HB317 Alabama 2018 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Ken Johnson

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2018

Title

Economic Development, notification and confidentiality provisions revised for certain economic incentives, State Industrial Development Authority, bonds for industrial development and site preparation, auth., definition of lobbying under Ethics Act not to include economic development professionals under certain conditions, expiration date, Alabama Jobs Enhancement Act, Secs. 41-29-501 to 41-29-507, inclusive, added; Sec. 41-29-3 am'd.

Summary

HB 317 creates the Alabama Jobs Enhancement Act to revise notification and confidentiality rules for economic incentives, clarify lobbying rules for economic development professionals (temporary), and authorize the State Industrial Development Authority to issue bonds and provide grants for industrial development and site preparation.

What This Bill Does

It updates how and when the Secretary of Commerce and the public are notified about incentives, protects confidential project details, and sets public disclosure timelines; it also creates a temporary exemption that economists and other economic development professionals are not considered lobbyists unless they seek incentives through legislative action or funds with discretionary legislative control. It adds authority for the State Industrial Development Authority to sell and issue bonds up to $100 million to fund grants for surveys, site preparation, labor analyses, and other industrial development activities, with 20% of funds reserved for rural or high-unemployment areas and a defined grant structure; bonds are not the state’s general debt and come with reporting and oversight requirements.

Who It Affects

• Prospective project entities (companies, developers) and their consultants, who must provide notification to the Secretary of Commerce, may submit anonymous initial notices, have confidentiality protections for proposed projects, and face specified disclosure rules.
• State Industrial Development Authority, local governments, grantees, and the communities receiving grants, who gain new bonding authority, grant programs (with rural set-aside), and required reporting and audit provisions related to industrial development efforts.

Key Provisions

• Revision of notification and confidentiality for economic incentives, including allowed anonymous initial notification, a list of incentives subject to notification, confidentiality agreements protecting project identity and related information for up to two years, and required disclosures when law or rules demand it.
• Creation of Article 5 authorizing the State Industrial Development Authority to issue bonds up to $100,000,000 for grants related to industrial development and site preparation, with a rural/undercapitalized areas set-aside (20%), a defined grant schedule based on project capital costs, annual reporting, and the bonds not constituting state debt and remaining tax-exempt.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 24, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Economic Development