AGA Digital Magazine

discounts, and prohibit a pharmacy benefits manager from requiring or steering an insured to use a mail-order pharmacy or a pharmacy affiliated with a pharmacy benefits manager. SB 325 by Sen. Dan Roberts is law (Act # 2021- 385). Tobacco permits are suspendable in cases of failure by retailers to pay distributors. SB 388 by Sen. Steve Livingston is law (Act # 2021-421). Allows Alabama to adopt Daylight Savings Time statewide year round if Congress amends Federal law to allow it. SB 294 by Sen. Andrew Jones is law (Act # 2021-440). Authorizes small farm wineries to sell to consumers or distribute directly to retailers. HB 273 by Rep. Barbara Drummond is now law (Act # 2021-453). Raises the age to buy, possess, or use nicotine products to 21, and imposes restrictions on marketing of nicotine products. HB 539 by Rep. Anthony Daniels is now law (Act # 2021-454). Revises the daily limit on the amount of beer or liquor that may be sold to customers by breweries and distilleries. Several of these new laws, such as the delivery bill, have delayed effective dates, so we will be working with state agencies to develop the necessary rules and regulations, and will let you know when they are becoming effective.

SB 202 by Sen. Billy Beasley is law (Act # 2021-185). Revises licensure and continuing education requirements for pharmacists, to be set by board rule. SB 352 by Sen. Arthur is law (Act # 2021-203). Allows the Alabama Department of Revenue to revise excise and income taxes due dates to coincide with due dates for federal taxes, Department of Revenue to delay due dates for filing certain taxes for taxpayers. SB 274 by Sen. Bobby Singleton is law (Act # 2021-240). It establishes the COVID-19 Recovery Capital Protection Act of 2021, to increase the amount of various types of compensation that may be exempted, and to provide an extension to the employment and wage requirements of the capital credit program and associated penalties. SB 308 by Sen. Randy Price is law (Act # 2021-246). Establishes the Alabama Uniform Concealed Carry Permit Act to standardize the process by which concealed carry permits may be issued, and create a state firearms prohibited person database. SB 39 by Sen. Randy Price is law (Act # 2021- 272). Provides enhanced criminal penalties provided under certain conditions as part of the Alabama State of Emergency Consumer Protection Act. SB 167 by Sen. Andrew Jones is law (Act # 2021-287). Provides for licensure for wine festivals and authorizes a winery to provide tastings and sell its wine for on-premises or off-premises consumption at a wine festival. SB 227 by Sen. Tom Butler is now law (Act # 2021-341). Requires insureds to receive certain prescription drug rebates and

Waggoner and Rep. Gil Isbell successfully shepherded legislation into law allowing for the delivery of alcoholic beverages (Act # 2021-188). We also successfully negotiated passage of a bill allowing for the direct shipment of wine (Act # 2021-419). There seems to be a changing of mood in dealing with alcohol issues. We did not see the difficulty we’ve seen in past sessions. Legislators were more open to our arguments that these are good business decisions. This could bode well for future discussions of these issues. HB 170 by Rep. Danny Garrett passed, and was signed into law (Act # 2021-1). Provides for an exclusion from Alabama individual income taxation for any federal tax credits, advance refunds, Small Business Administration subsidy payments, Emergency Injury Disaster Loans, student loan payments, or qualified disaster relief payments, and adjust certain business taxes; exempts $8.7 million in stimulus payments. SB 30 by Sen. Arthur Orr passed and has been signed into law (Act # 2021-4). Provides civil immunity for business entities, health care providers, educational entities, churches, governmental entities, and cultural institutions operating in this state, as well as individuals associated with these entities, from certain damages claimed by individuals who allege that they contracted or were exposed to Coronavirus during a declared state of emergency. HB 103 by Rep. Jamie Kiel passed and has been signed (Act # 2021-160). Allows businesses and religious entities to operate under certain conditions during declared states of emergency.

ALABAMA GROCER | 11