District 42 in the Alabama House of Representatives from 1998 to 2010 as a Democrat and since 2014 as a Republican. His district encompasses Autauga and Chilton counties in the central portion of his state.
A graduate of the John A. Gupton College of Mortuary Science in Nashville, Tennessee, Martin is the co-owner of Martin Funeral Home, Inc., in Clanton. He is a board member of the Chilton County Chamber of Commerce. He has also been the county coroner. He is a member of the First Baptist Church of Clanton. He and his wife, Norma, have two children, Jim and Kim.[1][2]
Martin was defeated in his bid for a fourth term in 2010 by the Republican Kurt Wallace, 9,382 (63.2 percent) to 5,452 (36.8 percent). In 2014, after switching parties, Martin narrowly unseated Wallace in the Republican primary, 4,624 votes (50.6 percent) to 4,507 (49.4 percent).[3]
Martin is a member of these House committees: (1) Commerce and Small Business, (2) Financial Services, (3) Insurance, and (4) Rules.[2]
In 2007, Representative Martin, as a Democrat, voted for Sunday liquor sales, a measure which passed the House, 59-28. In 2008, he voted to relax restrictions on the sale of alcohol, a measure which passed the House 48-42. In 2009, sponsored the bill to permit elections in smaller municipalities for the purpose of legalizing the sale of alcohol and to permit a higher alcohol content for beer, a measure which passed the House, 49-37. In 2008, he voted against hate crime legislation regarding a person's sexual preference. In 2009, he voted against deregulation of landline telephone rates, but the measure passed the House, 67-24.[4]
In 2015, Representative Martin, as a Republican, sponsored the bill affirming the use of electrocution in executions. He voted against requiring animal shelters to prepare monthly reports; the bill failed, 28-67. He supported the establishment of public charter schools in Alabama, a measure which passed the House, 58-41. He opposed the bill to permit the home schooled to participate in public school athletic events, a measure approved by the full House, 52-43. He sponsored the increase in the cigarette tax, which passed the House, 52-46. In 2016, Martin co-sponsored the legislation to forbid the sale of fetal tissue or to permit its use in research, and he opposed dilation abortions in Alabama. He supported additional funding for new prison facilities, a measure which passed the House, 52-33. In 2017, Martin did not vote on the issue of permitting midwives to practice in his state, a measure which won House approval, 84-11. He voted to reduce the time for appeals from inmates on death row. He voted to prohibit alteration or removal of historic monuments, a measure which passed 72-29. He voted to prohibit judicial override of sentencing guidelines, which passed the House, 78-19.[4]
References
- ↑ James Martin, Alabama Representative. Ballotpedia.org. Retrieved on October 26, 2017.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 James Martin's Biography. Project Vote Smart. Retrieved on October 25, 2017.
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedballotpedia - ↑ 4.0 4.1 James Martin's Voting Records. Project Vote Smart. Retrieved on October 23, 2017.