Richard Shelby
United States Senator from Alabama
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 1987 Serving with Jeff Sessions
Preceded by	Jeremiah Denton
Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2015
Preceded by	Tim Johnson
In office January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2007
Preceded by	Paul Sarbanes
Succeeded by	Chris Dodd
Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee
In office January 20, 2001 – June 6, 2001
Preceded by	Bob Graham
Succeeded by	Bob Graham
In office January 3, 1997 – January 3, 2001
Preceded by	Arlen Specter
Succeeded by	Bob Graham
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Alabama's 7th district
In office January 3, 1979 – January 3, 1987
Preceded by	Walter Flowers
Succeeded by	Claude Harris
Member of the Alabama Senate from the 16th district
In office January 1971 – January 3, 1979
Preceded by	???
Succeeded by	Ryan DeGraffenried
Personal details
Born	Richard Craig Shelby (1934-05-06) May 6, 1934 (age 81) Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.
Political party	Democratic (1964–1994) Republican (1994–present)
Spouse(s)	Annette Shelby (1960–present)
Children	2
Alma mater	University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa Birmingham School of Law
Religion	Presbyterianism
Signature
Website	Senate website

Richard Craig Shelby (born May 6, 1934) is the senior United States Senator from Alabama. First elected to the Senate in 1986, he is the Chairman of the United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Shelby received his law degree from the Birmingham School of Law in Birmingham, Alabama. He graduated in 1961. After law school, he went on to serve as city prosecutor (1963–1971). During this period he worked as a U.S. Magistrate for the Northern District of Alabama (1966–1970) and Special Assistant Attorney General of Alabama (1969–1971). He won a seat in the Alabama Senate in 1970. In 1978 he was elected to the United States House of Representatives from the 7th District, where he was among a group of Conservative Democrats known as the boll weevils.

Shelby won a tight race as a Democrat in 1986 for the U.S. Senate. Partway through his second term, he switched to the Republican Party in 1994; that year the Republicans gained the majority in Congress midway through President Bill Clinton's first term. Shelby was re-elected by a large margin in 1998 and has faced no significant electoral opposition since.

Early life, education, and early career[edit]

Shelby was born in Birmingham, Alabama,^[1] the son of Alice L. (née Skinner) and Ozie Houston Shelby.^[2] He attended the University of Alabama, receiving an undergraduate degree in 1957. He attended the Birmingham School of Law, where he earned his Juris Doctor in 1961. He was admitted to the Alabama State Bar on August 29, 1961. He received an LL.B. from The University of Alabama in 1963.

Shelby is a member of the American Bar Association and Alabama State Bar, as well as the American Judicature Society, Alabama Law Institute, Delta Chi Fraternity, and Phi Alpha Delta legal fraternity.

Shelby was a city prosecutor in Tuscaloosa, Alabama from 1963 to 1971.^[1] From 1966 to 1970, he was a U.S. Magistrate for the Northern District of Alabama; from 1969 to 1971, Shelby was a Special Assistant State Attorney General.

Alabama political career, 1978 - 1986[edit]

Shelby was elected to the Alabama Senate in 1970 and served until 1978. That year he ran for and was elected to the House of Representatives from the Tuscaloosa-based 7th District. He was re-elected three times. Shelby was one of the more Conservative Democrats in Congress, and a member of the boll weevils, a group of moderate to conservative-leaning Democrats who often worked with Republican President Ronald Reagan on defense issues.^[3]

U.S. Senate[edit]

Elections[edit]

In United States Senate election in Alabama, 1986, Shelby won the Democratic nomination for the Senate seat held by Republican Jeremiah Denton, the first Republican elected to the Senate from Alabama since Reconstruction. He won a very close race as the Democrats regained control of the Senate. He was easily re-elected in 1992 even as Bill Clinton lost Alabama's electoral votes.

