On Thursday, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed a package of four bills to extend and expand the economic incentive tools available to state financial planners. The Alabama Legislature passed the package of bills on Thursday morning, promising that the four “Game Plan” bills are the “plays” Alabama needed to call to have a bright future.
“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,” Ivey said in a statement. “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.”
“The Game Plan will give Alabama’s team the tools it needs to extend our winning record in economic development and help us unleash a new wave of growth and innovation across the state,” said Gov. Ivey. “From our rural areas to our big cities, this is going to benefit every corner of Alabama.”
Senate President Pro Temp Greg Reed said that passage of the package was a victory for the state and its future.
“The Game Plan is a multi-pronged approach to strengthen Alabama’s economy from all angles,” said Reed. “The four ‘plays’ are effective pieces of legislation that will help Alabama’s local communities thrive by attracting high-quality employers, creating jobs, and stimulating economic growth.”
Speaker of the House Nathaniel Ledbetter said that the package would benefit Alabamians by better positioning the state to compete for the best jobs in the country.
“Industries across the nation and globe are trying to come here because of our great employees, our low taxes, and our unbeatable quality of life,” said Ledbetter. “We want to make sure that, from a competition standpoint, we have the tools needed to bring companies here and keep them here.”
Greg Canfield is the Secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce.
“The Game Plan will serve as our next-generation strategic economic development framework as we work to build a more dynamic economy for Alabama and its citizens,” said Secretary Canfield. “Neighboring states are aggressively escalating their economic development activities, and this will allow us to keep winning the projects that trigger lasting impacts.”
The Alabama Big 10 Mayors praised the passage of the economic development Incentives bills. Passing the economic incentives legislation was item number one on the Alabama Big 10 Mayors’ 2023 legislative agenda.
“These incentives programs are critically important to our cities and the entire state of Alabama,” the Alabama Big 10 Mayors said in a joint statement. “For our cities to be successful, we need to have the tools to attract new industry, businesses, and high-quality jobs. These bills give Alabama the ability to not just remain competitive, but also increase our ability to attract the world-class businesses and developments that improve the quality of life across our state.”
“We thank Governor Kay Ivey, legislative leadership and their members, the Department of Commerce, and the many stakeholders who worked tirelessly to make this happen. We were proud to support this package of bills, and we look forward to seeing the impact that these incentives programs will have on each of Alabama’s ten largest cities.”
The Mayors representing Alabama’s ten biggest cities work together to address the state’s most important issues and make Alabama a safer, better place for all its residents to live. The Alabama Big 10 Mayors include Auburn Mayor Ron Anders, Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin, Decatur Mayor Tab Bowling, Dothan Mayor Mark Saliba, Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato, Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle, Madison Mayor Paul Finley, Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson, Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed, and Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox.
The Game Plan includes four bills — or “plays” — focusing on economic development issues such as incentives, site development, small business support, and transparency.
Play 1: The Enhancing Alabama’s Economic Progress Act 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. The Jobs Act is the state’s primary incentives platform, while Growing Alabama primarily speeds development of shovel-ready sites.
Play 2: The Site Evaluation and Economic Development Strategy Act (SEEDS) will allow the State Industrial Development Authority to accelerate the development of industry-ready sites at a time when available sites are scarce, and other states are expanding their site programs.
Play 3: The Innovation and Small Business Act aims to supercharge growth in Alabama’s innovation economy and support underrepresented businesses and enterprises in rural areas, transforming the state into a hub for technology and innovation.
Play 4: The Enhancing Transparency Act will amend the Jobs Act to require the Alabama Department of Commerce to publish certain incentivized project information on its website. Transparency around important information related to companies receiving incentives will serve a valid public service and increase confidence in the process.
Critics of the idea of economic incentives to lure industry and projects argue that it is corporate welfare and picking winners and losers, but there were no critics in the Alabama Legislature as the plan sailed through both Houses.
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