Senate Could See Rule Changes!

Alabama State Senate Pro Tem Garlan Gudger (R-Cullman) is hinting at potential rule tweaks for the next session! Why? Turns out, a bunch of lawmakers were bummed when their local bills got stuck in the Senate, missing the deadline on the last day.

Local Bills Held Hostage?

Gudger told reporters he wants to ensure local legislation gets the priority it deserves. "We didn’t get all the local legislation passed, and that was a priority for me," he admitted. He's considering changes to prevent one person from single-handedly blocking everyone else's local bills. It sounds like a filibuster fix might be in the works.

Relax, Then Revamp

Before diving into the nitty-gritty, Gudger plans to de-stress with some golf. Smart move! Then, it's straight into leadership meetings to figure out if rule adjustments are needed to make the Senate function smoother for everyone. "We’re gonna start having leadership meetings immediately," he stated, "figuring out if there’s gonna be any rule changes."

Balancing Act

Gudger also touched on fairness. "You heard some people tonight saying they didn’t treat them fairly tonight," he noted, emphasizing the need to look at the whole session, not just one night.

Happy Overall

Despite some first-term challenges, Gudger is pumped about what the Senate accomplished this year. "I've been excited about this whole session," he shared, emphasizing the short runway he had upon becoming Pro Tem. Cannonball indeed! He's proud of the bi-partisan effort and the Senate's overall performance.