Urban and Rural Development

This bill requires the Legislative Services Agency to create a Rural Impact Report for any legislation if a lawmaker asks for one. The report must analyze how proposed laws affect rural areas, including impacts on farmers, agricultural businesses, and rural school districts, with specific data broken down by legislative district. It also mandates comparisons between rural, suburban, and urban areas to identify any disparities, and requires the agency to use input from experts and rural stakeholders to complete the report within 30 days. Once finished, these reports will be made publicly available on the Legislature's website and shared with relevant committees and stakeholder groups.

HB 68 expands the existing law that prohibits certain "foreign principals" from acquiring interests in agricultural, forest, and other real property within the state. The bill broadens the definition of a "foreign principal" to include any individual or company identified on the U.S. Department of the Treasury's sanctions lists. It also expands the types of prohibited acquisitions to include leasehold interests in addition to ownership or controlling interests. These new prohibitions on leasehold interests would apply to acquisitions made on or after August 1, 2025.

HB 607, known as the Rural Connectivity and Innovation Act, aims to expand high-speed broadband access in underserved farming communities. It establishes a state-funded grant program, managed by the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA), allocating $50 million annually for broadband infrastructure projects in these areas. Additionally, the bill provides an individual state income tax credit of up to $10,000 for farmers who adopt broadband-enabled technologies, with a statewide annual cap of $2 million. These measures are designed to promote rural economic development and agricultural innovation.

SB 137 allows privately owned sewer and wastewater systems that are under common ownership with systems already regulated by Alabama's Public Service Commission (PSC) to elect to join the PSC's regulatory jurisdiction. This directly affects affiliated private systems and their customers, as it requires the PSC to combine their capital and operating costs for setting a single, unified rate structure for all customers. The bill includes exceptions for counties with local constitutional amendments regulating wastewater utilities and preserves existing authority like Jefferson County's Board of Health. The law takes effect October 1, 2025, and applies only to systems not prohibited by local constitutional amendments.

This bill amends Alabama law to change who can establish mutual aid agreements for emergency management. Currently, the director of a local emergency management organization handles these agreements, but the bill transfers that authority to the organization's governing body (like a city council or county commission). It also expands the purpose of mutual aid agreements to include protecting public peace, health, and safety - not just disaster response - and ensures employees from one political subdivision (e.g., a city) have the same legal powers and protections when assisting under these agreements outside their home area. These changes aim to streamline emergency coordination between local governments and private agencies while clarifying legal responsibilities for responders. The bill becomes effective October 1, 2025.