Wood named chair of house committee on public safety and homeland security

Rep. Randy Wood

Rep. Randy Wood, of Saks, was named Wednesday as chairman of the House Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security, as lawmakers wrapped up their organizational session in Montgomery.   Calhoun County’s delegation came away with several committee appointments, including some key positions.

Wood, a 12-year member of the House, has long been known for sponsoring bills proposed by the law enforcement community — including tougher penalties for burglary and restrictions on the use of bulletproof vests.

Wood said he expects renewed concerns about terrorism to inspire a number of  terrorism-related public safety bills in 2015.

Rep. K.L. Brown, R-Jacksonville, moves up to the chairmanship of the House Committee on Children and Senior Advocacy, a committee Wood chaired until Wednesday. Rep. Barbara Boyd, D-Anniston, was named ranking minority member on the committee. In all, the six House members in Calhoun County’s delegation picked up 19 committee positions.

No members of the local delegation sit on the Ways and Means Committee, which controls the state’s purse strings. Still, Wood and Boyd were reappointed to the Rules Committee, a powerful body that decides when bills come to the House floor.

The county got three seats on the Economic Development and Tourism Committee, which among other functions serves as gatekeeper for bills that would clear the way for alcohol sales in various locales. Rep. Becky Nordgren, R-Gadsden,  was named vice-chairwoman of that committee, with Rep. Richard Lindsey, D-Centre, as ranking minority member and Brown also a committee member.