Did you know it is illegal to run a marathon in the state of Alabama?
To purchase a domesticated animal or bird after the sun goes down?
To attend a bear wrestling match?
A bill passed the Alabama House Wednesday with near-unanimity might just take Alabama off those “Dumbest State Laws” lists that float around social media.
“We went to all the departments and agencies and said ‘have your lawyers go through the code and find any section of the code that pertains to your agency or department and is no longer needed,” the legislation’s sponsor Representative Chris Pringle told Yellowhammer in a phone interview Thursday.
The agencies came back with a list of more than 350 examples. This bill will take care of over 300 of those.
RELATED: The 13 most bizarre Alabama laws you’ve probably never heard of
“Republicans are committed to reducing red tape and removing regulations,” Rep. Pringle said.
The bill passed with only broad bipartisan support, receiving only two no votes.
While the bill does rid the state of some anachronistic laws, it will also save taxpayers money by dissolving a few councils, commissions, authorities, and other entities.
Here are a few more laws the bill will strike that stuck out:
— The tax on turtle sales
— The illegal drugs tax (because pot dealers are known for their adherence to the tax code)
— A law forbidding public markets to be held on Sundays
— A law requiring fishers to kill a garfish before returning it to the water.
— A ban on pool halls having curtains, blinds, or screens in front of windows
— A law requiring cities to build a storage place for gunpowder
— A law prohibiting altering a horse or mule’s teeth to make it look younger
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— Elizabeth BeShears (@LizEBeesh) January 21, 2015
