Either chamber of the Alabama Legislature is poised to debate bills that disallow local bans, regulations or taxes on plastic grocery bags and other single-use containers. Companion bills cleared their assigned committees this week. In other action in the fourth week of…
After sending the Alabama Senate legislation regulating the vaping industry this week, the Alabama House will take up the state’s General Fund budget next week. This week, the Senate conducted public hearings on competing lottery bills (see story below). Meanwhile,…
Legislation that ties the granting of a city or county business license to usage of the federal E-Verify system is headed to the full Senate. On a 9-1 vote Tuesday, the Senate Governmental Affairs approved SB71 by Sen. Arthur Orr,…
The Alabama Legislature resumed its regular session March 19 after spending five days on an infrastructure special session. So far, the House dealt with sunset bills, while the Senate repealed the standard used to measure education progress in Alabama schools….
Several bills have been introduced in the 2019 regular session to ban and set penalties for telephone solicitors who intentionally use misleading caller identification information. A coalition, including the Alabama Retail Association, worked to amend the first of those bills…
The Alabama Legislature’s 2019 regular session begins March 5, one week from today. Slightly more than a quarter of the 140 individuals who will govern us over the next four years will be brand new to their jobs. More than…
The Alabama Retail Association opposes federal legislation that calls for a delay in the implementation of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in South Dakota vs. Wayfair Inc. The high court’s June 21 decision overturned a requirement that retailers be “physically…
In its 2018 regular session, the Alabama Legislature again revised the state’s voluntary use tax program to further level the playing field between brick-and-mortar and online-only retailers. Stay tuned for more on April 17, when the U.S. Supreme Court delves…
Online marketplaces will either have to remit use tax or report sales made to Alabama consumers through third-party vendors under the latest revision to Alabama’s Simplified Seller Use Tax. Act No. 2018-539 by Rep. Rod Scott, D-Fairfield, and Sen. Trip Pittman, R-Daphne, takes…
More than 20 local alcohol bills became law in 2018. SUNDAY SALES Sunday sales can be permitted by resolution, ordinance, a majority vote of the governing body or referendum. These cities and counties received state legislative permission in 2018 to…