Though the 2026 Alabama state legislative session is still months away, State House Representative Chip Brown (R-Hollinger’s Island) has proposed three seafood-related bills for consideration by his fellow lawmakers.
“More than just a major economic driver in our region, the Gulf Coast commercial seafood industry is a beloved tradition that must be preserved for the next several generations and decades yet to come,” Brown said in a release.
On 25 August, Brown announced that he had pre-filed three pieces of legislation designed to support the state’s seafood sector.
House Bill 28 would establish a tax credit for restaurants that recycle oyster shells, with company’s earning USD 1.00 (EUR 0.86) for every 50 pounds of oyster shells deposited with a qualified recycling program. The tax credit would max out at USD 2,000 (EUR 1,717) annually, and the entire program would be capped at USD 100,000 (EUR 85,861) annually.
House Bill 38 would establish the Alabama Seagrass Restoration Task Force, a body that would help coordinate efforts to stop the loss of seagrass in the state’s coastal waters.
Finally, House Bill 3 would except seafood sales made directly by anglers and commercial fishers to consumers from the state’s sales and use taxes. Municipality and county governments would be given the choice to exempt those sales from local taxes.
“By passing these commonsense tax cuts and an important ecological protection, we can keep commercial seafood harvesting a growing and viable concern far into the future,” Brown said in a release.
The Alabama state legislature’s next session is scheduled to start 13 January 2026.
Brown was the state lawmaker behind a 2024 bill that required grocery store delis and restaurants to label whether seafood being served is imported or domestically produced.
