After delaying a vote before spring break, the Alabama Senate has awarded final passage to a bill renaming, for state purposes, the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America.
House Bill 2, sponsored by Rep. David Standridge, R-Hayden, would require state and local entities to refer to the body of water to the south of the U.S. as the Gulf of America. It also mandates these entities to “make reasonable efforts” to update old materials to reflect the new name.
The name change mirrors an executive order from President Donald Trump.
‘Confusion out there’
Standridge said that many entities have already been using the Gulf’s new name. He said he introduced the bill to help provide clarity.
“There was some confusion out there as to what our state should use, and especially in purchasing resources and mapping and the state parks and those types of things,” Standridge told ADN. “So I just thought it was important to make that clear, and so people would know what you know to use and know what to purchase.”
The House passed the same bill last year, but it died in the Senate.
Headed to Ivy’s desk
This year, the Senate passed the bill by a vote of 26–5. The name change now heads to Gov. Kay Ivey’s desk.
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