Kerry Rich

Kerry Galen Rich (born 1951)^[1] is a radio station owner from Albertville, Alabama, who has since 2014 represented District 26 in the Alabama House of Representatives. A Republican, his district encompasses DeKalb and Marshall counties in the northeastern portion of his state. Earlier from 1974 to 1978 under Democratic  Governor George Wallace and 1990 to 1994 under Governors H. Guy Hunt and James E. Folsom, Jr., Rich served two nonconsecutive in the state House. From 1996 to 1998, he was the legislative director for Republican Governor Fob James.

Rich graduated from Southside High School in Southside, near Gadsden, Alabama, and attended Gadsden State Community College and the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa. He is the manager of FM Christian station WJIA 88.5 in Guntersville in Marshall County, and he formerly owned and operated other radio stations in Alabama and in Somerset, Kentucky.^[2] He was formerly the president of the Alabama Broadcasters Association. He is a member of both the Rotary and Kiwanis clubs and the Hewett Memorial United Methodist Church in Albertville, at which he works in the jail ministry team.^[1] 

In 2010, Rich sought his third nonconsecutive term in the Alabama House when the Democratic incumbent in District 26, Frank McDaniel, did not seek reelection. In the Republican runoff primary, Rich defeated intra-party rival Tim Bollinger,  2,597 (52 percent) to 2,394 (48 percent) He then won the general election over the Democrat Randall White, 7,203 (59.6 percent) to 4,873 (40.4 percent).^[3] 

Rich is the chairman of the House Insurance Committee and also serves on the Ethics and Campaign Finance Committee.^[1] In 2013, he voted to establish requirements for medical care at abortuaries in Alabama. The next year he voted to prohibit abortion after the detection of the heartbeat of the unborn child. In 2014, Rich voted for the display of the Ten Commandments on state property, a measure which passed, 77-19. He voted to require drug testing for certain recipients of the public welfare program. In 2015, he backed legislation affirming the use of electrocution in executions. He voted to establish public charter schools in Alabama, a measure which passed the House, 58-41. He voted to permit the home schooled to participate in public school athletic events, a measured approved by the full House, 52-43. He voted to increase the  cigarette tax, which passed the House, 52-46.^[4] 

In 2016, Rich supported legislation to forbid the sale of fetal tissue or to permit its use in research, and he opposed dilation abortions in Alabama. He voted for additional funding for new prison facilities, a measure which passed the House, 52-33. In 2017, he voted to authorize midwives to practice in his state, a measure which won House approval, 84-11. He voted to reduce the time for appeals from inmates on death row. He voted to prohibit alteration or removal of historic monuments, which passed 72-29. Rich voted to prohibit judicial override of sentencing guidelines, which passed the House, 78-19.^[4]

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