On Friday, Alabama Rep. Prince Chestnut, D-Selma, received a letter from Gov. Kay Ivey informing him that he would be serving on the House Judiciary Committee, the House Ways and Means Committee on Education and the House Urban and Rural Development Committee, where he will be the Ranking Minority Member.

“It feels good to know that I have the respect and trust of the Speaker (Mac McCutcheon, R-Huntsville) and the chairmen of these committees after serving only one full session in the House,” Chestnut said. “These are all important committees; it is a testament to my work ethic and ability to work well with others that I am afforded these opportunities after being elected in April 2017. There are other members of the House who have served for longer periods of time and do not have this quality of committee appointments.”

On the Ways and Means Committee on Education, Chestnut said that his role will be to “represent the interests of the Black Belt Region,” which formerly had no representation on the committee.

“Ways and Means Education is one of the most coveted and influential committees in the State House,” Chestnut said. “The Chairman of the committee has familial ties to our region, which should be helpful as I advocate for our area schools and colleges.”

On the Judiciary Committee, which he served on previously, Chestnut’s role will be to “vet the bills coming before that committee.”

“As a lawyer who specializes in area of the law that required a high level of skill and proficiency, I am able to greatly contribute to this committee,” Chestnut said. “For instance, I was successful in preempting legislation that would have chilled free speech in the public square.”

Chestnut noted that his knowledge of the United States Constitution and Supreme Court cases allowed him to “thwart what was most certainly going to be an unconstitutional piece of legislation,” though other states were successful in passing similar legislation.

On the Urban and Rural Development Committee, recently established to address issues like broadband access, infrastructure and retail development that impact rural and urban area, Chestnut will “combat issues of poverty in pockets of the state by focusing on such development(s).”

Along with his roles on these committees, Chestnut will be pursuing his legislative priorities that include “creating a more business friendly environment; supporting education; addressing crime and criminal justice reform; ethics reform; ending the archaic practice of sheriffs pocketing funds for inmate food; supporting measures to improve streets, roads and bridges in the state and protecting the rights of all Alabama citizens.”

“On the committees, I will work in the best interest of my district by examining, drafting, revising, discussing, promoting or preempting bills that come before us,” Chestnut said. “I want the people of Dallas County and the Black Belt Region to know that these appointments will give me more influence to help make a difference here at home.  I will continue to learn from the successful delegations from other regions around the State and work to develop a plan for how we should proceed; we will all have to be open to do our part, work together and stay on message.”