The Helios Heroes: Rep. Chris Pringle, Alabama House Speaker Pro Tem

The Helios Alliance would like to commend leadership in this space as we approach the end of the first year of Project Persevere, and we would like to start with someone who has been there from the very beginning: Alabama State Representative Chris Pringle, who currently serves as the Speaker Pro Tem of the House of Representatives.

Rep. Pringle has long been a champion in this space – spearheading a bill that created harsher penalties for selling fentanyl. Driven by the same concern for his neighbors that has defined his decades of public service, Rep. Pringle has worked to hold those who poison our communities accountable — sponsoring legislation that makes it a felony manslaughter charge to sell illegal drugs containing fentanyl that cause someone's death — a deeply personal cause shaped by the losses he has witnessed firsthand. This was a big step for the State, and it was praised for putting drug dealers on notice that they would be held accountable.

In January 2024, the Helios Alliance, alongside the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, announced its first project: a comprehensive statewide opioid abatement simulation platform. Rep. Pringle was at that launch, and we were so pleased when he endorsed the approach and underscored the importance of this work:

As many of you know, combatting the scrouge of the opioid epidemic is a cause that I believe in, unfortunately because I have seen too many of our neighbors impacted by it. These drugs are having a huge impact across the State, and if my time in Montgomery has taught me anything, it is that it will take creativity and perseverance to really make a difference. There is only so much that can be done by a single entity, and that’s why this public-private partnership will be such a gamechanger for all of us that live in Alabama. I look forward to touting this example of what happens when like-minded and committed individuals and organizations come together to do some good to my colleagues in the Statehouse.

For his entire legislative career, Rep. Pringle has been a tireless advocate for the families of not only his district, but also those across the whole State that may be impacted. His commitment to keeping Alabama families safe is a testament to the kind of servant leadership his constituents have come to trust — and exactly why his community continues to stand behind him.