On November 9, 1994, Shelby switched his party affiliation to Republican, one day after the Republicans won control of both houses in the midterm elections, giving the Republicans a 53-47 majority in the Senate. He won his first full term as a Republican in 1998 by a large margin. He has since faced no significant opposition in 2004 or 2010.^[4] He will be running for a sixth term in 2016.^[5]

Shelby has been popular in Alabama. A September 2009 poll showed he had a 58% approval rating, with 35% disapproving.^[6]

The Wall Street Journal criticized Shelby for hoarding campaign and PAC contributions and not sharing them with other colleagues.^[7]

Tenure[edit]

1980s[edit]

In 1987, Shelby opposed Reagan's nomination of Robert Bork to the Supreme Court; a move attributed to lobbying by Alabama African-American leaders who reminded Shelby that he had relied on support from African-American voters in defeating Denton in 1986.^[8][9]

1990s[edit]

Shelby publicly feuded with President Bill Clinton during the first half of Clinton's first term. At a meeting with Vice President Al Gore, he turned to 19 Alabama TV cameras and denounced the Clinton program as "high on taxes, low on spending cuts".

Shelby served on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence from 1995 to 2003, stepping down because of a Senate rule limiting committee terms to eight years. Shelby took an adversarial stance toward the intelligence community during both Clinton and Bush administrations. He helped sink Anthony Lake's nomination as CIA director in 1997 and promised to investigate the use of American-made satellites by the Chinese to gather intelligence. Shelby took a hard line on leaks of classified information. In 2000 he introduced a bill (vetoed by President Clinton) "that would have broadened the law that criminalizes release of national defense information."^[10] According to the Washington Post:

"Civil liberties groups and news organizations, which argued that the legislation would chill their ability to get information from officials, lobbied for the veto. . . .

In 2002, with George W. Bush in the White House, Shelby reintroduced his language, but then-Attorney General John D. Ashcroft said that "rigorous investigation" and enforcement of existing laws—not new legislation—were the best way to fight leaks.^[10]

In 1991 Shelby supported the 1991 Crime Bill S.1241^[11] sponsored by then Senator Joseph Biden that instituted a national waiting period for handgun purchases as well as a federal ban on semi-automatic firearms.^[12]

In 1999, he opposed the Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act, which repealed parts of the Glass–Steagall Legislation, and was the only Republican Senator and one of eight Senators overall to vote against it.^{[13][14][note 1]}

2000-2010[edit]

Shelby was highly critical of CIA Director George Tenet in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks.^[15] From 2003 until 2007, he chaired the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs.^[16] He is^[when?] a member of the Appropriations Committee where he chaired its subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and Science and Special Committee on Aging.^{[citation needed]} He lost his chairmanships in 2007 when the Democrats regained control of the Senate.

In 2004, a federal investigation concluded that Shelby revealed classified information to the media when he was a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee.^[17] Specifically, Shelby revealed classified information on June 19, 2002 to Carl Cameron, the chief political correspondent on Fox News. The information consisted of two messages intercepted by the National Security Agency on September 10, 2001, but not translated until the day after the attacks—"the match is about to begin" and "tomorrow is zero hour." The Department of Justice declined to file criminal charges against Shelby and transferred the case to the Senate Ethics Committee. It dismissed its probe into the alleged leak.^[18]

Shelby, in his role as chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, & Urban Affairs, opposed proposed legislation that would have permitted additional competition in the title insurance industry.^[19]

Shelby is currently co-chair of the Congressional Privacy Caucus and Zero Capital Gains Tax Caucus.^[20] He is also the Senate co-chair of the National Security Caucus. In addition, he is a member of the National Republican Senatorial Committee and the Senate Centrist Coalition.^[20]

In February 2010, Shelby placed a hold on more than 70 of President Obama's nominees to various government posts, in a protest over an Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker contract and the FBI's Terrorist Explosive Device Analytical Center.^[21][22][23] Shelby lifted all but three of the holds 3 days later, saying that "The purpose of placing numerous holds was to get the White House’s attention on two issues that are critical to our national security—the Air Force’s aerial refueling tanker acquisition and the FBI’s Terrorist Device Analytical Center (TEDAC). With that accomplished, Sen. Shelby has decided to release his holds on all but a few nominees directly related to the Air Force tanker acquisition until the new Request for Proposal is issued."^[24] White House spokesman Robert Gibbs criticized Shelby for "hold[ing] up qualified nominees for positions that are needed because he didn't get two earmarks"; Shelby denied the holds were over earmarks.^[22][24]

2010-present[edit]

Shelby's extraodinarily high campaign contribution spending has been criticized; from 2008 until 2014 he had reimbursed himself and his wife more than $500,000 from his campaign and leadership PACs.^[7] The Wall Street Journal called him a "stingy lawmaker".^[25]

Political views[edit]

Earmarks[edit]

In 2010 Shelby initially opposed^[26] the Republican Party moratorium on earmark funding.

