Laura Vandiver Hall (born January 25, 1943) is an American politician who currently serves in the

Alabama House of Representatives The Alabama House of Representatives is the lower house of the Alabama Legislature, the state legislature (United States), state legislature of state of Alabama. The House is composed of 105 members representing an equal number of districts, with ...

representing House District 19 as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

. Hall was first elected to the

by special election in August 1993. She was re-elected in 1994 until now. She is a retired educator whose tenure in the education field extended for over forty years.

Early life and education

Hall is a native of Pendleton, South Carolina. She received her elementary and secondary education in Pendleton Public Schools System. After graduating from Anderson County Training High School in 1960, she enrolled in

Morris College Morris College (MC) is a private, Baptist historically black college in Sumter, South Carolina. It was founded and is operated by the Baptist Educational and Missionary Convention of South Carolina. History Morris College was founded in 1908 ...

in Sumter, South Carolina, and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology with chemistry as a minor. Further studies earned her a Master of Science degree in science education from

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

and a K-12 administration certification from

Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University (Alabama A&M or AAMU) is a Public University, public Historically black colleges and universities, historically black land-grant university in Normal, Alabama, Normal, Huntsville, Alabama. Founde ...

Legislative career

Hall is the first African American woman elected to represent House District 19, capturing eighty-six (86) percent of the vote. Results from the 1994 election indicated that she captured 88% percent of the votes. During the 1998 election, she ran unopposed. She won the 2002 election and began serving a fifth term. Hall is the vice-chair of the Madison County Legislative Delegation and Ranking Minority Member of both the General Fund Finance and Appropriations and Internal Affairs committees. Hall is Chair of the Alabama Women’s Tribute Statue Commission, created in 2019 to place statues of

Rosa Parks Rosa Louise McCauley Parks (February 4, 1913 – October 24, 2005) was an American civil rights activist. She is best known for her refusal to move from her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama, bus, in defiance of Jim Crow laws, which sparke ...

and

Helen Keller Helen Adams Keller (June 27, 1880 – June 1, 1968) was an American author, disability rights advocate, political activist and lecturer. Born in West Tuscumbia, Alabama, she lost her sight and her hearing after a bout of illness when ...

on the grounds of the Alabama State Capitol. Her sponsored legislation includes:
HB 427
which created a system of “Silver Alerts” for which all missing persons with dementia or Alzheimer's disease are eligible, regardless of age, as well as requiring law enforcement personnel to undergo specialized training regarding such cases.
HB 474
which designated December 1 as

Day in honor of the “First Lady of Civil Rights.”
HB 115
which created a policy by which newborns can be brought to hospitals within 72 hours of birth instead of being abandoned.

Committees

Her committee assignments have included: * Judiciary * Joint Interim on Medicaid * Public Safety * Welfare * Health * Industrial and Economic Development * Joint Budget and Finance * Government Finance and Appropriations * Alabama Monument Protection Hall serves as President of the

National Black Caucus of State Legislators The National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL) is an American political organization composed of African Americans elected to state legislatures in the United States and its territories. Background NBCSL was founded in 1977 after a gro ...

Personal life

Hall was married to the late Dr. John W. Hall. She has two children.

2009 special election

Republican Paul Sanford defeated Hall in the special election to fill the District 7 State Senate Seat vacated earlier this year when the incumbent Parker Griffith was elected to the United States House of Representative representing Alabama's 5th Congressional District. Hall continues to represent District 19 after re-elections in 2010 and 2014.

2018 general election

Hall defeated Samuel Greene in the Alabama House of Representatives District 19 Democratic primary election with 86.04% of the vote.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hall, Laura 1943 births Living people Morris College (South Carolina) alumni Alabama A&M University alumni Women state legislators in Alabama Democratic Party members of the Alabama House of Representatives Ohio State University College of Education and Human Ecology alumni People from Anderson County, South Carolina Politicians from Huntsville, Alabama People from Pendleton, South Carolina Delta Sigma Theta members 21st-century American women politicians African-American state legislators in Alabama 21st-century African-American women politicians 21st-century African-American politicians 20th-century African-American politicians 20th-century African-American women politicians 20th-century American women politicians 21st-century members of the Alabama Legislature 20th-century members of the Alabama Legislature