House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter (R-Rainsville) says the Alabama House adjourned the 2026 legislative session Thursday having delivered a historic four-year record on education, taxes, public safety, and economic development.
Following the adjournment, Ledbetter credited the Legislature with transforming Alabama’s standing since 2023.
“When the Legislature convened in 2023 for the first session of the quadrennium, Alabama was a very different state,” Ledbetter said. “We ranked near the bottom in public education and did not have a school choice program. Over $1.5 billion in taxes — including a grocery tax with no end in sight — were still on the books. From a public safety perspective, law enforcement officers needed additional support, and our laws — specifically on fentanyl, human trafficking, and child molestation — were not strong enough. And in 2023, Alabama did not boast a top-20 economy that was the envy of the Southeast.”
Ledbetter said the Legislature had addressed each of those challenges over the course of four sessions.
“As we close the 2026 Legislative Session, the collective work of the men and women of the Legislature has the state of Alabama on an entirely different trajectory,” Ledbetter said. “Our state’s education system proudly stands as the most improved in the nation, thanks to historic investments and a renewed focus on restoring common sense in the classroom. We have delivered over $1.5 billion in meaningful tax relief to working families, charting a clear path toward eliminating the grocery tax while easing financial burdens on seniors and small businesses. We have strengthened public safety by backing our law enforcement officers and enacting tougher, more effective laws to hold fentanyl traffickers, human traffickers, and those who harm children fully accountable. And we have positioned Alabama’s economy as one of the strongest in the Southeast, driven by pro-growth policies, workforce development, and strategic investments that are attracting jobs and opportunity to every corner of our state.”
Thursday was the 30th and final day of the 2026 legislative session.
Sawyer Knowles is a capitol reporter for Yellowhammer News. You may contact him at [email protected].
