The legislature convened on Wednesday for a two-day work week, completing the 28th and 29th legislative days.

Several BCA bills of interest were given final passage in the Senate including HB77, Rep. Danny Garrett’s red tape reduction bill; HB217, Rep. Anthony Daniels’ overtime pay bill; and HB293, Rep. Chip Brown’s ports of Alabama incentives bill.

HB217 was amended on the Senate floor to include a $25 million cap on the exemption. The House concurred on the amended legislation, which is now before Governor Kay Ivey for her signature.

The Senate also approved House-passed legislation to cut Alabama’s four percent tax on groceries. Rep. Danny Garrett’s HB479 begins reducing the state sales and use tax on food on September 1, 2023. Future rate reductions would be contingent upon certain growth requirements in the ETF. The bill now goes to Governor Ivey.

The House gave final passage to two bills of note, SB261 and SB292, both sponsored by Sen. Dan Roberts. The bills will now be delivered to the Governor.

The anti-environmental, social, and governance (ESG) bill, SB261, prohibits governmental entities from entering certain contracts with companies that boycott businesses because the business engages in certain sectors or does not meet certain environmental or corporate governance standards or does not facilitate certain activities. A substitute to the bill was approved by the Senate in May and passed by the House on Wednesday.

SB292, which was also passed by the House on Wednesday, cuts red tape for nonprofits, charities, and other tax-exempt entities by streamlining the process for contractors to purchase supplies and materials to be used on construction projects for those entities.

The Senate did not take any action on HB298 by Rep. Chris Sells, which would require all smartphones and tablets sold in Alabama to have an adult content filter enabled upon purchase. Violations would constitute a civil penalty of up to $50,000 for the device’s manufacturer.

On Thursday, Governor Ivey signed historic state budgets – the $8.8 billion Education Trust Fund (ETF) and $3 billion General Fund. She also signed supplemental appropriations for Fiscal Year 2023 budgets. The ETF includes significant investments in Alabama’s students, teachers, and schools by providing resources to recruit and retain quality educators and supporting the implementation of the Literacy and Numeracy Acts. The General Fund Budget will have a strong impact on our state, increasing funds to public services and providing for salary raises from State Troopers to Mental Health professionals.

The Governor also signed HB378 – the Brownfield redevelopment bill. Alabama’s success in attracting new businesses has led to a shortage of suitable sites. This allows for the creation of Brownfield redevelopment districts to produce more industry-ready sites across the state.

The House and Senate will return on Tuesday for the 30th and final legislative day of the session.