COVID-19 has impacted governments on every level, and the impact on state government has been particularly unprecedented. In response to this crisis, state legislatures across the country have sought to address issues from the sudden economic fallout to the mass medical infrastructure shortcoming apparent in many states. The state of Alabama, likewise, has the potential to address these issues and is given the unique opportunity to learn from other state legislatures. Fifteen different states have called a special session during the 2020 calendar year including Georgia, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Missouri. As of July 1st, over 1,500 bills have passed into law since Alabama ended its 2020 regular session.

Many of the issues tackled in these bills align with the target areas of the Alabama Policy Institute’s RESTORE Alabama Plan, which outlines the folllowing policy issues that Alabama should take up in a special session in response to COVID-19.

– Legal Protections

– Shared Government Accountability in Future Crises

– Increased Broadband Access

– Tax Relief

– Extended Lessening of Licensure and Certificate of Need Restrictions

– Education Reform

In this report, there are almost 100 different bills from 19 states that have attempted to address at least one plank of the RESTORE Alabama Plan. These bills range from challenges to the executives’ long-term emergency powers to the year-long suspension of occupational licensing renewal fees.

This document is divided into six sections corresponding to the API RESTORE Alabama Plan. Each section lists states where a bill connected to each of the RESTORE Alabama Plan points was introduced, a summary of the bill if available, and the last action taken on said bill. If a bill or resolution was passed, the “last action” section will denote that.

This resource has proven helpful to our organization as we sought to learn what other states were doing to address the effects of the coronavirus. We hope it proves as helpful to you.