Summary:
On April 6, 2018, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey signed a new bill
exempting certain activities of economic developers from the
state's lobbying laws. House Bill 317 amended the State
Government Code in three important ways:
- Revised the notification and
confidentiality provisions surrounding economic development
projects;
- Created an exemption for certain
activities of economic developers from registering as lobbyists;
and
- Clarified the state and local
incentives which are subject to notification
requirements.1
Explanation:
Since 2010, the state of Alabama has required economic
developers to register as "lobbyists." For the past eight
years, the state regulated traditional lobbying efforts attempting
to influence the legislature, but also expanded the notion of
lobbying to include contacts with executive agency
officials.2 The state defined "lobby" or
"lobbyist" to include: "promoting or attempting to
influence the awarding of a grant or
