State Rep. Danny Garrett (R-Trussville) has long been regarded as one of the Alabama legislature’s financial wizards, and now the Trussville resident will get to lead the appropriations process for the state’s largest pot of money.
Named chairman of the House Ways and Means Education Committee on Tuesday, Garrett brings decades of experience as a chief financial officer in private sector companies, including Birmingham Steel, Nabi, Progress Rail, Summit Products and Vulcan Steel Products.
As chairman of the powerful committee, Garrett will be in charge of the $7.7 billion education budget for his chamber.
Garrett reacted in a statement to his having been chosen for the influential post.
“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,” he stated. “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.”
Garrett continued, “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.”
“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,” he added.
Garrett was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2014, decisively winning his Republican primary and a non-contested general election. He was reelected without opposition in 2018.
He has previously served as a House Majority Whip.
Garrett replaces former State Rep. Bill Poole (R-Tuscaloosa), who was recently named Finance Director by Gov. Kay Ivey.
Tim Howe is an owner of Yellowhammer Multimedia
