Elected U.S. Legislators

Mr. Palmer, who grew up in Hackleburg, a small town in Northwest Alabama, now lives in Hoover and represents Alabama’s 6th Congressional District. Mr. Palmer attended the University of Alabama and was the first person on either side of his family to attend college. In addition, he was a walk-on member of the football team under legendary football coach Bear Bryant. After earning a B.S. in Operations Management, he worked in the private sector for 12 years; including nine with two major engineering construction companies, before involvement with Focus on the Family led him to start the Alabama Family Alliance which later became the Alabama Policy Institute.

Palmer served as President of the Alabama Policy Institute for 24 years. During his tenure, the Alabama Policy Institute became a full-spectrum public policy organization that engaged in virtually all policy issues that affected Alabamians. It is considered the premier conservative think-tank in Alabama.

Palmer also was a founding member of the board of directors of the State Policy Network, an umbrella organization for various state-based think-tanks. He served on the State Policy Network board for six years, the last two as chairman. Leading this broad coalition of policy thinkers gave Palmer exposure and knowledge of policy problems that confront all 50 states. When State Policy Network was founded in 1992, there were fewer than 20 state think-tanks in their network. Today, State Policy Network has 65 member organizations.

Palmer served on four different state commissions on behalf of three different Governors. He was appointed to the Welfare Reform Commission by Governor Fob James. He also served as an advisor to Governor James’ Aerospace, Science and Technology Task Force. He was appointed to the Task Force to Strengthen Alabama Families by Governor Bob Riley, and the Alabama Commission on Improving State Government by Governor Robert Bentley.

In 2014, he was elected to the 114th Congress, having never served in office before. In Congress, Palmer is focused on paying down the national debt by cutting spending; regulatory reform by reducing the number and expense of federal regulations; lowering energy costs and spurring economic growth and job creation by accessing America’s vast energy resources; and replacing Obamacare with a health care plan that puts people back in charge of their health care decisions and that will truly make health care affordable and available; and protecting life in all its forms. Palmer serves on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and the Subcommittees on Energy, Environment and Climate Change, and Oversight and Investigations. Palmer has also served as the Chairman of the House Republican Policy Committee since the 116th Congress. The Republican Policy Committee aims to unite Congressional Republicans on policy and help advise other members of leadership on policy decisions.

Palmer has been a member of the Rotary Club of Birmingham since 1993, and he is a Paul Harris Fellow. He holds an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Mobile. He and his wife Ann live in Hoover, Alabama where they attend Briarwood Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, Alabama. They have three children, Claire, Kathleen and Rob.

Congresswoman Terri A. Sewell is in her seventh term representing Alabama’s 7th Congressional District. She is one of the first women elected to Congress from Alabama in her own right and the first Black woman to ever serve in the Alabama Congressional delegation.

Congresswoman Sewell sits on the exclusive House Ways and Means Committee, bringing her more than 15 years of experience as a securities and public finance attorney.

In her short time in Congress, Sewell has held several leadership positions including Freshman Class President in the 112th Congress. In the 118th Congress, she was selected by the Democratic Whip Katherine M. Clark to serve as a Chief Deputy Whip, and sits on the prestigious Steering and Policy Committee, which sets the policy direction of the Democratic Caucus.

Congresswoman Sewell is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus where she is Co-Chair of the Voting Rights Task Force. She is a member of the New Democrat Coalition; Co-Chair of the Congressional Voting Rights Caucus; Vice-Chair of the Congressional HBCU Caucus; and Co-Chair of the Rural Caucus.

Congresswoman Sewell is an outspoken advocate for job creation, workforce development, skills training and for providing resources and economic opportunities for her constituents in the 7th Congressional District. In addition to pursuing job-creating legislation in Congress, Sewell has implemented a results-driven approach to addressing the unemployment crisis by hosting an Annual Job Fair and job readiness workshops across the district as a part of a workforce initiative called Project R.E.A.D.Y.: Realizing Everyone’s Ability to Develop Yourself.

As the Member of Congress representing Alabama’s civil rights district, Congresswoman Sewell has been a passionate champion for recognizing and honoring the sacrifices of those freedom fighters who served as powerful agents of change. Congresswoman Sewell was honored that her first piece of successful legislation recognized the “Four Little Girls” who tragically lost their lives during the bombing of the16th Street Baptist Church in 1963. The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest civilian honor Congress can bestow. The bill passed unanimously in both houses of Congress and was signed into law by President Barack Obama on May 24, 2013 in a signing ceremony in the Oval Office to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the church bombing.

In March of 2015, Congresswoman Sewell welcomed the world to her hometown of Selma during the 50th Anniversary of the March from Selma to Montgomery including President and Mrs. Obama; President and Mrs. George W. Bush and more than 100 members of Congress. Sewell’s second Congressional Gold Medal bill to honor the Foot Soldiers of the Voting Rights Movement was signed by President Obama on March 7, 2015, the 50th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday.

Since the Supreme Court’s disastrous Shelby County v. Holder decision in 2013 which gutted the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA), Congresswoman Sewell has been leading the charge to restore this critical law and ensure that every eligible American has a voice in our democracy. She is the author and lead sponsor of the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act which would restore the full protections of the VRA and prohibit states with a recent history of voter discrimination from restricting voting access.

Prior to her election in 2010, Congresswoman Sewell was the first Black woman partner in the Birmingham law office of Maynard, Cooper & Gale, P.C., where she distinguished herself as one of the only Black public finance lawyers in the State of Alabama. A proud product of Alabama’s rural Black Belt, Congresswoman Sewell was the first Black valedictorian of Selma High School. She is an honors graduate of Princeton University and Oxford University and received her law degree from Harvard Law School.

Congresswoman Sewell is a Silver Star and life member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She is the daughter of the late Coach Andrew A. Sewell of Selma, AL and retired librarian Nancy Gardner Sewell, Selma’s first Black City Councilwoman, the 18th South Eastern Regional Director and former Supreme Grammateus of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.