Speaker of the House Mac McCutcheon, R-Monrovia, this week appointed state Rep. Danny Garrett, R-Trussville, as the new chairman of the House Ways and Means Education Budget Committee. Garrett currently serves as the vice chair of the committee.
“Since Representative Garrett’s appointment as vice chair of the Ways and Means Education Budget Committee, he has worked closely with Chairman Poole to ensure the education trust fund grew to record levels,” McCutcheon said in a statement. “I am confident that the education budget will continue its success under the leadership of Representative Garrett, and I look forward to working with him in his new role.”
Former Chairman Bill Poole, R-Northport, recently resigned from the Alabama House of Representatives after being appointed state finance director by Gov. Kay Ivey. Garrett has served in the Alabama House since 2014. Garrett said that he plans to build on the recent progress of the education budget.
“It is truly an honor to be appointed chair of the Ways and Means Education Budget Committee and I want to thank Speaker McCutcheon for his confidence in me,” Garrett said. “Over the last few years, it has been a pleasure to serve as Chairman Poole’s vice chair and I enjoyed working through complex issues with him.”
The 2021 education trust fund budget is the largest in the history of the state and will be surpassed by the 2022 education budget that will go into effect on Oct. 1.
“Thanks to conservative budgeting, Alabama is seeing significant improvements in education funding across the state and my top priority is to continue building on the growth we are currently witnessing,” he said.
McCutcheon also elevated Rep. Joe Lovvorn, R-Auburn, as the new vice chairman of the Ways and Means Education Budget Committee.
“During my tenure on the Education Trust Fund, it has been a privilege to work alongside Bill Poole and Danny Garrett,” Lovvorn said. “I know that Danny will chair the committee like a true statesman, and I have every intention to stand firm with him on key issues we undertake. I want to especially thank Speaker McCutcheon for entrusting me with the vice chairmanship as we work to improve education across our state.”
Poole’s departure creates a vacancy on the committee. McCutcheon appointed state Rep. Rodney Sullivan, R-Northport, to fill that vacancy on the committee.
“I’m excited to work with Vice Chair Representative Joe Lovvorn and the other committee members as we continue efforts to provide fiscally sound, responsible, and sustainable budgets to meet the education needs of our state,” Garrett said. “Along with this new responsibility as chair of the Ways and Means Education Committee, I also look forward to continuing to serve the people of House District 44 as I seek re-election in 2022. I will continue to pursue a pro-growth business environment in Alabama and will do all I can to ensure we remain a conservative, pro-family, pro-small business state.”
