MONTGOMERY, Ala. – House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter has reappointed Rep. Rex Reynolds, R-Huntsville, to serve as chair of the House Ways and Means General Fund Committee.
Reynolds will lead the committee tasked with developing a budget for the state’s expenses and services outside of public education. He has held the powerful budget chair role since 2023, leading the committee through four budget cycles.
“Managing the General Fund is one of the most difficult jobs in state government, and there is no individual better suited to get the job done than Chairman Rex Reynolds,” Ledbetter said. “He understands what it takes to balance competing priorities, make responsible financial decisions, and ensure taxpayer dollars are being put to work where they can make the greatest difference. But beyond that, Chairman Reynolds realizes that the General Fund should be viewed as a mechanism to not only ensure Alabama remains strong in the present but is also prepared to stand up to the challenges of tomorrow.”
Reynolds and the other budget chairs have been warned by state financial leaders that the coming budget years could pose serious challenges for the state, as COVID-era money runs out and interest on state accounts dries up.
Legislative leadership has not yet appointed the other three budget chairs, but at least one new lawmaker will hold the role after Senate General Fund Budget Chair Greg Albritton, R-Range, was defeated in the Republican primary this summer.
Reynolds, who served as chief of the Huntsville Police Department and as a Huntsville city administrator before his tenure in the House, called serving as the General Fund budget chair “an honor and a tremendous responsibility.”
“The decisions made in our committee quite literally shape the future of Alabama’s fiscal stability, and we appropriate every dollar with that reality in mind. Over the last four years, I have been proud to leverage our limited resources to support law enforcement, expand mental health services, and fund government in a way that maintains all essential services without going in debt to do so. I appreciate Speaker Ledbetter’s vote of confidence in me to lead this committee and look forward to passing another strong, fiscally conservative budget in the upcoming session.”
Session begins on Feb. 2, 2027. The General Fund budget will begin in the House, and the Education Trust Fund budget will begin in the Senate this session.