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Following sine die adjournment of the 2023 Regular Session on Tuesday, Alabama House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter, R-Rainsville, released the statement below and said he ranks the session among the most important held in state history.
The statement by Ledbetter, who presided over his first session as speaker, said:
“The 2023 Legislative Session will be remembered as one of the most historic and significant sessions in Alabama’s 204-year history, and I believe that decades from now, observers will look back and say that our state turned a crucial corner because of the work we accomplished here.
In just three months, this Legislature allocated more than $1 billion in federal funding during a special session, passed record Education and General Fund budgets totaling $12 billion collectively, enacted the largest tax cut in Alabama history while taking a huge step toward abolishing the state grocery tax altogether, exempted taxes on overtime pay for our hard-working citizens, and approved unprecedented rebates for Alabama taxpayers.
At the same time, we paid off millions in debt, wisely saved dollars for when the economy worsens, equipped law enforcement to fight the war on fentanyl, toughened early release requirements for inmates, reformed the state’s adoption process for the first time in 30 years, continued to expand mental health services, and passed dozens of other significant bills and measures.
If only a handful of these accomplishments had passed, the session would have been considered a success, but when you consider the size, scope, and significance of what we have done, almost any other session pales in comparison.
Even more remarkable is the fact that we did all of this with brand new House leadership across the board, new committee chairmen, and 31 freshmen members. Our members just worked together, and, in large part, our success can be attributed to the working relationship across the aisle.
Every House member on both sides of the aisle deserves to be commended for their work over the past few months. We also worked seamlessly with the Senate leadership, the members upstairs, and Lieutenant Governor Ainsworth, and they certainly share in the credit.”
