Week Twelve of the 2025 Legislative Session

BCA Governmental Affairs Staff

BCA Governmental Affairs Staff

‘Powering Growth’ Package Advances to Governor Ivey for Signature

The Alabama Legislature has completed its 28th and 29th legislative days of the 2025 session. During this time, the Senate concurred with House amendments to SB 304 and SB 313—key components of the Powering Growth package. This transformative initiative aims to solidify Alabama’s leadership in energy resilience and economic competitiveness by modernizing infrastructure and streamlining development pathways.

Highlights of the Powering Growth package include:

• Streamlined permitting processes to accelerate project timelines
• Strategic support for energy supply chains to ease material shortages and regulatory delays
• Expansion of power-ready industrial sites to attract investment and create jobs
• Establishment of the Energy Infrastructure Bank to finance high-impact energy and industrial projects

All three bills have been delivered to Governor Kay Ivey for her signature.

The legislature will reconvene next week to complete the 30th and final day of the 2025 session.

Tuesday Morning Issues Briefing

As a reminder, BCA will not host a legislative briefing next week. Thank you to all our members and guests who joined us throughout the session—your participation helped make these meetings informative, engaging, and impactful.

BCA Bills of Interest

Bill: SB22
Sponsor: Sen. Merika Coleman
BCA Position: Monitor
Status: Passed Senate; received favorable report in House Ways and Means Education Committee
Additional Information: This bill further provides for the recapture of incentives for a company who is found guilty of human trafficking.

Bill: SB187
Sponsor: Sen. Clyde Chambliss
BCA Position: Monitor
Status: Passed Senate; re-referred to House State Government Committee
Additional Information: This bill would require app store providers to verify user ages, link minor accounts to parent accounts with consent, and notify users of significant app changes. It would mandate protection of age verification data and prevent enforcing contracts with minors or sharing personal data. Developers would be required to verify ages, notify users of app changes, and comply with age data regulations. The Attorney General would adopt rules and could take action for violations as deceptive trade practices.

Bill: SB228/HB418
Sponsor: Sen. Andrew Jones/Rep. Jamie Kiel
BCA Position: Opposed
Status: Pending action in Senate Banking and Insurance Committee; pending action in House Financial Services Committee 
Additional Information: This bill would create a new private right of action that individuals and corporations can use to claim discrimination on a wide variety of subjective ideological grounds. The bill represents a significant government encroachment into how certain financial institutions, insurers, credit card companies, and payment processors assess risk and make business decisions, determinations that are already subject to numerous federal laws and regulations. Importantly, even if the Alabama Banking Department or Alabama Insurance Department investigates a discrimination complaint and finds no violation, this bill still would give a complainant the ability to seek and recover treble damages, attorneys’ fees, and injunctive relief in civil court. 

Bill: SB252
Sponsor: Sen. Billy Beasley 
BCA Position: Opposed
Status: Enacted by Governor Kay Ivey
Additional Information: This bill would impose a $10.64 dispensing fee on all prescriptions, excluding specialty drugs, filled by independent pharmacies in Alabama.

Bill: SB304 – Powering Growth Act
Sponsor: Sen. Arthur Orr
BCA Position: Support
Status: Delivered to Governor Kay Ivey for signature
Additional Information: This bill would create the Alabama Energy Infrastructure Bank under the State Industrial Development Authority (SIDA) to provide financing for energy infrastructure projects that support economic development and industrial recruitment, accelerate deployment of long-lead time energy equipment, and create a Strategic Energy Infrastructure Development Fund to procure long-lead time equipment and fund site-specific infrastructure upgrades.

Bill: SB311
Sponsor: Sen. Josh Carnley
BCA Position: Support
Status: Delivered to Governor Kay Ivey for signature
Additional Information: This bill would streamline the permitting process for work on state-controlled rights-of-way, specifically for electric transmission projects. It sets firm deadlines for the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) permit approvals, allows automatic approval if deadlines are not met, and requires regular coordination between electric providers and ALDOT to improve efficiency and predictability.

Bill: SB313
Sponsor: Sen. Rodger Smitherman
BCA Position: Support
Status: Delivered to Governor Kay Ivey for signature
Additional Information: This bill proposes that any revenues in the Alabama 21st Century Fund not needed to pay debt service on the authority’s bonds shall be transferred to, and used by, the State Industrial Development Authority (SIDA) for the authorized purposes of the Alabama Energy Infrastructure Bank.

Bill: SB315
Sponsor: Sen. Bobby Singleton 
BCA Position: Support
Status: Passed Senate; favorable report in House Economic Development and Tourism Committee
Additional Information: This bill would allow the Alabama 21st Century Fund revenues to be used to pay other project costs and debt service on bonds issued by the State Industrial Development Authority (SIDA). This bill would also transfer $5,000,000 from the Alabama 21st Century Fund to the Alabama Department of Commerce to establish additional international offices, enhance rural development strategies, and cover operational and personnel costs.

Bill: HB283
Sponsor: Rep. Mike Shaw
BCA Position: Monitor
Status: Passed House; pending action in Senate Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development Committee
Additional Information: This bill would allow consumers to confirm, correct, delete, or obtain a copy of their personal data and opt out of its processing. It would require controllers to provide a secure method for consumers to exercise their rights and establish an appeals process. Consumers could designate an authorized agent to act on their behalf. The bill would also regulate how controllers process personal and deidentified data.

Bill: HB291
Sponsor: Rep. Neil Rafferty
BCA Position: Opposed
Status: Pending action in House Committee on Commerce and Small Business 
Additional Information: This bill would repeal the Alabama Uniform Minimum Wage and Right-to-Work Act.  

Bill: HB379
Sponsor: Rep. Danny Garrett
BCA Position: Support
Status: Delivered to Governor Kay Ivey for signature
Additional Information: This bill would exempt remote workers from paying state income tax under certain circumstances.

Bill: HB477
Sponsor: Rep. David Faulkner
BCA Position: Monitor
Status: Enacted by Governor Kay Ivey
Additional Information: This bill allows a nonprofit agricultural organization to provide health benefits to its members and their families. The proposed bill explicitly authorizes a nonprofit agricultural organization to provide such benefits while maintaining that they are not in the business of health insurance.

Bill: HB543
Sponsor: Rep. Chip Brown
BCA Position: Support
Status: Delivered to Governor Kay Ivey for signature
Additional Information: This bill would increase the market value threshold amount for which tangible personal property is exempt from the state ad valorem tax.

Bill: HB535
Sponsor: Rep. Ontario Tillman
BCA Position: Opposed
Status: Pending action in House Commerce and Small Business Committee
Additional Information: This bill would provide unemployment benefits to employees who are locked out by their employer during a labor dispute. Currently, employees are disqualified from receiving unemployment benefits if they are part of a labor dispute, but this bill would create an exception for lockouts.

Week Eleven of the 2025 Legislative Session

Capitol Briefing House Passes Powering Growth Package The Alabama Legislature has made significant progress on the Powering Growth package, a forward-looking set of bills aimed at strengthening the state’s energy

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Week Ten of the 2025 Legislative Session

Capitol Briefing Senate Passes ‘Powering Growth’ Package to Strengthen Alabama’s Energy Future  The Senate has given final approval to Powering Growth, a legislative package aimed at boosting Alabama’s energy security

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