During an interview with Mobile radio's FM Talk 106.5, State Senate Pro-Tem Garlan Gudger (R-Cullman) discussed a possible rules change in the Alabama State Senate for the 2026 legislative session after a number of bills stalled out in the 2025 session due to filibustering.
"It's in the periphery. We're looking at it, and people are talking about it on the floor," Gudger told "The Jeff Poor Show." "They have not brought me a final legislation package of it yet, but it's not going to be happening this week, that's for sure."
According to Gudger, a change is likely, but it comes down to a "timing issue."
"If it comes up in the next few weeks, then that's something that we'll be really focusing on and getting passed at the right time," Gudger said. "It's all a timing issue up here. It's all relationships in the State House and making sure that we're doing it at the right time. I do think that there's something on the rules will probably change this session, trying to figure out if when is the right time for us to be able to do that, and then at the same time, I've still got to look at them and try to see what all they say before they're put on to the committee and to the floor."
Gudger explained the process for implementing a rules change if it has not been approved on the Senate floor, noting that the chamber could enact it in 2027.
"Anytime there's a rule change, it has to go to the floor and has to be approved by the body and be voted on," Gudger stated. "If we don't do it on the floor, then we go to the organizational meeting, which is pretty much the first meeting of the next quadrennium after everyone is elected. After the general election, usually in January. That would be in 2027, and during that time, if we wanted to change the rules, the Republican caucus at that time can say, 'Hey, we want to change the rules, we still have to get those adopted in front of the full body when we come back."
"The question that we have, if we know we're going to do that, one is, why not go ahead and try to change some of those rules and go ahead and put them on the floor now," continued Gudger. "So we're thinking about doing that. Again, it's a timing issue. We can wait if there's depends on there's different people. And the reason the waiting is happening is there are different rules that different people want to change. There are certain rules that they don't want to change. And so we're having our own inner battle of, kind of, how do we handle this? Do we change this? Do we not?"
He added, "Again, we want to make sure that the Alabama State Senate is as strong as possible, number one, as efficient as possible, and as transparent as we do it. So this is going to be helping do that."
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email [email protected].
Don't miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every day.
