Project Catalyst an Economic Development Video Podcast | Episode 16: Powering Alabama’s Economic Progress with Leigh Davis of Alabama Power Company
Project Catalyst: An Economic Development Podcast | Episode 15: The Gateway to Alabama’s Economic Growth with John Driscoll of the Alabama Port Authority
Project Catalyst: An Economic Development Podcast | Episode 13: Economic Development in Rural Alabama with Valerie Gray and Lori Huguley of VaLor Strategies
Project Catalyst: An Economic Development Podcast | Episode 11: The EV Industry in Alabama with Mike Oatridge of Alabama Mobility and Power Center
One of my favorite quotes from Justice Potter Stewart (naturally, a Supreme Court justice writing about watching pornography is my favorite) is “[f]airness is what justice really is.” The Alabama attorney general has an...more
On May 14, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed Alabama HB8 into law. Effective June 1, HB8 introduced sweeping changes that will reshape how nicotine products are sold, marketed, and regulated in Alabama. You heard that right,...more
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot. That’s been the tenor of what I’ve heard and read from stakeholders in the Alabama hemp industry in response to the enactment of comprehensive hemp reform legislation earlier this...more
The Alabama Legislature adjourned sine die near midnight on May 14, 2025, with the final legislative meeting day bogged down with filibusters by certain senators. Fortunately, a spate of tax bills had already passed both the...more
Alabama has enrolled legislation regulating the sale of consumable products (including beverages, edible products, and topical creams) containing THC or CBD derived from hemp, and has designated the Alabama ABC Board as the...more
House Bill 381 was introduced on March 4th into the Alabama legislature which would provide certain incentives for utilization of recyclable materials. ...more
There’s a great scene in the movie Wall Street when the up-and-coming Charlie Sheen (pre-Tiger Blood and now that I think about it maybe the precursor to the “winning!” mantra that seems to resonate today) is playing the role...more
Longtime readers of Budding Trends (and there are dozens of you) know that I have been saying over and over recently that – as counterintuitive as it may sound – the fastest way to get Alabama’s medical cannabis program...more
Well, it’s here. Late yesterday afternoon Sens. Tim Melson and David Sessions introduced the long-awaited “legislative fix” to help get Alabama’s long-stalled Alabama medical cannabis licensing program off the ground. The...more
Employers in Alabama (along with the rest of the country) have faced headaches the last several years with staffing shortages and shift coverage. In June, with bipartisan support, the Alabama Legislature passed House Bill 217...more
The Alabama Legislature adjourned sine die on June 6 and concluded a productive session for tax and incentive bills. A few of the notable measures include the renewal of and enhancements to the Alabama Jobs Act and Growing...more
Like many sports fans, we’re suckers for next-season predictions immediately following the prior season (even when Notre Dame is inexplicably ranked in the Top 10). At the time of this writing, applications have just been...more
History - On December 14, 1819, Alabama was granted statehood after previously being part of the Mississippi and Alabama territories. The first Alabama constitution was drafted and passed at a convention in Huntsville,...more
Only three months – 90(ish) days – until the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission is scheduled to begin accepting applications for licenses. It was a year ago when this all started. And like raising children, the days pass...more
Alabama has joined an ever-increasing number of states that have passed laws aimed at countering the federal government’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate. Alabama Senate Bill 9 restricts Alabama employers from requiring COVID-19...more
Alabama became the 36th state to allow cannabis for medical use when Gov. Kay Ivey signed into law the Darren Wesley ‘Ato’ Hall Compassion Act on May 17, 2021. The act establishes a process through which applicants will...more
With barely half of 2021 gone by, the wave of cannabis legalization continues with Alabama poised to become the 37th state with a lawful medical marijuana program. In particular, on May 6, 2021, the State Legislature voted to...more
In February a bill to legalize, regulate, and tax non-smokable medicinal cannabis passed through the Alabama Senate on a 21-10 vote. Progress on the bill slowed after moving to the House. The medical cannabis bill passed both...more