MONTGOMERY — The Alabama Senate unanimously elected State Sen. Garlan Gudger (R-Cullman) to be pro-tem on Tuesday.
Senate Republicans nominated Gudger for the role in December.
Former State Sen. Pro-Tem Greg Reed (R-Jasper) resigned effective January 1 to serve as Gov. Kay Ivey’s new Department of Workforce secretary.
In his first floor speech on Tuesday as pro-tem, Gudger listed education, crime reduction and immigration as priorities for the Senate.
“We must ensure that every child in every zip code in every income level has access to quality education that prepares them for a lifetime of good-paying jobs,” Gudger said. “We must allow Alabamians to once again feel safe in their homes and in their communities and our law enforcement officers who wear a badge must all know that we have their backs. We must turn back the flood of illegal immigration that erases our borders, strains our cities, and drains our resources.”
Gudger told reporters on Tuesday that interest in pursuing another lottery and gambling package this session was “50/50.” A gambling and lottery constitutional amendment fell one vote short of passing the Senate in 2024 after passing the House.
“There hasn’t been a bill filed. I’m pretty sure it didn’t get filed today. If there was one, I have not heard about it. If that bill does get filed, it will be very noticeable, very quick. Until there is a bill filed, I have not seen a bill. Right now, people are talking about it but I haven’t seen anything and the devil is in the details as you well know. As soon as that bill gets filed, I’ll be all over it. Until then, there’s nothing to really talk about there,” Gudger said.
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