FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 20, 2023
Contact: Hope Brasell
Hope.brasell@alsenate.gov
334-398-1823
“The Game Plan” Receives Final Passage in Alabama Legislature
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – All four bills in the legislative package coined “The Game Plan” have passed the Alabama Senate. The Senate bills’ counterparts in the House have passed and will go to Governor Ivey’s desk for signing.
“I am proud the Alabama Legislature has officially passed all four bills in The Game Plan package – my plan for our state’s continued economic success. I commend both the Senate and House for their incredible work on this timely legislation that will, no doubt, be transformative for our state and more importantly, for our families. We are creating stability for our economy and are going to keep Alabama winning for many years to come.” – Governor Kay Ivey
“I am immensely proud of my colleagues in the Senate for our successful passage of this winning plan to secure Alabama’s economic future,” said Senate President Pro Tem Greg Reed
(R-Jasper.) “Governor Ivey’s Game Plan is strategic, innovative, and clearly outlined to help Alabama continue building on our success and providing more, higher-paying jobs to the citizens of our state. This is a win for jobs, businesses, and every Alabamian.”
“I truly believe in these bills, and I thank Gov. Ivey for bringing them. We must do the things that make us competitive globally and this is a great start. For the first time we are going to be focusing on small and rural businesses and how we build and develop this economic growth area,” stated Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton (D-Greensboro.) I am especially proud of these bills because they support our state’s veteran, women, African American, and Native American entrepreneurs. These efforts are important to enhance opportunities which are critical to creating a robust economy in Alabama.”
HB241, Enhancing Alabama’s Economic Progress Act, also referred to as the “Big Bill” was sponsored by Senator Greg Reed. This bill renews the Alabama Jobs Act and the Growing Alabama program and extends their sunset dates to 2028 while adding strategic enhancements to increase their effectiveness. Notably, it increases the Jobs Act’s incentives cap by $25 million annually for five years, ensuring Alabama remains competitive for recruiting new projects. In response to demands from manufacturers for clean energy sources, this bill also Makes renewable energy project eligible for Jobs Act support. The legislation strengthens Alabama’s focus on site development by development by transferring tech accelerators and support for underrepresented businesses to Innovate Alabama and encouraging development of new shovel-ready sites by increasing funding.
Senator Arthur Orr sponsored SB165, Site Evaluation and Economic Development Strategy (Seeds) Act. This legislation allows the State Industrial Development Authority (SIDA) to facilitate the development of industry-ready sites across Alabama. Additionally, the bill expands SIDA’s role in the preparation of industrial sites to accelerate their creation and allows SIDA to issue grants to stimulate the creation of sites, making Alabama competitive with its neighboring states in having the tools to attract more companies and jobs to the state.
The Innovation and Small Business Act, HB257, was sponsored by Senator Bobby Singleton. This bill aims to accelerate growth in Alabama’s innovation economy and to support underrepresented businesses and enterprises in rural areas. SB152 prioritizes our state’s developing innovation and technology community by establishing the Alabama Small Business Credit with the transfer of tax credits for accelerators and support for underrepresented businesses that operate in innovative industries to Innovate Alabama. These projects, startups, and businesses will continue to be a positive addition to the Alabama business community through the Innovation and Small Business Act.
SB151, Transparency in Incentives Act, was sponsored by Senator Garlan Gudger. This legislation amends the Jobs Act to require the Alabama Department of Commerce to publish certain incentivized project information on its web site. Additionally, Commerce will disclose the value of any cash incentive extended for the project and the projected 10- and 20-year return on incentives to the state.
Upon concurrence in both chambers, these four pieces of legislation will be transmitted to Governor Kay Ivey for her signatures.
For more information or questions, please contact Hope Brasell, hope.brasell@alsenate.gov.