Rainsville Republican Nathaniel Ledbetter is expected to be elected as the next Speaker of the House in the Republican-dominated Alabama House of Representatives. On Wednesday, Ledbetter announced his first picks for Committee chairs.
The Alabama House Republican Caucus has already chosen Ledbetter as their Speaker-designate but can’t formally elect a Speaker until the full House gavels in for an organizational session in January. Since Republicans occupy 77 of the 105 seats in the Alabama House of Representatives, it is a foregone conclusion that the party’s pick will be the next Speaker. Under the rules of the Alabama House of Representatives, the Speaker picks the committee chairs – normally from his or her own party.
“I am confident that each of these members will serve our state well and invite new ideas and fresh perspectives to the committees they chair,” Ledbetter said in a statement. “All of them possess unique skills, talents, experiences, and abilities that make them uniquely qualified to chair the committees they will be assigned to lead.”
The powerful House Rules Committee sets the proposed special order calendar for legislation that the body is to consider. Chairman Mike Jones did not return to the legislature. Ledbetter has chosen Rep. Joe Lovvorn to chair the Rules Committee. He is a retired firefighter and currently works as a realtor and small business owner. Lovvorn previously served as chair of the House Technology and Research Committee, which means that Ledbetter will be appointing a new chair for that committee as well.
State Rep. Rex Reynolds will be the new Chairman of the House Ways and Means General Fund Committee. Former Chairman Steve Clouse has returned to the House, but he challenged Ledbetter for the open Speaker position when outgoing Speaker of the House Mac McCutcheon announced his retirement. Reynolds is retired law enforcement. He is the former Police Chief of Huntsville.
State Rep. Danny Garrett will be returning as the House Ways and Means Education Budget Committee Chairman. Garret is a former CFO of two different publicly traded manufacturing companies and is a former Trussville Board of Education member.
State Rep. Jim Hill will be returning as Chairman of the powerful House Judiciary Committee. Hill is a retired St. Clair County Judge. He works for the Moody-based law firm Hill, Gossett, Kemp & Hufford.
Committee Chairs are very powerful because they set the agendas for what bills will and will not be considered in their committees and when. In the case of the Education and General Fund budget committees, the chairs have enormous influence over the budgets that pass out of their committees.
Rep. Chris Pringle has been chosen by the House Republican Caucus as their designee to fill the role of Speaker Pro Tem, replacing Rep. Victor Gaston, who also did not seek re-election.
Scott Stadthagen is replacing Ledbetter as House Majority Leader. The House Democratic Caucus has already elected Rep. Anthony Daniels to return as House Minority Leader.
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