Friday Five: May 26, 2023
The Alabama Legislature is in session, and Peritus PR is back with our fan-favorite #FridayFive legislative highlights series.
At the end of each week, we’ll take a pit stop to help make sense of the bills that were introduced, debated, passed, failed or signed at the Alabama State House.
If you missed our 2023 Alabama Legislative Guide, start there.
THIS WEEK’S FRIDAY FIVE
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Lawmakers convened until the wee hours of the morning to pass historic spending bills for FY24, a $3 billion General Fund budget and an Education Trust Fund budget at $8.8 billion, plus a $2.8 billion supplemental allocation provided by the state’s revenue surplus. Both budgets are larger than any GF or ETF budget in state history, but, according to reporting by Alabama Today, lawmakers remained cautious due to anticipated economic downturn over the coming year.
Read more: Alabama Legislature sends budgets to Gov. Kay Ivey (Alabama Today)
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Cha-ching! That’s the sound of money in your pocket after lawmakers passed an income tax rebate last night. With a historic budget surplus, the House and Senate compromised on returning $150 for single filers and $300 for joint filers. Now it’s up to Gov. Ivey, who called for rebates at $400 for singles, $800 for couple—more than double the amounts provided in the bill. If signed as decided by the legislature, the rebates will cost $393 million out of the Education Trust Fund surplus allocation.
Read more: Alabama lawmakers change tax rebate again, approve $150 for individuals, $300 for couples (AL.com)
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Lawmakers made a move to restrict foreign entities’ property ownership in Alabama. Under the Alabama Property Protection Act, which now awaits the governor’s signature, foreign principles of China, Russia, North Korea and Iran may not own property within 10 miles of “critical infrastructure” or any land intended for agriculture. Opponents to the bill, particularly in the Senate, expressed fear that the policy may create opportunity for racist discrimination. The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Scott Stadthagen (R-Hartselle), said, “This bill protects Alabama’s farmlands and the land around military bases, power plants and transportation hubs from falling into the hands of adversarial governments.”
Read More: Legislature OKs bill to ban some foreign governments from owning property (Alabama Political Reporter)
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Despite a marathon legislative day and doubt that the grocery tax bill would make the docket, the Alabama House unanimously passed HB479 to cut the state’s grocery tax rate in half (from 4% to 2%) by 2026. It does not include any revenue replacement measures, but according to the bill’s sponsor Rep. Danny Garrett (R-Trussville), House Ways and Means on Education Committee chair, “This is a tax cut that we are confident that we can sustain without it impacting the education trust fund.”
Read More: Lawmakers advance bill to cut Alabama’s grocery sales tax in half (Associated Press)
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After the Senate voted in early May to pass SB278 creating a loan program for at-risk higher education institutions, the House voted yesterday to pass an amended version of the bill. Late last night, the Senate approved the House’s version which now returns to the governor. This comes in the midst of controversy around a potential “bailout” for Birmingham Southern College, a private liberal arts institution. Rep. Danny Garrett (R-Trussville) said, “A lot of us are conflicted about what we’re doing, but I think it’s important that we realize that we are not voting today to make a loan to Birmingham-Southern. What we have done rather is to set up a vehicle, a program for institutions that are important to our state.”
Read More: Alabama lawmakers approve loan bill for Birmingham-Southern, other colleges (AL.com)
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HB 336, sponsored by Rep. Rolanda Hollis (D-Birmingham) would rename the Red Mountain Greenway and Recreational Area Commission to the Jefferson County Greenways Commission. It passed the Senate 35-0 and goes to Gov. Kay Ivey. This is a huge win for not only the state’s outdoor recreation assets, but also Peritus PR’s new public affairs manager, T.C. McLemore, who comes to us with a profound legacy previously serving as executive director of Red Mountain Park where he helped champion this bill. We’re proud to welcome T.C. to our team!
OUR PUBLISHED BY PERITUS TAKEAWAY
State public policy shapes our communities, our organizations and our lives. In return, we all have the right and privilege to shape public policy. The driver’s seat has your name on it.
We know life gets in the way, and there are a number of roadblocks to following the legislative session. That’s why Peritus’ public affairs team created a handy-dandy #ALPolitics Guide with all the tools you need to identify and contact your local representatives, explore media resources to keep you informed throughout the session and bridge the gap between policymakers and your community. If you’re reading this, you’re off to a good start.
See ya next Friday!
Check out the 2023 Peritus PR Alabama Legislative Guide here.