Space[edit]

Shelby has supported development of the Space Launch System (SLS), but disagreed with how funds for the program have been spent.^[27] and favors competition for the strap-on booster design.^[28][29] The SLS earmark has been opposed by fiscal conservative groups, including the Tea Party.^[30][31][32] When President Obama decided to cancel Constellation, the Bush-era NASA program that was to provide America's next manned rocket and instead give NASA a new $6 billion to ramp up a commercial space industry while NASA studies deep-space missions, Shelby ridiculed the plan as a "faith-based initiative".^[33]

Finance[edit]

Both under the Bush Administration, in 2008, and the Obama Administration, beginning in 2009 Shelby took a leading role in the resistance to bailing out the banks and other corporations (such as AIG).^[34]

In 2010, Shelby voted to block three amendments to regulate banks, including an amendment #3812 to S. 3217 to cap ATM fees at $0.50 per transaction, and to bar banks borrowing tax payer money through TARP funds to use those funds for their own benefit.^[35] Sen. Shelby also believes that bank oversight violates the right to privacy and is against the Government Office of Financial Research being able to collect any financial data it needs to regulate the bank industry.^[36]

In 2011 Shelby opposed the nomination of Nobel Economics Prize laureate and Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Peter Diamond to serve on the board of the Federal Reserve, on the grounds that professor Diamond "lacked the necessary qualifications".^[37] Since becoming Senate Banking Chairman Shelby has made "regulatory relief and financial regulation reform his top priority".^[38] In May 2015 he revealed the so-called "Shelby Bill", easing regulatory restrictions on smaller banks and increasing scrutiny of the Federal Reserve.^[38]

Abortion[edit]

He is Pro-life and against abortion.^[39]

Taxes[edit]

He has been a staunch advocate of a flat tax and of the Bush Administration's tax cuts.^[40] He cites disagreements with the Democrats on tax policy as one of the main reasons he became a Republican; he feels the Democrats are too willing to enact tax increases.^[41]

Shelby is a signer of Americans for Tax Reform’s Taxpayer Protection Pledge.^[42]

Health care[edit]

Shelby opposed President Barack Obama's health reform legislation; he voted against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in December 2009,^[43] and he voted against the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.^[44]

Following Senator Ted Cruz's 21-hour speech opposing the Affordable Care Act, Shelby joined Cruz and 17 other Senators in a failed vote against cloture on a comprehensive government funding bill that would have also continued funding healthcare reform.^[45]

Shelby won the 2012 American Association for Cancer Research Distinguished Service Award for his commitment to biomedical research to defeat cancer.^{[46][relevant? – discuss]}

Other[edit]

Among the bills sponsored by Shelby over the years have been bills to make English the sole language of the federal government,^[47] to limit federal government spending by statute,^[48] and to provide a moratorium on certain forms of immigration,^[49] and the Federal Marriage Amendment.^[50]

In 1999, Shelby was one of ten Republican senators to vote for the acquittal of President Bill Clinton on the charge of perjury when Clinton was tried in the Senate in 1999, although he voted for Clinton's conviction on the charge of obstruction of justice.^[51]

Shelby opposed the initial bailout proposal to extend billions of dollars in loan money to the Big Three US Auto Manufacturers.^[52] He is often seen as a front man for the GOP Senate opposition. In late 2008, he opposed a Federal government bridge loan for US-owned auto companies, saying: "We don't need government—governmental subsidies for manufacturing in this country. It's the French model, it's the wrong road. We will pay for it. The average American taxpayer is going to pay dearly for this, if I'm not wrong."^[53]

