April Weaver

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April Weaver (born April 13, 1971 in Alabaster) is a legal nurse consultant, former regional director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and a state senator for Alabama Senate District 14.

Weaver is the daughter of long-time registrar Pat Clark and step-daughter of Norman Ragland.

Weaver earned her nursing certificate from Kaplan Inc. of Fort Lauderdale, Florida and later completed an associate's degree at Shelton State Community College and a bachelor of science in business administration at the University of Alabama. She began her health care management career at Bibb Medical Center in 1994. In 1999 she was hired as director of public, community & government relations for Brookwood Medical Center and in 2002 took the job of director of operations for Shelby Baptist Medical Center.

While working, Weaver earned a master's in business administration from Independence University of West Haven, Utah, and an executive certificate in energy policy planning from the University of Idaho in Moscow. She is married to Darrell Weaver, an associate medical director for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama and has four children.

Weaver beat out three other candidates for the Republican nomination for Alabama House District 49 in 2010, and was unopposed in the general election. She was re-elected in 2014 and 2018. During her tenure she was the first women appointed to chair the House Health Committee. Governor Kay Ivey appointed her to the Alabama Opioid Overdose and Addiction Council. She is also an alumna of Leadership Shelby County.

On May 12, 2020 Weaver resigned from the House to accept an appointment from President Donald Trump to serve as director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Region IV, based in Atlanta, Georgia. She resigned that office in December 2020.

After Ward resigned from the State Senate to accept the appointment of Director of the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles, Weaver qualified for the 2021 special election for his District 14 seat. She garnered 82% of the vote in the Republican Primary and defeated Democratic candidate Virginia Applebaum by a wide margin in the July 13 general election. She was sworn in the next day. Weaver ran unopposed in the 2022 general election.

In the 2022 Alabama legislative session, Weaver was the sponsor of a proposed "Every Mother Matters Act" which would require women seeking abortion to be familiarized with social services available to new mothers and a bill to remove the "year-and-a-day" limit to prosecuting homicides where the victim's death occurred long after the criminal injury. Both bills died in committee.

In the 2023 Alabama legislative session, Weaver filed "SB-1", the "Deputy Brad Johnson Act", to restrict the amount of "correctional incentive time" by which certain state prisoners could qualify for reduced sentences by demonstrating good behavior. It was enacted as Act of Alabama No. 2023-22.

Preceded by:
Cam Ward
Alabama State House of Representatives District 49
November 3, 2010May 12, 2020
Succeeded by:
Russell Bedsole
Preceded by:
Cam Ward
Alabama State Senate District 14
July 14, 2021
Succeeded by:
current

References

  • Kennedy, Kara (October 13, 2010) "April Weaver is Ready to Serve the People of Alabama's District 49." B-Metro
  • Chapman, Beth (January 17, 2011) "April Weaver: Legislative new kid on the block." Shelby County Reporter
  • "Weaver running for re-election to State House." (March 12, 2018) Shelby County Reporter
  • Cason, Mike (May 12, 2020) "Alabama House member resigns for job with Trump administration." The Birmingham News
  • "April Weaver" (July 29, 2023) Wikipedia - accessed August 3, 2023

External links