With the 2025 legislative session underway in Montgomery, the Alabama chapter of Americans for Prosperity has released its policy platform and priorities for lawmakers to consider.
The group’s ‘Playbook for Prosperity‘ lays out goals concerning regulatory reform, taxes and spending, health care, and also education.
“Following a monumental 2024 legislative session where Alabama’s students were prioritized by the Governor and lawmakers, AFP-AL is eager to kick 2025 off with more transformative policies that will score a touchdown for a more prosperous future for Alabama,” said AFP-AL State Director, Adam Thompson.
“Our grassroots base looks forward to working alongside legislators with our ‘Playbook for Prosperity’ to ensure smarter spending, less government red tape, and unlocked access to health care get tackled this year.”
AFP-AL will be sending key vote alerts to legislators and closely follow priority pieces of legislation this session to educate voters on how their elected officials handled a variety of key issues.
The report highlights four major policy areas:
Regulatory Reform
- REINS (Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny) Act: This policy aims to ensure that state agencies do not implement regulations that have significant economic or social impacts without proper legislative approval.
- Administrative Rules Sunset: Sunsetting administrative rules is needed to ensure that regulations remain relevant and effective over time, preventing outdated or unnecessary rules from hindering innovation and progress.
- Occupational License Reductions & Reform: Occupational license reform is needed to remove unnecessary barriers that prevent skilled workers from entering the job market.
Taxes & Spending
- Oppose Tax Increases; Prioritize Tax Reform: Lawmakers should oppose tax increases to prevent additional financial strain on residents and businesses, particularly in a time when many are already dealing with rising costs. Higher taxes discourage investment and job creation, slowing down economic growth and reducing the state’s competitiveness. Instead, by lowering taxes on all citizens, Alabama can create a more favorable environment for entrepreneurship, attract new businesses, and ensure that residents have more disposable income to support local economies.
- Long-Term Pension Reform: Long-term pension reform in Alabama is crucial to ensure the financial sustainability of the state’s retirement systems, which face growing liabilities and larger budget requests from the legislature each year.
Health Care
- Repeal Certificate of Need (CON): This law allows an unelected board and agency bureaucrats to decide if your community deserves a new medical service or health care facility.
- Oppose Medicaid Expansion: Policymakers should continue to oppose Medicaid expansion in Alabama, including the “so called” public-private expansion.
Education
- CHOOSE Act Funding: As the CHOOSE Act grows in enrollment, the Legislature must prioritize fully funding this critical program that empowers families and students. Investing in educational freedom fosters competition and drives overall improvements in education quality that benefit all students.
Austen Shipley is the News Director for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @ShipleyAusten