Group ratings (108th Congress)[edit]

See current Lawmaker Ratings at The Hill

• National Journal
  • Economic: 42% Liberal, 57% Conservative
  • Social: 16% Liberal, 81% Conservative
  • Foreign: 0% Liberal, 67% Conservative
• Americans for Democratic Action: 15
• Human Rights Campaign: 20
• American Civil Liberties Union: 0
• Chamber of Commerce of the United States: 86
• Christian Coalition: 100
• League of Conservation Voters: 0
• American Conservative Union: 88
• National Taxpayers Union: 74

Committee assignments[edit]

• Senate Committee on Appropriations^[54]
  • Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and Science (Chairman)^[54]
  • Subcommittee on Defense^[54]
  • Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development^[54]
  • Subcommittee on Homeland Security^[54]
  • Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education & Related Agencies^[54]
  • Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies^[54]
• Senate Committee on Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs (Chairman)^[54]
  • As chair of the full committee, Sen. Shelby may sit as an ex officio member of all subcommittees.
• Senate Committee on Rules and Administration^[54]

Buildings named after him[edit]

• The Shelby Hall Research Center at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, named for Senator Shelby and his wife, a professor emerita at that university. The 200,000 square feet (19,000 m²) new center opened in 2007 and combines mathematics, chemistry and biology research in one building.^[55]
• The Richard C. and Annette N. Shelby Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research Building at the University of Alabama at Birmingham opened in April 2006. The 12 story building cost $70 million and is 310,000 square feet (29,000 m²).^[56]
• The Senator Richard C. and Dr. Annette N. Shelby Center for Engineering Technology, part of the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering at Auburn University, was dedicated on April 18, 2008. Shelby helped secure $30 million of the $54 million cost of Phase I of the project.^[57]
• In Mobile, Alabama, Shelby Hall houses the University of South Alabama College of Engineering and School of Computer and Information Sciences. The 155,000 square feet (14,400 m²) facility was named after Senator Richard C. and Dr. Annette N. Shelby for their commitment to higher education in the state of Alabama. Senator Shelby was instrumental for securing $40 million in Federal grants to fund the $50 million project.^[58] The building was dedicated on Sunday, September 9, 2012.^[59]
• The 207,000-square-foot Shelby Center for Science and Technology was dedicated at the University of Alabama in Huntsville in October, 2007.^[60] The $60 million facility is named for Sen. Richard Shelby.^[61] It includes 18 teaching laboratories, 13 classrooms, 15 research laboratories, two teaching auditoriums, and 146 offices.^[62]

Electoral history[edit]

Alabama's 7th congressional district, 1978:^[63]

• Richard Shelby, Democrat – 77,742 (94%)
• Fulton Gray, Conservative – 3,285 (4%)
• Jim Scruggs, Republican – 1,841 (2%)

Alabama's 7th congressional district, 1980:^[64]

• Richard Shelby (inc.), Democrat – 122,505 (73%)
• James E. "Jim" Bacon, Republican – 43,320 (26%)
• Joe Walker, Libertarian – 2,132 (1%)
• Mary Owensby, Statesman – 847 (<1%)

Alabama's 7th congressional district, 1982:^[65]

• Richard Shelby (inc.), Democrat – 124,070 (97%)
• James Jones, Libertarian – 4,058 (3%)
• Write-in candidates – 11 (0%)

Alabama's 7th congressional district, 1984:^[66]

• Richard Shelby (inc.), Democrat – 135,834 (97%)
• Charles "Chuck" Ewing, Libertarian – 4,498 (3%)

United States Senate election in Alabama, 1986:^[67]

• Richard Shelby, Democrat – 609,360 (50.2%)
• Jeremiah Denton (inc.), Republican – 602,537 (49.7%)

United States Senate election in Alabama, 1992:^[68]

• Richard Shelby (inc.), Democrat – 1,022,698 (65%)
• Richard Sellers, Republican – 522,015 (33%)
• Jerome Shockley, Libertarian – 31,811 (2%)
• Write-in candidates – 1,275 (0%)

United States Senate election in Alabama, 1998:^[69]

