Rep. Danny Garrett

Maddy summaryThis bill strengthens the CHOOSE Act in Alabama by creating legal enforcement mechanisms to protect students who use educational savings accounts from discrimination in interscholastic athletics. It allows parents, students, or participating schools to sue athletic associations if they deny athletic eligibility based solely on a student's CHOOSE Act status. The law permits courts to issue injunctions to ensure participation, award damages for economic harm, and grant reasonable attorney fees to successful plaintiffs. These provisions apply to all athletic associations regulating K-12 sports in Alabama, including the state high school athletic association.

Maddy summaryThis bill proposes a constitutional amendment that would allow the Alabama Legislature to participate in any authority that issues bonds or takes on debt. Under this change, the Legislature could pass laws enabling full legislative involvement in bonding authorities, including the power to override decisions to issue bonds or incur debt. The amendment would require voter approval through a statewide election before it becomes part of the state constitution. If passed, this would give lawmakers direct control over debt-related decisions that currently may be made by other authorities. The bill is currently in the early stages of the legislative process and has not yet been fully debated or voted on.

Maddy summaryHB 153 allows specific Class 8 municipalities in Alabama (with a population of 25,000+ per the last census and corporate limits spanning two counties) to opt out of their county personnel board's jurisdiction after six months' notice. If a municipality opts out, it must create its own civil service system to protect existing employees' rights and comply with federal/state anti-discrimination laws. The bill prohibits discrimination based on race, gender, religion, or political views and requires municipalities to adopt explicit anti-discrimination policies. It repeals an existing opt-out provision (Section 11-43-5.2) and confirms retroactive validity for prior actions under related legislation.

Maddy summaryHB 165 requires Alabama's public colleges and universities to submit annual reports by October 31 detailing all state and federal funds received and spent, broken down by funding source. These reports must be certified as accurate by each institution and include specific plans for operating if state or federal funding decreases. The Alabama Community College System must follow the same reporting requirements. The Executive Budget Office will compile these reports to track funding flows and institutional planning. This bill focuses on transparency and accountability in higher education funding, not on changing funding levels or student benefits.

Maddy summaryHB 52 extends Alabama's tax deduction for contributions to ABLE savings accounts (for people with disabilities) from expiring in 2025 to December 31, 2030. It also increases annual funding for the CHOOSE Act, which provides education tax credits for low-income families, raising the annual deposit from $100 million to $150 million. The bill makes technical adjustments to the funding process, including allowing additional funds if program demand reaches 90% usage. These changes directly affect Alabama taxpayers who contribute to ABLE accounts or use CHOOSE Act credits for education expenses.

Maddy summaryHB 379 amends state income tax law to create an exemption for certain nonresident workers. It specifies that there will be no state income tax withholding or remittance obligation for wages paid to individuals temporarily in the state. This exemption applies when these nonresidents are performing disaster recovery work following a major disaster officially declared by the U.S. President or the State Governor.

Maddy summaryHouse Bill 386 proposes to reduce the state sales and use tax rate applied to food purchases. Specifically, it would lower the state tax rate on food to three percent. The bill also authorizes individual counties and municipalities to reduce their own local sales tax rates on food if they choose to do so. These changes are scheduled to take effect on September 1, 2025, potentially affecting consumers' grocery costs and local government revenue.

Maddy summaryHB 387 revises the rules for how local governments can adjust their sales tax on food. Currently, counties and municipalities can reduce their local sales tax rate on food by a maximum of 25%, but only if their general fund grew by over two percent in the prior year. This bill would eliminate both that 25 percent limit on the rate reduction and the requirement to meet the growth target. This change would give county and municipal governing bodies more flexibility in setting their local sales tax rates on food.

Maddy summaryHouse Bill 388 proposes to increase the income tax exemption for certain individuals in Alabama. Specifically, it would raise the amount of taxable retirement income exempt from state income taxes for individuals aged 65 or older. The bill increases this exemption from the current $6,000 to $12,000. This change directly affects older Alabamians receiving taxable retirement income.

Maddy summaryHB 389 proposes changes to Alabama's individual income tax laws. The bill aims to reduce the income tax burden for residents and nonresidents by increasing the optional standard deduction. It also expands the adjusted gross income range within which taxpayers can claim the maximum optional standard deduction. Additionally, the bill broadens the adjusted gross income range for the maximum dependent exemption. These combined provisions are intended to raise the income threshold at which the state imposes individual income taxes.