State Rep. Terri Collins to retire from Alabama House after 16 years

State Rep. Terri Collins (R-Decatur), who was first elected to the Alabama House in 2010, announced on Monday that she will not seek a new term in office during the 2026 election cycle.

“Representing Morgan County for the past 16 years has been the honor of my life, but the time has come to step aside and give someone new an opportunity to lead us forward,” Collins said.

“I will step out of the public spotlight secure in the knowledge that our efforts have ensured unborn life is better protected, public education is greatly improved, and parents have significantly more choice in how their children are taught.”

Collins, who chairs the House Education Policy Committee, was elected in the freshman class that captured Republican control of the Legislature for the first time in 136 years and enjoyed GOP supermajorities in both chambers that continue to exist today.

According to a news release Monday morning, since taking office, Collins has sponsored, carried, and passed several significant pieces of legislation that include:

• The Human Life Protection Act, which prohibits abortions from taking place in Alabama and remains among the nation’s strongest pro-life statutes since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade decision in 2022.
• The Alabama Literacy Act, which requires students to read at grade level before advancing beyond third grade and implemented regular reading assessments for K-3 students, the deployment of expert reading coaches to priority schools, and summer reading camps to help struggling readers get up to speed.
• The School Choice and Student Opportunity Act, which created Alabama’s charter school program and allows every child the chance for a quality education regardless of their economic status, race, or zip code.
• Erin’s Law, which is named after a survivor of child sexual abuse and requires schools to help combat incidents of abuse by providing age-appropriate instruction in grades K – 12. The teaching material includes the difference between safe touches and unsafe touches, the difference between safe secrets and unsafe secrets, and related topics.
• The Alabama College and Career Readiness Act, which makes an indicator — such as scores on standardized tests; completion of dual enrollment courses with a college or university, and career and technical courses or credentials, including apprenticeship programs — a requirement for graduation and also informs students about in-demand jobs.
• The Alabama Rural Hospital Investment Program, which provides a dollar-for-dollar tax credit to individuals and businesses that donate to rural medical centers across the state. Based on a program in Georgia that has generated almost $450 million since its creation, the tax credit serves as an incentive for those willing to invest in rural communities and the healthcare needs of those who reside in them.
• Landmark legislation that protected access to in vitro fertilization procedures by providing IVF clinics across Alabama with “civil and criminal immunity for death or damage to an embryo.” The law was passed in response to a State Supreme Court ruling that prompted clinics across the state to suspend IVF treatments.
• A measure that created an evaluation process for public school performance and assigned an easy-to-understand A through F letter grade to each school so parents and taxpayers could quickly determine if educators and students are meeting goals.
• A bill that has increased tourist spending and strengthened small businesses across the state by empowering local governments to create entertainment districts in which the outdoor consumption of alcohol is allowed within a defined area.
• Legislation allowing Alabamians who are 21 or older to have wine mailed directly to their homes by wine of the month clubs or out-of-state wineries that register with the state’s Alcoholic Beverage Control Board.

Among other signature legislation sponsored or carried by Collins is creation of the Alabama Workforce Council, the Good Samaritan law that provides civil immunity to individuals who voluntarily offer emergency assistance, and a law requiring only gun show organizers to obtain a business license rather than each individual gun show vendor.

Throughout her legislative service, she also secured substantial state funding for local senior centers, schools, parks, Pre-K programs, non-profits, and other services within her legislative district.

Prior to joining the Alabama House, Collins worked for 16 years as a bank executive in Decatur, and she remains deeply involved in her community today through church and bible study activities, volunteer work with various service organizations, and serving on the boards of numerous non-profit agencies and organizations throughout the area.

She credits much of her personal and legislative success to constant support and encouragement from her late husband, Tom, who was an active and beloved figure throughout the Decatur community.