• Richard Shelby (inc.), Republican – 817,973 (63%)
• Clayton Suddith, Democrat – 474,568 (37%)
• Write-in candidates – 864 (0%)

United States Senate election in Alabama, 2004:^[70]

• Richard Shelby (inc.), Republican – 1,242,200 (68%)
• Wayne Sowell, Democrat – 595,018 (32%)
• Write-in candidates – 1848 (0%)

United States Senate election in Alabama, 2010:

• Richard Shelby (inc.) – 967,861 (65%)
• William G. Barnes – 515,049 (35%)

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

Further reading[edit]

• Bamford, James (2004). A Pretext for War: 9/11, Iraq, and the Abuse of America's Intelligence Agencies. New York: Doubleday. pp. 127–131. ISBN 0-385-50672-4. 

External links[edit]

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Profile at Project Vote Smart
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Legislation sponsored at The Library of Congress
• Collected news and commentary from Politico
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• Senator Richard Shelby official U.S. Senate site
• Richard Shelby for Senate
• Richard Shelby at DMOZ

United States House of Representatives
Preceded by Walter Flowers	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Alabama's 7th congressional district 1979–1987	Succeeded by Claude Harris
Party political offices
Preceded by Jim Folsom	Democratic nominee for U.S. Senator from Alabama (Class 3) 1986, 1992	Succeeded by Clayton Suddith
Preceded by Richard Sellers	Republican nominee for U.S. Senator from Alabama (Class 3) 1998, 2004, 2010, 2016	Most recent
United States Senate
Preceded by Jeremiah Denton	U.S. Senator (Class 3) from Alabama 1987–present Served alongside: Howell Heflin, Jeff Sessions	Incumbent
Preceded by Arlen Specter	Chairperson of the Senate Intelligence Committee 1997–2001	Succeeded by Bob Graham
Preceded by Bob Graham	Chairperson of the Senate Intelligence Committee 2001
Preceded by Paul Sarbanes	Chairperson of the Senate Banking Committee 2003–2007	Succeeded by Chris Dodd
Preceded by Tim Johnson	Chairperson of the Senate Banking Committee 2015–present	Incumbent
United States order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by Barbara Mikulski	United States Senators by seniority 7th	Succeeded by John McCain

Current statewide political officials of Alabama U.S. Senators Richard Shelby Jeff Sessions State government Robert J. Bentley, Governor Kay Ivey, Lieutenant Governor Luther Strange, Attorney General John Merrill, Secretary of State Young Boozer, Treasurer Jim Zeigler, Auditor John McMillan, Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries Senate Kay Ivey, President Del Marsh, President Pro Tempore of the Senate Greg Reed, Majority Leader Quinton Ross, Minority Leader House Mike Hubbard, Speaker Victor Gaston, Speaker Pro Tempore Micky Hammon, Majority Leader Craig Ford, Minority Leader Supreme Court Chuck Malone, Chief Justice James Allen Main Thomas A. Woodall Lyn Stuart Kelli Wise Michael F. Bolin Tom Parker Glenn Murdock Greg Shaw

Alabama's current delegation to the United States Congress Senators Richard Shelby (R) Jeff Sessions (R) Representatives (ordered by district) Bradley Byrne (R) Martha Roby (R) Mike D. Rogers (R) Robert Aderholt (R) Mo Brooks (R) Gary Palmer (R) Terri Sewell (D) Other states' delegations Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Non‑voting: American Samoa District of Columbia Guam Northern Mariana Islands Puerto Rico U.S. Virgin Islands

