HB1 Alabama 2025 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Chip BrownRepresentative

Republican

Session

2025 Regular Session

Title

Seafood, seafood dealer license fee increased; portion thereof directed for promoting state's seafood

Summary

The bill raises seafood dealer license fees, creates a new Imported Seafood Safety Fund for inspecting imported seafood, and directs part of the revenue to promoting the state's seafood products.

What This Bill Does

It changes who must have a seafood dealer license and how much they pay, with different fees for Alabama residents, nonresidents, and those with reciprocal state charges; it also requires licenses for multiple business locations and for each vehicle used to move seafood. It makes operating without a required license unlawful, with escalating fines and jail time for repeat offenses. It creates the Imported Seafood Safety Fund for the Alabama Department of Public Health to inspect imported seafood for harmful substances. It also directs $200 of each license fee to the Sweet Grown Alabama program to promote the state's seafood products, and the act takes effect on October 1, 2025.

Who It Affects

• Seafood dealers and related businesses must obtain licenses, pay revised fees (including base license, location-specific licenses, and per-vehicle licenses), and follow the new rules.
• State health and promotion programs (ADPH and the Sweet Grown Alabama nonprofit) are affected by new funding streams: the Imported Seafood Safety Fund for inspections and the $200 per license earmark for seafood promotion.

Key Provisions

• Provision 1: Licensing changes—establishes a new fee schedule (base license $200; Alabama residents $465; nonresidents $730; special $265 for residents with a valid license under Section 9-12-113; reciprocal pricing if another state charges Alabama residents more than $400 for the activity), requires a license for each business location and for each vehicle used to move seafood (with vehicle licenses priced at $100 or $333), and enforces penalties for illegal sales or processing of seafood without a license.
• Provision 2: Fund creation and allocations—creates the Imported Seafood Safety Fund funded by license fees for Alabama Department of Public Health inspections of imported seafood; directs $200 of each license fee to Sweet Grown Alabama for promoting the state's seafood products; sets an effective date of October 1, 2025.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 22, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Conservation & Natural Resources; Consumer Protection; Health