On Tuesday, the Alabama Legislature met for the last time in the 2023 regular session. Speaker of the House Nathaniel Ledbetter (R-Rainsville) released a statement following the sine die adjournment of the 2023 regular session, describing it as one of the most important held in state history.
“The 2023 legislative session will be remembered as one of the most historic and significant sessions in Alabama’s 204-year history, and I believe that decades from now, observers will look back and say that our state turned a crucial corner because of the work we accomplished here,” Speaker Ledbetter said.
“In just three months, this Legislature allocated more than $1 billion in federal funding during a special session, passed record Education and General Fund budgets totaling $12 billion collectively, enacted the largest tax cut in Alabama history while taking a huge step toward abolishing the state grocery tax altogether, exempted taxes on overtime pay for our hard-working citizens, and approved unprecedented rebates for Alabama taxpayers.”
“At the same time, we paid off millions in debt, wisely saved dollars for when the economy worsens, equipped law enforcement to fight the war on fentanyl, toughened early release requirements for inmates, reformed the state’s adoption process for the first time in 30 years, continued to expand mental health services, and passed dozens of other significant bills and measures,” Ledbetter continued. “If only a handful of these accomplishments had passed, the session would have been considered a success, but when you consider the size, scope, and significance of what we have done, almost any other session pales in comparison.”
“Even more remarkable is the fact that we did all of this with brand new House leadership across the board, new committee chairmen, and 31 freshmen members,” Ledbetter continued. “Our members just worked together, and, in large part, our success can be attributed to the working relationship across the aisle.”
“Every House member on both sides of the aisle deserves to be commended for their work over the past few months,” Ledbetter said. “We also worked seamlessly with the Senate leadership, the members upstairs, and Lieutenant Governor Ainsworth, and they certainly share in the credit.”
The Alabama Constitution limits the Legislature to meeting a maximum of thirty days in a regular session. The Legislature used its maximum allotted days. Tuesday was day 30, so this was the last day that the Legislature could meet until February unless Governor Kay Ivey calls a second special session – the first was to appropriate $1.03 billion in American Rescue Plan Act dollars.
The House of Representatives passed 14 bills on its last day and dealt with an estimated dozen bills that the Senate amended or were sent back to the Legislature from the Governor with an amendment.
The most significant of these was legislation to exempt overtime pay from state income taxes. The Governor sent that legislation back to the Legislature with an amendment that removed the cap the Senate had placed on the bill and cut the sunset time in half. Gov. Ivey said that that was due to concerns about how that was to be administered. Both House approved the legislation as amended by the Governor.
House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels introduced that tax cut.
Ledbetter said that when Daniels brought that legislation to him, he was supportive.
“I wish I had thought of that myself,” Ledbetter told reporters. “It’s a win, win, win for the state.”
Republicans have a commanding majority in both Houses of the Alabama Legislature, so the GOP could pass any legislation they wanted to at any time simply by cloturing the minority.
Ledbetter said that he preferred to work bipartisanly.
“We only clotured two times,” Ledbetter said. “The first time I wish I had back, I moved too rapidly on that one. The second time they knew what was coming.”
Ledbetter credited his relationship with Daniels working together when Ledbetter was the Majority Leader for the incredibly smooth process of this session.
Ledbetter listed the appropriation of the ARPA dollars, cutting the taxes on food, reforming the state’s adoption laws, legislation to combat fentanyl, and improving mental health services as accomplishments.
Ledbetter said the Legislature expanded school choice in the state by increasing the number of schools covered under the Accountability Act. “There will be more of that,” in future sessions, Ledbetter said of expanding school choice in future sessions. He also regretted that the ballot harvesting bill ultimately failed.
One issue that never came up on the House floor this year was a lottery or legalization of casino gambling. Despite this, Ledbetter insisted that gambling was not dead forever.
“We have an ad hoc committee meeting,” Ledbetter told reporters. “They report to me every two weeks.”
Ledbetter said that he was providing the new members with information about gambling in this session; but that he expected legislation on gaming in a future session.
The next legislative day will be February 6, 2024, though committees, task forces, and special commissions will meet periodically over the summer, fall, and winter, preparing for the 2024 Alabama Regular Session.
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