Current United States Senators President: Biden (D) President Pro Tem: Hatch (R)     AL:    Shelby (R)    Sessions (R) AK:    Murkowski (R)    Sullivan (R) AZ:    McCain (R)    Flake (R) AR:    Boozman (R)    Cotton (R) CA:    Feinstein (D)    Boxer (D) CO:    Bennet (D)    Gardner (R) CT:    Blumenthal (D)    Murphy (D) DE:    Carper (D)    Coons (D) FL:    Nelson (D)    Rubio (R) GA:    Isakson (R)    Perdue (R) HI:    Schatz (D)    Hirono (D) ID:    Crapo (R)    Risch (R) IL:    Durbin (D)    Kirk (R) IN:    Coats (R)    Donnelly (D) IA:    Grassley (R)    Ernst (R) KS:    Roberts (R)    Moran (R) KY:    McConnell (R)    Paul (R) LA:    Vitter (R)    Cassidy (R) ME:    Collins (R)    King (I) MD:    Mikulski (D)    Cardin (D) MA:    Warren (D)    Markey (D) MI:    Stabenow (D)    Peters (D) MN:    Klobuchar (D)    Franken (D) MS:    Cochran (R)    Wicker (R) MO:    McCaskill (D)    Blunt (R) MT:    Tester (D)    Daines (R) NE:    Fischer (R)    Sasse (R) NV:    Reid (D)    Heller (R) NH:    Shaheen (D)    Ayotte (R) NJ:    Menendez (D)    Booker (D) NM:    Udall (D)    Heinrich (D) NY:    Schumer (D)    Gillibrand (D) NC:    Burr (R)    Tillis (R) ND:    Hoeven (R)    Heitkamp (D) OH:    Brown (D)    Portman (R) OK:    Inhofe (R)    Lankford (R) OR:    Wyden (D)    Merkley (D) PA:    Casey (D)    Toomey (R) RI:    Reed (D)    Whitehouse (D) SC:    Graham (R)    Scott (R) SD:    Thune (R)    Rounds (R) TN:    Alexander (R)    Corker (R) TX:    Cornyn (R)    Cruz (R) UT:    Hatch (R)    Lee (R) VT:    Leahy (D)    Sanders (I) VA:    Warner (D)    Kaine (D) WA:    Murray (D)    Cantwell (D) WV:    Manchin (D)    Capito (R) WI:    Johnson (R)    Baldwin (D) WY:    Enzi (R)    Barrasso (R)    Republican (54)    Democratic (44)    Independent (2)

Chairmen and Ranking Members of United States Senate committees Chairmen (Republican) Ranking Members (Democratic) Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry: Pat Roberts Appropriations: Thad Cochran Armed Services: John McCain Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Richard Shelby Budget: Mike Enzi Commerce, Science, and Transportation: John Thune Energy and Natural Resources: Lisa Murkowski Environment and Public Works: Jim Inhofe Finance: Orrin Hatch Foreign Relations: Bob Corker Health, Education, Labor and Pensions: Lamar Alexander Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs: Ron Johnson Indian Affairs: John Barrasso Judiciary: Chuck Grassley Rules and Administration: Roy Blunt Small Business and Entrepreneurship: David Vitter Veterans' Affairs: Johnny Isakson Ethics (Select): Johnny Isakson Intelligence (Select): Richard Burr Aging (Special): Susan Collins Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry: Debbie Stabenow Appropriations: Barbara Mikulski Armed Services: Jack Reed Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Sherrod Brown Budget: Bernie Sanders Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Bill Nelson Energy and Natural Resources: Maria Cantwell Environment and Public Works: Barbara Boxer Finance: Ron Wyden Foreign Relations: Ben Cardin Health, Education, Labor and Pensions: Patty Murray Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs: Tom Carper Indian Affairs: Jon Tester Judiciary: Patrick Leahy Rules and Administration: Chuck Schumer Small Business and Entrepreneurship: Jeanne Shaheen Veterans' Affairs: Richard Blumenthal Ethics (Select): Barbara Boxer Intelligence (Select): Dianne Feinstein Aging (Special): Claire McCaskill

Chairmen of the United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Banking and Currency (1913–1970) Owen McLean Norbeck Fletcher Wagner Tobey Maybank Capehart Fulbright Robertson Sparkman Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs (1970–) Sparkman Proxmire Garn Proxmire Riegle D'Amato Gramm Sarbanes Gramm Sarbanes Shelby Dodd Johnson Shelby

Chairmen of the United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Inouye Bayh Goldwater Durenberger Boren DeConcini Specter Shelby Graham Shelby Graham Roberts Rockefeller Feinstein Burr

