By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
SPRINGVILLE–Alabama State Representative Jim McClendon announced on Monday that he is seeking election to the Alabama Senate in the 2014. Rep. McClendon is running in Alabama Senate District 11, which consists of parts of St. Clair, Talladega, and Shelby Counties.
Rep. McClendon told ‘The Alabama Political Reporter’ that he is running on the strength of his legislative experience. Rep. McClendon is currently in his third term in the Alabama House of Representatives.
Rep. McClendon’s many legislative accomplishments include: an instrumental role in passing Alabama’s Medicaid reform bill, sponsoring the legislation that will put tablets in the hands of Alabama school children, sponsoring Alabama’s law against texting while driving, and legislation which fights prescription drug abuse. McClendon was also the Chairman of the Ethics Committee during the historic 2010 special session that passed a ban on PAC to PAC transfers as parts of comprehensive ethics reform.
Rep. McClendon serves as Chairman of the House Health Committee, the Permanent Legislative Committee on Reapportionment, the Government Relations Subcommittee of the Standing Committee on State Government, the Hospital Committee of the State Health Coordinating Council, and the Health Insurance Exchange Study Commission. McClendon also played a leadership role in the House Republican Caucus which helped engineer the election of the first Republican legislative majority in over 130 years.
Rep. McClendon is a retired optometrist and is the past president of the Alabama Optometric Association. He has also taught clinical optometry at UAB. He is married to the former El Tate of Arab. They live on his family farm in St. Clair Springs.
Dr. McClendon graduated from Birmingham Southern College and he has a doctorate from the University of Houston.
McClendon is a veteran and served in the Navy Medical Service Corps in Vietnam. Dr. McClendon owned his own private practice in Leeds and Moody. McClendon is also a founding director of the Davis Lake Fire Department. Rep. McClendon attends First United Methodist Church of Springville where he serves on several committees.
The reapportioned Senate District 11 includes: Springville, Argo, Margaret, Moody, Leeds, Cropwell, Talladega, Cook Springs, Pell City, Sylacauga, Columbiana, Wilsonville, and Alabaster Hash tags: Rep. Jim McClendon, Chairman, House Health Committee, Redistricting, Senate District 11, Ethics Committee.
