MONTGOMERY, Ala. – 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 that also changed the highest American peak’s name from Mount Denali back to Mount McKinley.
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.
Standridge said that earning final passage means a lot to him personally.
“Especially with everything that’s going on in the Legislature, it means a lot to get it done and finish it. And so I’m pleased about that, and I think it’s just a good patriotic move for our state,” he said.
Senate leadership did not afford Democrats the opportunity to discuss the bill during floor debate. Republicans filed cloture motions and dominated the discussions on bills throughout the day.
Before it made it to the Senate, Democrats opposed the bill on the House floor. They disagreed that the Legislature should spend its time renaming a body of water and calling it unnecessary. Others argued that the state should respect the centuries of history of Gulf of Mexico’s name.
“I arise to say how ludicrous this is,” Rep. Thomas Jackson, D-Thomasville, said on the House floor in late February. “Like one of my colleagues said, the next president would probably change (the name) back.”
The Senate passed the bill by a vote of 26-5. The no votes were all from Democrats.
The name change now heads to Gov. Kay Ivey’s desk. There are three days remaining in the 2026 legislative session.