HB359 expands the Sweet Home Alabama Tourism Investment Act, which provides tax rebates to qualifying tourism-development projects. It allows one qualifying project of at least $75 million in investment each year to receive an additional $2.5 million tax-rebate designation and potentially claim up to $7.5 million total, with as much as $1.5 million claimed annually. The bill also requires participating companies to have their actual project costs independently certified by a Certified Public Accountant, and excludes related-party expenses from determining eligibility for the incentives.

The Alabama State House of Representatives passed HB359 on February 10, 2026 by a vote of 98 to 5. We have assigned pluses to the nays because this bill expands preferential tax rebates for select tourism-development projects, effectively granting certain businesses financial advantages unavailable to others. Such targeted tax incentives amount to corporate welfare, distort free-market competition, and allow government to pick winners and losers. Rather than using the tax code to favor particular businesses or industries, Alabama should reduce taxes across the board and allow private investment and consumer demand to determine which businesses succeed.