On Thursday, Alabama Senate President Pro Tem Garlan Gudger appointed State Sen. Josh Carnley (R-Ino) as Vice Chair of the Senate State Government Affairs Committee and Sen. Jay Hovey (R-Auburn) as Vice Chair of the Senate County and Municipal Government Committee.
“Though Sen. Carnley is a freshman legislator, he has already proven that he has the skills, talents, and abilities necessary to help lead such an important and influential committee,” Gudger (R-Cullman) said.
“He has my full faith and confidence, and I know Sen. Carnley will use his new role as vice chair to make our state government operate more efficiently while providing more accountability to the taxpayers it seeks to serve.”
Carnley, elected in 2022 represents Senate District 31, covering Coffee, Covington and Pike counties and part of Dale County.
He also serves on several other committees and previously spent two-and-a-half terms on the Coffee County Commission.
A lifelong resident of Ino, he operates a family farm producing cotton, peanuts, corn and beef cattle, and is owner and president of SanBuck Insurance with offices in Andalusia, Enterprise and Troy. He and his wife, Valerie, have three children.
Hovey, first elected in 2022 to Senate District 27 after serving on the Auburn City Council, sits on multiple Senate committees, including Finance and Taxation Education, Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development, Education Policy, Banking and Insurance, Tourism, and Transportation and Energy.
“As a former city council member, Sen. Hovey has the perfect skill set and experience necessary to step up and help lead the County and Municipal Government Committee,” Gudger said.
“I am confident that Sen. Hovey’s new leadership role and firsthand knowledge will help the Legislature better serve the needs of cities, towns, counties, and communities across Alabama.”
A commercial lending officer with ServisFirst Bank in Auburn, he’s active in the Alabama Small Business Advisory Commission, United Way of Lee County, Kiwanis Club of Auburn, the Auburn Chamber of Commerce Board, and the city’s Greenspace Advisory Board.
The 2026 legislative session will begin on January 13 — now 75 days away.
Grayson Everett is the editor in chief of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @Grayson270.
