Gov. Kay Ivey today signed four economic growth bills that she has dubbed The Game Plan. The package of bills was overwhelmingly approved by the Alabama Legislature.

At a ceremony, Ivey thanked lawmakers for their bipartisan support of The Game Plan, saying the strategic package will strengthen the state’s competitiveness for job-creating projects that add economic vitality to families and communities.

“The Game Plan will give Alabama’s team the tools needed to extend our winning record in economic development and help us unleash a new wave of growth and innovation across the state,” she said.

“This is going to benefit every corner of Alabama, from our rural areas to our big cities.”

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signs into law “The Game Plan,” a four-bill package designed to enhance and solidify Alabama’s economy and its attractiveness to prospective businesses. (Hal Yeager / Governor’s Office)

Breaking down the plays

The Game Plan is comprised of four components — or “plays” — that focus on economic development issues such as incentives, site development, small business support and transparency.

• Play 1: The Enhancing Alabama’s Economic Progress Act renews the Alabama Jobs Act and the Growing Alabama program and extends their sunset dates to 2028 while adding strategic enhancements to increase effectiveness. The Jobs Act is the state’s primary incentives platform, while Growing Alabama primarily speeds development of shovel-ready sites.

• Play 2: The Site Evaluation and Economic Development Strategy Act (SEEDS) allows the State Industrial Development Authority to accelerate the development of industry-ready sites at a time when available sites are scarce and other states are expanding their site programs.

• Play 3: The Innovation and Small Business Act aims to supercharge growth in Alabama’s innovation economy and support underrepresented businesses and enterprises in rural areas, transforming the state into a hub for technology and innovation.

• Play 4: The Enhancing Transparency Act amends the Jobs Act to require the Alabama Department of Commerce to publish certain incentivized project information on its website. Transparency around important information related to companies receiving incentives is expected to increase confidence in the process.

Elected officials stand in support of four new state economic development laws dubbed “The Game Plan.” (Hal Yeager / Governor’s Office)

Strategic framework

Greg Canfield, secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce, said the package will modernize the playbook the state has used to deliver major results in terms of new investment and job creation in recent years.

“The Game Plan will serve as our next-generation strategic economic development framework as we work to build a more dynamic economy for Alabama and its citizens,” Canfield said.

“Neighboring states are aggressively escalating their economic development activities, and this will allow us to keep winning the projects that trigger lasting impacts.”

Senate President Pro Tem Greg Reed, R-Jasper, hailed the passage of the package as a victory for the state and its future.

“The Game Plan is a multi-pronged approach to strengthen Alabama’s economy from all angles,” Reed said. “The four plays are effective pieces of legislation that will help Alabama’s local communities thrive by attracting high-quality employers, creating jobs and stimulating economic growth.”

Speaker of the House Nathaniel Ledbetter, R-Rainsville, said the package will benefit Alabamians by better positioning the state to compete for the best jobs in the country.

“Industries across the nation and globe are trying to come here because of our great employees, our low taxes and our unbeatable quality of life,” Ledbetter said. “We want to make sure that, from a competition standpoint, we have the tools needed to bring companies here and keep them here.”

This story originally appeared on the Alabama Department of Commerce’s Made in Alabama website.