State Rep. Nathaniel Ledbetter, who is in line to become the next speaker of the Alabama House early next year, has announced key committee appointments for the next legislative term.
The House Republican caucus, which holds 77 of the 105 seats in the House, picked Ledbetter as its nominee for speaker in November. The full membership of the House, including the 28 Democratic representatives, will officially elect the speaker at the Legislature’s organizational session, which starts Jan. 10. If that goes as expected, Ledbetter, who is from Rainsville, will replace Speaker Mac McCutcheon, R-Monrovia, who is retiring.
The GOP caucus announced the latest appointments.
Ledbetter picked Rep. Rex Reynolds, R-Huntsville, as the chairman of the Ways & Means General Fund Committee, a position held by Rep. Steve Clouse, R-Ozark, for nine years. Clouse was Ledbetter’s opponent in the race for speaker.
Reynolds is a former police chief, public safety director, and city administrator for the city of Huntsville, where he had a 35-year career. Reynolds was elected to his second term in the House in November.
Rep. Joe Lovvorn, R-Auburn, will serve as chairman of the Rules Committee, the panel that picks what bills the House will consider on legislative meeting days. Lovvorn replaces Rep. Mike Jones, R-Andalusia, who did not seek reelection but made an unsuccessful run for the state Senate. Lovvorn is a retired firefighter and a realtor and was elected to the House during a special election in 2016.
Ledbetter announced that two other committee chairs will keep their positions. Ledbetter picked Rep. Danny Garrett, R-Trussville, to remain chair of the Ways & Means Education Committee. Rep. Jim Hill, R-Moody, will remain chair of the Judiciary Committee.
Garrett was elected to the House in 2014 after a career in the steel, rail, and bus manufacturing industries. Garrett served as chief financial officer for two public corporations and a family-owned business. He is a former vice president of the Trussville City Schools Board of Education. Garrett has chaired the Ways & Means Education Committee since August 2021, when he replaced Rep. Bill Poole, who left the spot to accept an appointment in Gov. Kay Ivey’s cabinet as state finance director.
Hill was a district judge and circuit judge for two decades in St. Clair County before retiring from the bench in 2013. He was elected to the House in 2014 and has served as chair of the Judiciary Committee since 2017.
“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 the press release. “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.”
