Arise’s Dev Wakeley provides updates on numerous key bills as we head into the final days of the Alabama Legislature’s 2025 regular session. This video highlights the progress we’re making on legislation to reduce the state sales tax on groceries, remove tax incentives from businesses that violate child labor laws, reform the state parole board and more.

Dev also celebrates two bill signing ceremonies that Arise staff members were proud to participate in last week. These new laws will ensure paid parental leave for teachers and state employees and remove red-tape barriers to Medicaid eligibility for tens of thousands of expectant mothers. Arise members’ advocacy helped make both of these important new laws possible.

Get updates and action alerts by signing up for our email list at alarise.org and following us on all of our social media platforms!

Expect to move along with it. That’s HB 386 by Rep. Danny Garrett and HB 389, also by Rep. Danny Garrett from Trussville. The grocery tax bill and the standard deduction bill have passed the full House, and they’ve passed their Senate committees, respectively.

HB 386 would remove an additional cent from the state’s grocery tax, and it would also allow localities to remove their portion of the grocery tax as well. So cities and counties that want to cut their grocery tax a little further can go ahead and do that. That was prevented in last year’s bill, and it’s an even further improvement.

The standard deduction bill would increase the amounts of the state’s standard income tax deduction. Great bill as well. We’re hoping to move these bills over the finish line — the last step — and we think we can get there with your support. One more step to send them to the governor and get them passed. They’re great tax improvements for Alabama and would make a more just tax structure.

Additionally, in taxation policy, we have a bill that will remove or allow the state to strip tax incentives from companies that engage in child labor violations. This is SB 22, sponsored by Sen. Merika Coleman from Pleasant Grove. Great bill again, and that bill has one step left as well. We’re hoping to get that on the special order calendar and moved forward and passed.

In other good bills, there’s a bill to expand the parole board by two spots — SB 324 by Sen. Clyde Chambliss from Prattville. That bill has one step left as well. It just passed its House committee in House Judiciary last week.

Additionally, we saw last week a couple of signing ceremonies for great bills. For the parental leave bill to provide leave for new parents who are teachers or state employees or community college system employees — that’s SB 199 by Sen. Vivian Figures and HB 327 by Rep. Ginny Shaver.

And we also saw signing ceremonies for the bill to presumptively enroll expectant mothers to Medicaid and to presume eligibility. That is SB 102 by Sen. Linda Coleman-Madison from Birmingham and HB 89 by Rep. Marilyn Lands from Huntsville, respectively. Those were great bills. Those have passed, and we hope to move a few of these other good bills over the finish line.

To know a little bit more about how things are developing, please follow us at alarise.org or on social media as well. You can become a member and know all of our action alerts and receive our legislative updates in the email.

Thanks for your time, and hope to see you soon. Thanks.