MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Governor Kay Ivey on Friday signed House Bill 170, sponsored by Rep. Danny Garrett, R-Trussville; House Bill 192, sponsored by Rep. Bill Poole, R-Tuscaloosa; and Senate Bill 30, sponsored by Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, into law. During the governor’s state of the state address, she laid out these pieces of legislation as priority bills, and she assured the Legislature and the people of Alabama that when they reached her desk, she would sign them without hesitation.
HB170 ensures that federal stimulus funds derived from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) and subsequent coronavirus relief legislation are not subject to state income taxes.
HB192, according to Garrett, “extends and revises the Alabama Jobs Act and Growing Alabama Act, which provides economic incentives to help bring new businesses and jobs to Alabama. There were changes made to the previous program that will add more accountability, such as requiring businesses to achieve minimum benchmarks and confirming the number of jobs created before their incentives go into effect.”
SB30 Relating to civil immunity; to provide legislative findings; to provide definitions; to provide civil immunity for certain entities and individuals from certain damages claimed by individuals who allege that they contracted or were exposed to coronavirus during a declared state of emergency; to provide civil immunity for certain health care providers relating to the performance of certain health care services or treatment during the Coronavirus pandemic; to provide for a statute of limitations for certain claims; and to provide for retroactive effect.
Ivey issued the following statement Friday:
“While the impact of COVID-19 has been felt across the country and around the world, we remain committed to helping Alabamians and Alabama businesses get back on their feet and our state moving forward. These three bills, without question, were necessary to address up front, and I am proud of the Alabama Legislature for taking care of the people’s business, despite the obvious challenges of this legislative session.
“Thanks to their work, the people of Alabama who received any type of CARES Act dollars will not pay one penny in state income taxes on that relief. Additionally, we are ensuring that our state will continue to grow our diverse economy, and we are protecting our existing businesses from any frivolous lawsuits due to COVID-19. Again, I commend the Alabama Legislature and am thrilled to officially sign these three bills into law.”
