Garrett chosen to chair education subcommittee, serve on several others

By Chris Yow
Editor

MONTGOMERY — House of Representatives District 44 representative Danny Garrett (R-Trussville) has been appointed by Speaker of the House Mac McCutcheon to serve on the House of Representative’s Education Policy Committee, where he will also chair the K-12 subcommittee.

Danny Garrett

“I am excited and grateful for this appointment,” Garrett said.

Despite Garrett’s short tenure in legislature, McCutcheon said he was confident in his ability.

“Though he has served in the House for only two years, Rep. Garrett has built a reputation as a lawmaker who studies the issues thoroughly, closely reviews the bills and measures that come before him, and rolls up his sleeves to dig deeply into public policy matters,” McCutcheon said.  “His ability to master complex issues and his desire to provide Alabama’s students and teachers with the best schools possible make him uniquely qualified for a seat on the House Education Policy Committee.”

Garrett will also continue serving on the Education Ways and Means Committee,which appropriates more than $6 billion annually to public schools and education-related agencies.

“This puts me on both sides of the education spectrum. I’ll be dealing with the dollar side on the ways and means, and actual policy as well,” Garrett said. “Those are very prestigious committees and I’m happy to have the opportunity to serve on these committees.”

Garrett was a 5-year member of the Trussville City Schools Board of Education, serving as Vice President at the time of his resignation when he was elected to state office.

“I’ve stayed in close contact with all three schools in the district,” he said. “I think this will help our district.”

Garrett will be a co-sponsor on the bill to require students to pass the U.S. citizenship test prior to graduation.

In addition to those committees, Garrett is serving on two reform task forces. He is serving on the consumer lending task force to help reform the consumer lending laws that have gone unchanged since the 1950s. He is also the co-chair of the budget reform task force, which is charged with reforming the General Fund  budget, as well as the small business and commerce committee.

“We’re looking to prioritize spending and see how we can bring our budget into the 21st Century,” Garrett said.

Garrett said being able to serve on several committees would be beneficial to him and District 44, and he hopes to continue serving.