Representative Terri Collins

Terri Doyle Collins is a Republican state representative from Alabama who was born on May 6, 1958, in Birmingham, Alabama. She was raised in Birmingham and moved to Decatur with her husband, Tom Collins. Before entering public office, Collins spent 16 years working as a banking executive in Decatur.

Education

Collins earned a Marketing degree from The University of Alabama.

Political Experience

Collins represented House District 8, which covers west and northwest Morgan County. She was first elected to the Alabama House of Representatives in 2010 and served four terms before announcing her retirement from the state house in January 2026, ending a 16-year career in public office.

During her tenure, Collins held significant leadership positions, including chairing the House Education Policy Committee and serving on the Education Ways and Means Committee. Her legislative work focused on education and family policy:

• Alabama Literacy Act: Sponsored legislation that expanded reading instruction, funded literacy coaches, and tied third-grade promotion to reading proficiency. State officials have reported improvements in early literacy outcomes since its passage and implementation.

• Human Life Protection Act: Sponsored the 2019 law creating one of the most restrictive abortion bans in the nation, which made performing an abortion a felony in most circumstances. The law took effect after Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, effectively banning abortion in Alabama except in narrow medical emergencies.

• IVF Protection Legislation: In 2024, sponsored legislation granting civil and criminal immunity to in-vitro fertilization providers and patients following a state Supreme Court ruling that classified frozen embryos as legal persons.