by Ralph Chapoco, Alabama Reflector
August 31, 2025

Alabama’s state grocery tax is scheduled to drop on Monday as a law passed last spring takes effect.

The state portion of the grocery tax will fall from 3% to 2%, the result of campaigning by both liberal and conservative groups.

“This is great news for the people of Alabama. The latest grocery tax reduction – the second in three years – will make it easier for every Alabamian to make ends meet, especially in this time of persistently high food prices,” said Robyn Hyden, executive director of Alabama Arise, a civil rights advocacy organization that has been at the forefront of efforts to reduce the tax.

HB 386, sponsored by Rep. Danny Garrett, R-Trussville and passed during the 2025 legislative session, does not directly impact grocery taxes imposed by city or county governments, though the law allows local governments to cut those taxes if they wish. It forbids local governments from raising them further.

A message was sent to the Alabama Grocers Association seeking comment.

Most states exempt groceries from sales taxes. Alabama for years was one of a handful of states that fully taxed groceries, and had done so since the state first imposed sales taxes in 1939. State and local levies combined could raise the tax as high as 10% in some areas. Critics said the tax fell disproportionately on lower-income earners and added to food insecurity.

A family that spends $600 on groceries each month and paid a total 9% tax will see their tax on the groceries go from $54 a month to $48 a month, or from $648 a year to $576 a year.

Legislators for years resisted cutting the grocery tax, citing the potential impact it could have on the Education Trust Fund budget (ETF), which pays for most public education in the state. The ETF gets most state sales taxes; HB 386 was estimated to reduce revenue in the ETF by $121 million.

But a surplus of money in 2023 led lawmakers to push for a reduction in the grocery tax. HB 479, sponsored by Garrett, the chair of the House Ways and Means Education Committee and enacted in 2023, reduced the state grocery tax from 4%, the standard sales tax rate in the state, to 3%.

The bill opened the door for an additional reduction, but only if revenue in the ETF increased 3.5%. In the fall 2023, budget experts for the state forecasted tax receipts to increase by less than 2%.

Garrett, however, moved to reduce the tax last spring, saying a repeal of an income tax exemption on overtime wages would pay for the cut.

Even after reducing the state portion of the grocery tax bill in half, Alabama Arise is hoping for further reductions to eliminate the tax altogether.

“We continue to support our longstanding proposal to replace grocery tax revenue by capping or ending the state income tax deduction for federal income tax payments,” Hyden said. “Alabama is the only state to allow this full deduction, which overwhelmingly benefits the wealthiest households. Closing this skewed loophole would protect funding for public schools and ensure Alabama can afford to end the state sales tax on groceries forever.”

Alabama Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Alabama Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Brian Lyman for questions: info@alabamareflector.com.

The post Alabama state grocery tax to fall 1% on Monday appeared first on alabamareflector.com

Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Center-Left

The content presents a generally favorable view of reducing the grocery tax, highlighting the benefits for lower-income residents and food security, which aligns with progressive economic concerns. It includes perspectives from a civil rights advocacy group advocating for further tax reductions and critiques of tax policies benefiting wealthier households. However, it also fairly presents the legislative process and fiscal considerations, maintaining a balanced tone without strong partisan language, placing the overall bias slightly left of center.

by Ariana Figueroa, Alabama Reflector
August 29, 2025

WASHINGTON — A three-judge panel of a federal appeals court unanimously ruled Friday the Trump administration likely acted unlawfully when it revoked extensions for temporary protections for more than 600,000 Venezuelans. 

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit panel agreed with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California’s March decision to block Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s decision to vacate two extensions of Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, to the group until October 2026 that the Biden administration put in place early this year.

One of the groups of Venezuelans had their TPS expire in April and the second is set to expire in September. The three-judge panel found that the Trump administration’s decision to end TPS in April is also likely unlawful.

The panel said Noem did not have the authority to revoke the TPS extensions granted by then-DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. 

Judges Kim McLane Wardlaw, appointed by former President Bill Clinton, Salvador Mendoza Jr. and Anthony Johnstone, who were both appointed by former President Joe Biden, reached the decision.

The judges ruled that the law creating TPS, which grants work visas and deportation protections to nationals from a country deemed too dangerous to return to, was designed to create “predictable periods of safety and legal status for TPS beneficiaries” and the administration’s cancellation of the extension contradicted that goal.

“Sudden reversals of prior decisions contravene the statute’s plain language and purpose,” they wrote. “Here, hundreds of thousands of people have been stripped of status and plunged into uncertainty. The stability of TPS has been replaced by fears of family separation, detention, and deportation.”

“Congress did not contemplate this, and the ongoing irreparable harm to Plaintiffs warrants a remedy pending a final adjudication on the merits,” they continued.

A spokesperson for DHS did not return a message seeking comment Friday.

The U.S. Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration in May to end TPS for the group of 350,000 Venezuelans that expired in April. It is unclear how Friday’s order will affect that group.

The roughly 250,000 Venezuelans in another group are set to have their TPS expire Sept. 10 after the DHS revoked the extension.

Alabama Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Alabama Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Brian Lyman for questions: info@alabamareflector.com.

The post Appeals court backs Venezuelan migrants’ effort to keep protected status appeared first on alabamareflector.com

Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Center-Left

This content presents a legal and policy issue involving the Trump administration and the Trump-era Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in a critical light, highlighting judicial decisions that deem actions taken under their leadership as likely unlawful. The article cites judges appointed by both Democratic and Republican presidents but emphasizes the ruling’s alignment with protections associated with the Biden administration’s policies. The framing tends to support immigration protections and criticizes the rollback efforts, which reflects a center-left perspective commonly supportive of immigrant rights and skeptical of Trump administration policies. However, the piece maintains a factual tone without overt opinion or partisan language, keeping it relatively balanced but leaning slightly to the left.

SUMMARY: On August 29, 2025, News 5 NOW covered major stories including the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, highlighting its catastrophic impact with over 1,800 deaths and $200 billion in damages. A family shared their experience living in New Orleans during the storm. The news also reported a deadly Russian drone attack in Ukraine, Claire’s closing nearly 300 stores including one in Foley, and Foley’s upcoming drainage project on US 98. Mobile County introduced 20 locations for US flag disposal. The show featured a poll on Alabama’s school cell phone ban, revealing mixed opinions. Viewers were reminded to expect busy Labor Day weekend traffic and possible rain.

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