United States Senators from Alabama Class 2 King Lewis Fitzpatrick Clemens C. Claiborne Clay Warner Goldthwaite Morgan Bankhead, Sr. Comer J. Heflin Bankhead, Jr. Swift Sparkman H. Heflin Sessions Class 3 Walker Kelly Chambers Pickens McKinley Moore McKinley C. Comer Clay Bagby King Fitzpatrick Spencer Houston Pryor Pugh Pettus Johnston White Underwood Black Graves Hill J. Allen M. Allen Stewart Denton Shelby

Alabama's delegation(s) to the 96th–114th United States Congresses (ordered by seniority)
96th	Senate: D. Stewart • H. Heflin	House: J. Buchanan • W. Dickinson • J. Edwards • T. Bevill • W. Nichols • R. Flippo • R. Shelby
97th	Senate: H. Heflin • J. Denton	House: W. Dickinson • J. Edwards • T. Bevill • W. Nichols • R. Flippo • R. Shelby • A. Smith
98th	Senate: H. Heflin • J. Denton	House: W. Dickinson • J. Edwards • T. Bevill • W. Nichols • R. Flippo • R. Shelby • B. Erdreich
99th	Senate: H. Heflin • J. Denton	House: W. Dickinson • T. Bevill • W. Nichols • R. Flippo • R. Shelby • B. Erdreich • S. Callahan
100th	Senate: H. Heflin • R. Shelby	House: W. Dickinson • T. Bevill • W. Nichols • R. Flippo • B. Erdreich • S. Callahan • C. Harris
101st	Senate: H. Heflin • R. Shelby	House: W. Dickinson • T. Bevill • R. Flippo • B. Erdreich • S. Callahan • C. Harris • G. Browder
102nd	Senate: H. Heflin • R. Shelby	House: W. Dickinson • T. Bevill • B. Erdreich • S. Callahan • C. Harris • G. Browder • R. Cramer
103rd	Senate: H. Heflin • R. Shelby	House: T. Bevill • S. Callahan • G. Browder • R. Cramer • S. Bachus • T. Everett • E. Hilliard
104th	Senate: H. Heflin • R. Shelby	House: T. Bevill • S. Callahan • G. Browder • R. Cramer • S. Bachus • T. Everett • E. Hilliard
105th	Senate: R. Shelby • J. Sessions	House: S. Callahan • R. Cramer • S. Bachus • T. Everett • E. Hilliard • R. Aderholt • R. Riley
106th	Senate: R. Shelby • J. Sessions	House: S. Callahan • R. Cramer • S. Bachus • T. Everett • E. Hilliard • R. Aderholt • R. Riley
107th	Senate: R. Shelby • J. Sessions	House: S. Callahan • R. Cramer • S. Bachus • T. Everett • E. Hilliard • R. Aderholt • R. Riley
108th	Senate: R. Shelby • J. Sessions	House: R. Cramer • S. Bachus • T. Everett • R. Aderholt • J. Bonner • A. Davis • M. Rogers
109th	Senate: R. Shelby • J. Sessions	House: R. Cramer • S. Bachus • T. Everett • R. Aderholt • J. Bonner • A. Davis • M. Rogers
110th	Senate: R. Shelby • J. Sessions	House: R. Cramer • S. Bachus • T. Everett • R. Aderholt • J. Bonner • A. Davis • M. Rogers
111th	Senate: R. Shelby • J. Sessions	House: S. Bachus • R. Aderholt • J. Bonner • A. Davis • M. Rogers • B. Bright • P. Griffith
112th	Senate: R. Shelby • J. Sessions	House: S. Bachus • R. Aderholt • J. Bonner • M. Rogers • M. Brooks • M. Roby • T. Sewell
113th	Senate: R. Shelby • J. Sessions	House: S. Bachus • R. Aderholt • J. Bonner (until Aug. 2013) • M. Rogers • M. Brooks • M. Roby • T. Sewell • B. Byrne (from Dec. 2013)
114th	Senate: R. Shelby • J. Sessions	House: R. Aderholt • M. Rogers • M. Brooks • M. Roby • T. Sewell • B. Byrne • G. Palmer