Alabama House approves space-day resolution and a package of bills on taxes, education, licensing and police reporting

The Alabama House of Representatives adopted a Space Day resolution and passed a series of substantive bills on Monday that the chamber’s sponsors said are intended to support the state’s aerospace economy, change corporate tax treatment for research and development deductions, expand workforce and education options for people who dropped out of high school, set limits on where municipal school boards may purchase property, require municipal reporting of sworn law‑enforcement staffing and crime data, and ease certain occupational‑licensing barriers for some people with prior nonviolent felony convictions.

The actions were taken during a long floor session in Montgomery that included ceremonial remarks for Space Day, floor debate on several measures and votes on more than two dozen calendar items. The most discussed items included updates to the Alabama Space Science Exhibit Commission’s law (HB 159, substitute), an income‑tax decoupling for R&D expenses (HB 163, substitute), licensing and employability changes for some people with felony records (HB 238, as amended), the REACH Act to help adults complete a high‑school diploma (HB 266, as amended), a bill clarifying annexation and property purchases by local school boards (HB 57), and a municipal reporting requirement for sworn officers and crime statistics (HB 287, as amended).

House members led remarks and sponsors presented details on each item before recorded votes. Speakers representing the state’s aerospace institutions also addressed the chamber during the Space Day recognition: Joseph Pelfrey, director of NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, noted, “NASA Marshall Space Flight Center is celebrating 65 years of calling Alabama home this year,” and astronaut Larry DeLucas said, “there is no better vehicle for getting young students interested in science and technology than to intrigue them with space.” Those remarks preceded the House’s reading and adoption of a concurrent resolution proclaiming Feb. 25, 2025, as Space Day in Alabama and sponsor comments and votes on HB 159 (see action list).

What the House approved (selected highlights) - HB 159 (Alabama Space Science Exhibit…